Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) (PAR-12-182)

Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH)

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-12-182.html

Purpose:

The purpose of the Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) initiative is to reduce health disparities, enhance partnerships and reduce distrust of research by  American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities while developing a cadre of AI/AN scientists and health research professionals.  The AI/AN Tribal nations and communities have long experienced disparities in health compared with other Americans.  Health disparities of AI/ANs are related to a complex set of factors and the paucity of health research within these populations may contribute to the situation.  One approach that combats this distrust is to ensure that Tribes and Tribal Organizations are the managing partners in research and training that involves them.  To that end, NIH in collaboration with IHS has issued the NARCH funding opportunity announcement in which collaborations between Federally recognized AI/AN Tribes or Tribal organizations (including national and area Indian health boards, and Tribal colleges meeting the definition of a Tribal organization as defined by 25 U.S.C. 1603(d) or (e)) and institutions that conduct intensive academic-level biomedical, behavioral and health services research will be supported to conduct research and training in AI/AN communities. 

Research Objectives:

The NARCH program seeks to support development of AI/AN communities in research partnerships, build upon strengths in combating health disparities and increase the pool of trained AI/AN scientists and research professionals.  Due to the complexity of factors contributing to the health and disease of AI/ANs, and to their health disparities compared with other Americans, the collaborative efforts of the agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the collaboration of researchers and AI/AN communities are needed to achieve significant improvements in the health status of AI/AN people. To accomplish this goal, in addition to objectives set by the Tribe, Tribal organization or Indian health boards, the NARCH program will pursue the following program objectives:

• To gain a better understanding of strengths and resilency factors: An understanding of how to enhance the strengths and resilience within the AI/AN communities and individuals may help reduce health disparities. While AI/AN communities have relied on health research and medical science to reduce health disparities, they have also relied on their own psychological, organizational, and cultural assets and strengths to survive major harms and disruptions over the centuries, and to rebound from insults to health.
• Strengthen partnerships and AI/AN community engagement in health research: Fully utilizing all cultural and scientific knowledge, strengths, and competencies, such partnerships can lead to better understanding of the biological, genetic, behavioral, psychological, cultural, social, and economic factors either promoting or hindering improved health status of AI/ANs, and generate the development and evaluation of interventions to improve their health status.  Community distrust of research and researchers will be reduced by offering the Tribe greater control over the research process. Recent community-based participatory research suggests that AI/AN communities can work collaboratively in partnership with health researchers to further the research needs of AI/ANs (Thomas LR, Rosa C, Forcehimes A,Donovan DM. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. Research partnerships between academic institutions and American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes and organizations: effective strategies and lessons learned in a multisite CTN study. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2011 Sep;37(5):333-8).  Helpful guidelines for community leaders and health researchers conducting research within the AI/AN communities can be found athttp://www.ncaiprc.org/research-curriculum-guide and http://www.ncaiprc.org/research-regulation.
• Development of AI/AN scientists and health research professionals: Opportunities are needed to develop more AI/AN scientists and health professionals engaged in health research, and to conduct biomedical, clinical, behavioral and health services research that is responsive to the needs of the AI/AN community and the goals of this initiative. Faculty/researchers and students at each proposed NARCH will develop investigator-initiated, scientifically meritorious research projects, including pilot research projects, and will be supported through science education projects designed to increase the numbers of, and to improve the research skills of, AI/AN investigators and investigators involved with AI/ANs.

By involving and training people from within the community in areas of health research, a better understanding of community health concerns and needs regarding health research is attained. The approach in which the community is empowered in the research is beneficial in both designing research relevant to the health needs of the communities and providing sustainability of addressing these needs with trained researchers from Tribal communities. 

Research Interests:

Although many ICs indicated specific research interests that they would like to fund, NIDDK did not. It is highly recommended that you contact the program officer to see if they would be interested in funding your research concept.

The program officer indicated in the RFA is Alan Trachtenberg:

Alan Trachtenberg, M.D., M.P.H. 
IHS Research Director (Acting) 
801 Thompson Ave, TMP Suite 450 
Rockville, MD 20852 
(301) 443-0578 or narch@ihs.gov