1/2 The Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Ensuring that all Americans have access to the best possible cancer health outcomes is an essential public health goal. American Indian Alaska Natives (AIAN) experience a significant cancer burden, including high rates of many cancers, late stages at diagnosis, poor outcomes after diagnosis, and low rates of cancer survival. The Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP), a 22-year collaboration between Northern Arizona University (NAU) and the University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC), has made impactful strides that successfully address the causal factors that drive these challenging cancer health outcomes. NACP has had a significant positive impact on the pipeline of individuals seeking careers related to cancer health research, including the training of investigators poised to be leaders in this field. NACP has been a driver of institutional change at both NAU and UACC by fostering an increase in cancer research capacity at NAU and community focused research at UACC and by elevating both institutions’ commitments to serving students and communities. NACP has built a strong foundation of relationships with AIAN communities, governments, and other partners, based on trust and respect, and this is resulting in an acceleration of the positive impacts driven by NACP’s activities, both present and future. NACP is poised to realize past investments while sustaining current relationships and expanding interactions to additional AIAN communities in Arizona. NACP remains committed to its core goals of reducing the burden of cancer within Southwest populations through research and community engagement, growing the number of investigators participating in cancer research, and increasing the total number of investigators focused on cancer health outcomes within AIAN communities. While these overall goals remain consistent, NACP is introducing an operational framework to systematically incorporate AIAN perspectives as a core reference to guide and thread together its work. NACP will embrace the two-eyed seeing paradigm, which seeks to see from one eye with the strengths of AIAN community perspectives, and from the other eye with the strengths of contemporary scientific perspectives, and to use both of these eyes together for the benefit of all. Aim 1. To engage in bidirectional communication grounded in mutual exchange of perspectives with our community partners to promote best practices with respect to cancer health and to develop research priorities and programs that address AIAN cancer health outcomes. Aim 2. To grow the pipeline of cancer-focused researchers and health care professionals through educational and training programs tailored to high school, undergraduates, graduate students, junior investigators, and early-stage investigators. Aim 3. Conduct impactful cancer research that is informed by rural and urban AIAN community priorities and concerns.