Increasing Native Research Leadership Through an Early Career Development Program.

Jerreed D Ivanich,Evan J White,Helen Russette,Jessica Saniguq Ullrich,Nancy Rumbaugh Whitesell,Sarah Momilani Marshall,Michelle Sarche

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2022.770498

Abstract

Inequities impact American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian populations across various health conditions; in particular, many Native communities bear a disproportionate burden of substance use disorder. Such inequities persist despite concerted efforts of communities and significant research directed toward prevention and intervention. One factor hampering these efforts is the underrepresentation of researchers who are themselves Native and uniquely equipped to respond to the needs of their communities. This paper describes the innovative Native Children's Research Exchange (NCRE) Scholars program, now entering its ninth year of successful career development support for emerging Native scholars. We summarize the history of NCRE Scholars, outline the mentoring and training approaches taken to meet the unique needs of early-career Native scholars, and present key progress of program alumni. The current cohort of Scholars provide first-person perspectives on how four key program elements have supported their career development to date. NCRE Scholars has been an effective approach for supporting the next generation of Native research leaders and for helping to build an essential mass of Native researchers prepared to respond to Native community health priority needs.

Highlights

Two facts about American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian (i.e., Native) populations and substance use stand in striking opposition
This paper reports on the Native Children’s Research Exchange (NCRE) Scholars Program as a model for tailoring career development support for Native researchers, describing the key elements of the career development approach and outcomes for the program’s first nine years
The NCRE Scholars program has supported 27 rising Native investigators in ten cohorts as they have embarked on careers related to the emergence and prevention of substance use and disorder among Native children and adolescents

Summary

Introduction

Two facts about American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian (i.e., Native) populations and substance use stand in striking opposition. Statistics document problematic patterns of substance use and rates of disorder that have remained stubbornly high despite concerted efforts by both Native communities and academic researchers to develop effective prevention and intervention strategies. Disproportionate rates of substance use disorder in Native communities are well documented [1–4]. Research suggests that Native youth are at heightened risk for early substance use and the development of substance disorder relative to their non-Native peers [5–10], and that the opioid crisis has exacerbated this inequity [11–15]. These realities are discouraging, given extensive efforts to address them by Native communities, researchers, and funders alike

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