Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) (S06 Clinical Trials Optional)
NIMHD invites applications from federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations for the Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) initiative. The objective of the NARCH initiative is to support biomedical research and career enhancement opportunities to meet health needs prioritized by American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. The NARCH initiative also supports research capacity building and the development of research infrastructure to enhance the biomedical research capabilities of AI/AN communities.
The AI/AN population has long experienced a disparity in certain health conditions compared with other Americans. Major goals of the NARCH initiative are to address the complexity of factors contributing to the health and disease of AI/ANs, including:
- Gaining a better understanding of strengths and resiliency factors.
- Strengthening partnerships and AI/AN community engagement in health research.
- Promoting the enhancement of student and/or faculty research scientists interested in addressing the health issues within the AI/AN communities.
- Encouraging research infrastructure and capacity building within AI/AN communities, ensuring the sustainability of research within AI/AN communities.
NIMHD is interested in projects including, but not limited to, the following:
- Interventions derived from local culture in strategies, process, implementation, and evaluation.
- Projects that directly address methodological issues inherent in research with small populations such as those in many native communities.
- Culturally-leveraged, community-based interventions focused on existing practices that support strengths and resilience factors that may be applicable and useful in other communities.
- Projects that collect data to address risk factors for health disparities where aggregated data obscure disparities and data gaps.
- Projects that document efficacy and monetize traditional healing practices for coverage by insurance.
- Projects that develop innovative approaches to the provision of non-stigmatizing and resilience supportive prevention and treatment interventions.
- Projects that build community understanding and capacity for equal participation in health promotion and disease prevention research, including development of community health needs assessment, tribal health research review capacity, and tribal Institutional Review Board capacity.
NIH Guide No.: PAR-20-125
Page updated July 28, 2021
