Consortium for Community-Based Research in Native American Health

Montana State University - Bozeman, Bozeman MT

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Seven Native American employees serve as Conmiunity Organizers (COs) under the Center for Native Health Partnerships (CNHP) at Montana State University. COs live and work on the seven reservations throughout Montana and were written into the parent grant, Consortium for Community-Based Research in Native American Health, as half-time employees for the five-year grant period. The goals of this supplement are to: 1) Augment the effectiveness of current half-time COs by increasing their hours to full-time;2) Stimulate reservation economies by infusing $421,053 -to tribal workers living on Montana reservations;3) Accelerate the tempo of scientific research by enabling COs to bridge relationships between community members and researchers to carry out health disparity community-based participatory research (CBPR) activities;and 4) Provide ten research training opportunities for seven Native communities in Montana. These goals match the ARRA purpose to promote job creation and economic development along with accelerating the pace and achievement of scientific research.Increasing the hours of COs will help further the scientific priority areas of NCMHD by: 1) building research infrastructure at MSU and Tribal communities through increased training and professional development in the areas of minority health and health disparity research, and 2) creating and conducting public health information and community outreach efforts that ensure participating communities are informed and educated about minority health research. Over the first two years of the grant, we have fully realized the vital role that COs play in connecting communities and academic researchers around healti disparities, working with partnerships once formed, and building community capacity for research. Their presence in tribal conununities serves to strengthen and maintain a dialogue between the academic researchers and their tribal community partners.