Call for Abstract

The NNHRT committee welcomes abstracts addressing topics related to the theme of the 3rd Annual National Native Health Research Training Initiative, The Tribal Health Research Agenda: Governance, Trust, and Culture and focusing on AI/AN research-related activity consistent with the four tracks described below. We invite abstracts from a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, and we are interested in a diversity of (inter-)national, regional, and local perspectives. Submissions by researchers, health care practitioners, health systems experts, and doctoral students engaged in research are welcome. Researchers from all organizational and institutional types (health service providers, governmental agencies, Tribal Colleges and Universities and other institutions of higher education) are encouraged to submit abstracts. We particularly welcome new scholars and members of AI/AN Tribes and other Indigenous populations interested in creating and engaging with a community of scholars through participation in the annual NNHRT conference.

Health Tracks 

The conference will have four tracks, described below. Examples of possible questions for consideration for each track are included; however, they should not be considered exclusionary.

• Behavioral Health (BH): 
  Sessions within the BH Track seek to address the mental and behavioral health issues by sharing research impacting Native communities that demonstrate potential for effective and innovative interventions and innovative approaches to health care and community settings. Specific topics may include:
  • Care for individuals with serious mental illness and with substance use disorders;
  • Building quality improvement capability among mental/behavioral health providers and organizations;
  • Innovative approaches to mental/behavioral health care in low-resource settings;
  • Intervention for individuals with traumatic exposures and adverse childhood events;
  • Innovative behavioral health outreach to Tribal College and University students; and,
  • Effective interventions to address Native men’s mental and behavioral health.

• Biomedical and Health Systems Research (BHSR): 
  Sessions within the BHSR track will highlight new advances in biomedical and health systems research in improving      primary healthcare delivery, as well as innovative approaches in research that incorporate traditional AI/AN methodologies. The session will explore, among other questions: How are AI/AN researchers using  traditional and cultural-based knowledge to break new ground in biomedical and health systems research? How can Western biomedical research models be informed by Traditional Knowledge? How are approaches to AI/AN research changing in response to community inclusion and consultation? What are good models for collaboration between Tribal and non-Tribal community-based health care providers that promote access to services, continuity of care, or public health? What is the future of biomedical and health systems research in AI/AN communities?

• Traditional Indigenous Medicine (TIM) & Traditional Epistemology: 
  This session will focus on the value of TIM in promoting American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian health and Traditional Epistemology as it relates to the creation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge, beliefs and practices. The session will explore: What are successful models of TIM-based or related treatment? What challenges do researchers face today when evaluating the effects of TIM/Epistemology in practice? How can researchers meet these challenges? How are TIM/Epistemology models changing as more become involved in research? What are the strengths and weaknesses of different models? Are certain TIM/Epistemology practices associated with certain outcomes? How will this information enhance indigenous community-academic collaborations and improve the ability of indigenous people to use research findings?  Some examples of these types of research include the roles of traditional plants, indigenous language use, traditional foods and traditional meditation in health outcomes. 

• Traditional Ecological Knowledge/Environmental Health (TEK/EH): 
  Sessions within the TEK/EH track will explore the intersection and interactions between TEK and EH research. Talks will focus on the value of TEK to complement and expand upon Western scientific methods and will touch upon the potential for successes as well as the challenges of applying different but potentially complementary knowledge systems. Presentations will highlight the importance of raising awareness about culturally appropriate approaches among environmental health scientists working collaboratively with Tribal nations. The sessions will also include discussion of intergenerational learning, and the training and skills to increase Tribal community engagement in research using case examples of successful Tribal-academic partnerships. The session will consider questions such as: How is TEK being applied in contemporary research contexts to address  pressing environmental concerns? How can TEK inform EH research, and vice versa? How can TEK be used in ecological management and policy development? What is being done to prepare AI/AN tribal college students, scientists, and health professionals to incorporate both TEK And current EH research methodologies in AI/AN health studies?

Abstract Template Example

Sharing stories:
Childhood experiences of early childbearing Native American mothers. *Janelle Palacios

Background: 
Teen pregnancy, or early childbearing (ECB), is common among Native American women despite a decrease from 1993‐2003. Little is known about their experiences, what situates their life before becoming pregnant, what obstacles they face, and how ECB affects their life. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive phenomenological study was to understand the lived experience of ECB among reservation based Native women.

Methods: 
A collaborative qualitative study with a rural Western Tribe investigated the childhood context of 30 adult self-identified ECB Native American women. Up to three, semi‐structured, digitally voiced recorded interviews were conducted. Interview questions eliciting both reflective and narrative responses were used to uncover daily practices, cultural values and beliefs. All interviews were transcribed. Transcriptions and field notes from participant observations were analyzed by uncovering paradigm cases, thematic analysis, and exemplars.

Results: 
Two prevalent themes surfaced regarding women’s childhood context including a chaotic childhood and diminished childhood. Quotes from women demonstrate that chaotic childhoods were marked by traumatic experiences such as death, parental divorce, neglect, substance use and abuse (physical, sexual and psychological), while diminished childhoods were characterized by a sense of maturing early demonstrated through women’s childhood activities and responsibilities.

Conclusion: 
Knowledge gained from these women’s experiences and life trajectories demonstrate the need for clinicians to modify their interview to include further assessment questions. In addition, this study provides a foundation for designing and implementing interventions and policies aimed at improving maternal/child health outcomes and delaying childbearing among this population.
 
For Further information: Janelle Palacios, RN, CNM, PhD. University of California at San Francisco, School of Nursing, Department of Family Health Care Nursing N‐411Y, San Francisco, CA Zip code. Phone Number. Email Address.

*Sample abstract used with author’s permission