This chapter provides a rationale for supporting American Indians and Alaska Natives in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields particularly at the graduate level through Pacific Northwest Circle of Success: Mentoring Opportunities in STEM (PNW-COSMOS) Alliance activities and offers direction for the development of programming…

Literature shows that students who enter the science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical-related (STEMM) pipeline at earlier stages of their career are more likely to be successful. This is especially true for underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students. Despite the increasing number of students entering the pipeline,…

This paper explores the tensions that exist between the recognition of the importance of ethnicity and culture for individual and group identities without essentilisation, by reframing conceptualisations of multi- and interculturalism. Drawing from our ongoing ethnography conducted with a research community of Alaska Native PhD candidates involved…

Background: Few HIV/STI and pregnancy prevention programs for youth in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities have been rigorously evaluated despite sexual health disparities in this population. This study reports the evaluation of a culturally adapted Internet-based HIV/STI and pregnancy prevention program for AI/AN youth, Native…

This article presents the results of a process evaluation of the Alaska Native (AN) Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Family Outreach Program, which encourages CRC screening among AN first-degree relatives (i.e., parents, siblings, adult children; hereafter referred to as relatives) of CRC patients. Among AN people incidence and death rates from CRC are the…

Culturally Responsive Education has been widely proposed as a mechanism to improve the academic achievement of minority and Indigenous populations. Instruction in heritage languages has been shown to produce desirable outcomes both on linguistic and academic measures. However, culturally responsive and immersion instruction faces a number of…

Purpose: This study examined the associations between participant and site characteristics and retention in a multisite cardiovascular disease risk reduction project. Design and Methods: Data were derived from the Special Diabetes Program for Indians Healthy Heart Demonstration Project, an intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk among American…

Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms throughout the United States by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud. The program began in 1989 at what was then called Boston City Hospital, and is now known…

In this article, the authors describe a unique summer program to train American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) health professionals in a variety of health research-related skills, including epidemiology, data management, statistical analysis, program evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, community-based participatory research, grant writing, and…

Depression occurs at a significant rate in the U.S. population. Untreated depressive symptoms are a primary risk factor for suicide. Studies show that a significant percentage of individuals who commit suicide had visited their health care providers in the months before their deaths. Alaska ranks number one in the nation for suicide. Routine…

Describes a student writing project called Chukchi News and Information Service (at Chukchi College in Alaska) which publishes Alaska Native writers and other rural Alaskans in the statewide mainstream press. Advocates the use of cultural journalism to increase access to the mainstream press and increase understanding about native people and other…

Presents current developments concerning nursing bottle caries--"baby bottle tooth decay"--and spotlights a program funded by Head Start to reduce the prevalence of these painful and disfiguring, but preventable, children's dental diseases among American Indians and Alaska Native families. (Author/BB)

Substance abuse has had profoundly devastating effects on the health and well-being of American Indians and Alaska Natives. A wide variety of intervention methods has been used to prevent or stem the development of alcohol and drug problems in Indian youth, but there is little empirical research evaluating these efforts. This article is an…

Through the Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP), the State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services and a number of isolated Alaskan villages are addressing the mental health problems of Alaska's Native youths. (Author/BB)

Describes the use of radio and television in the improvement of health care in Alaska by establishing communication links between doctors and local health professionals. (JMF)