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The Native American Research Centers for Health program was designed to foster research training and skill development for American Indian/Alaska Native trainees. Increasing the number of American Indian/Alaska Native researchers with advanced training in science is one strategy to help decrease health disparities in native peoples. Our NARCH program provided financial support and mentorship for professional and academic development of American Indian/Alaska Native award recipients. We report on an assessment of our NARCH training program that is directed toward increasing the number of qualified American Indian/Alaska Native researchers.

In the U.S., the prevalence of blindness is expected to double by 2050 and as many half of those with blinding eye disease are unaware of their diagnosis. Screening for vision health in the community setting may offer a key strategy to address the rising trend avoidable vision loss. However, problems with excessive referrals and low compliance with these referrals (often <50%) undermine the effectiveness of vision screening programs. We investigated the outcomes of a modified vision screening program design. Key modifications were 1) incorporating an on-site ophthalmologist during screening events; and 2) leveraging community partner resources to maximizing benefit to participants. A review of screening outcomes of 4349 particpant examinations from the Casey Eye Institute Outreach Program (CEIO program) from 01/04/2012 to 10/3½016 were analyzed for demographics and disease findings. The burden on participants to comply with referrals was lessened as 97% of participants completed definitive exams. Clinical care was recommended for 924 (21.2%) participants. Nearly four out of five participants (78.8%) were provided care for all of their immediate vision health needs (full exams, refractions, and spectacle ordering). Modifications to vision screening program design may improve their effectiveness.

Culturally relevant interventions have the potential to improve adolescent health and protective factors associated with sexual risk taking. We evaluated the impact of the Native STAND curriculum with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN or Native) high school students living across the U.S. using a pre-post evaluation design. Native STAND is a comprehensive sexual health curriculum for Native high school students that focuses on sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, and teen pregnancy prevention, while also covering drug and alcohol use, suicide, and dating violence. The curriculum was implemented in 48 AI/AN communities from 2014 to 2019. A significantly higher percentage of youth reported at post-test having a serious conversation about sex with their friends (post 36% vs. pre 28%, p < 0.001), thinking about lessons learned (post 24% vs. pre 7%, p < 0.0001), and sharing lessons learned during the conversation (post 21% vs. pre 4%, p < 0.001). A lower percentage of AI/AN youth reported being bullied in the last year (post 31% vs. pre 37%, p < 0.001). Family social support was moderated by dose, with subscale scores of 3.75 at post-with <27 sessions vs. 3.96 at post-with all 27 sessions (p = 0.02). The results demonstrate the effectiveness of Native STAND when delivered in a variety of settings. Efforts are now underway to update Native STAND for medical accuracy, improve alignment with typical class periods, and promote its use and an effective EBI for AI/AN youth.