Innovative Partnerships
American Indian/Alaska Native Communities
Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho (the WWAMI states) have a population of over 400,000 American Indian and Alaska Natives. This population is nearly 10% of all American Indian and Alaska Natives living in the Unites States and represents 43 federally recognized tribes, 231 Alaska Native villages/tribes, and large numbers of individuals living in metropolitan areas.
We are working to engage and form collaborative research partnerships with American Indian and Alaska Native communities in the WWAMI region.
We aim to:
- Help create new health research networks involving American Indian and Alaska
Native communities.
- Develop a bi-directional relationship
between American Indian and Alaska Native communities and other ITHS members
to ensure the relevance of translational research for clinical practice and
community members.
- Offer training to local researchers on successful research implementation in
and collaboration with American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
- Offer training to local researchers on issues related to turning research findings into practice in order to improve the
health and well being of American Indian and Alaskan Native communities.
- Connect American Indian and Alaska
Native researchers with ITHS resources.
- Educate University of Washington faculty and ITHS members about conducting collaborative research within American Indian and Alaska Native communities and research
topics of special interest to the Native investigators and communities.
These activities will be guided by Dr. Dedra Buchwald, who directs or co-directs:
- Center for Clinical and Epidemiological Research.
- NCI-funded Community Networks Program.
- NIH-funded Native Investigator Development Program.
- NCMHD-funded EXPORT Center.
- Many other funded efforts on Native health.
Dr. Buchwald brings strong ties to rural, reservation-based, and urban American Indian
and Alaska Native communities, as well as Tribal Colleges and Universities.
Director:
Dedra S. Buchwald, M.D.
Director,
Center for Clinical & Epidemiological Research
Professor of Medicine
UW Division of General Internal Medicine