Summer Series to Deepen the Dialogue on the Respectful Inclusion of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) People in Research
As part of ongoing efforts to engage and solicit input from Tribal communities, the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program will host a series of four virtual information sessions and discussions this summer. The series will be followed by a Tribal consultation on September 28, 2023, to receive feedback from Tribal leaders to help inform the program’s efforts and to support responsible and community-led participation of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people in All of Us.
The information sessions and consultation build on the program’s continuing dialogue with Tribal communities, which includes the prior listening sessions and Tribal consultations that began in 2019. All of Us is a landmark research initiative focused on helping researchers advance health equity and identify ways to improve health through individualized prevention, treatment, and care. The program has a special focus on engaging communities that have been left out of past research, such as American Indians and Alaska Natives.
“The input and perspectives shared by Tribal leaders over the years has been vital to informing how we can support research that recognizes the needs of AI/AN communities, and the upcoming sessions will deepen our understanding of community priorities, especially when it comes to sensitive issues like data access, use, and protection,” said Michael Hahn, All of Us’ Tribal engagement team lead. “Inclusion in research is essential to closing the information gaps that fuel persistent health disparities in communities all around the country.”
Interested organizations and individuals can sign up to attend All of Us’ information sessions through the links below:
- Session 1: All of Us Research Program Overview and Tribal Engagement, Tuesday, June 6, 2023, 1:00–3:00 pm ET
- Session 2: How Researchers Access and Use All of Us Data, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 1:00–3:00 pm ET
- Session 3: Describing Self-Identified AI/AN Participants in All of Us Data, Tuesday, June 20, 2023, 1:00–3:00 pm ET
- Session 4: Data and Partnerships in All of Us, Tuesday, June 27, 2023, 1:00–3:00 pm ET
The formal Tribal consultation that All of Us will host in September will include an update on the program’s Tribal engagement activities and help guide the future integration of information from self-identified AI/AN participants into the program’s secure cloud-based data platform, the All of Us Researcher Workbench.
Tribal leaders and urban Indian organization leaders have been invited to participate in these events. Questions and written testimony can also be submitted in advance to AOUTribal@nih.gov.
“We are grateful to Tribal leaders and participants who have been so generous and forthcoming with their input to date,” said Karriem Watson, D.H.Sc., M.S., M.P.H., chief engagement officer at All of Us. “We will build on our engagement efforts in the months and years ahead, to ensure that All of Us lives up to its promise of meaningful inclusion and that the perspectives of Tribal communities continue to shape program plans.”
To learn more about All of Us’ Tribal engagement activities, visit http://allofus.nih.gov/tribalengagement.
Sign language interpreting services are available upon request. Individuals who need interpreting services and/or other reasonable accommodations to participate in this event should contact AoUTribal@nih.gov. Requests should be made by May 30, 2023, to be addressed in advance of the event. For Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) call 711.
