Student Research Mentoring at Din College

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Student Research Mentoring at Diné College
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Diné College

• Mission
• Navajo Language Culture
• Student Development
• Preparing Students for Jobs and Further Studies
• Community Service and Research
• Research with students addresses in an integrated
  way all elements of the mission.

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Health Research at Diné College

• 28 years of federally-funded research experience
• Enhancement of student skills/knowledge through
  involvement in research projects
• Integration of Navajo culture and language into
  curriculum and research
• Community participation in research design and
  implementation

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Student Mentoring at Diné College

• MBRS SCORE Program
• Over 100 Native American students since 1978
  received hands-on research training
• NIH Bridge Programs
• 60 students since 1992 received summer research
  training experiences at NMSU, NMHU, U of A, NAU
• Science Honors Program
• From 1992 to 2001, 70 students assisted with
  scholarships, academic support, and transfer
  assistance
• Summer Research Enhancement Program
  (CDC/NIH/NARCH)
• 86 students since 2000 complete summer program
• MBRS RISE Program
• Student Research Enhancement on and off campus
• Native American Scientist Guest Speakers

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Student Research Papers

• AUTHOR TITLE
• Julia Roanhorse "Issues of Familial Support in
  the Management of Non- Insulin Dependent
  Diabetes Mellitus."
• Cheryl Rodriguez "Effects of Navajo Family
  Support on Diabetes Self-
• Management."
• Geneva Joe "The Role Diabetes Clinic
  Educational Classes in the
• Carol Williams Shiprock Service Unit."
• Lori Howe "Non-Western Understanding of Diabetes
  Among Navajos"
• Sonya Yazzie "Individual Concerns with
  Diabetes."
• Cornelia Tapaha "Responses to Diagnosis."
• Joseph Benally "Family Worries about the Diabetic
  Individuals
• Nelson Sims Need to Use Both Sides
• Faculty Paper Implications of Táá Hó
  Ájítéego for Navajo Diabetics Carolyn Epple,
  Frank Morgan, Mark Bauer

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Understanding Barriers to Effective Control of
Diabetes Among Navajo(NIH/Minority Biomedical
Research Support)1995-1999

• A study has been conducted through survey of 250
  patients with additional variables from patients
  medical records to explore what demographic
  factors and patterns of medical system use are
  involved in contributing to effective management
  of diabetes.
• The purpose of this study was to explore barriers
  to effective management of diabetes at the
  individual, family, community and community
  health care system levels, with a view to how
  existing and future interventions can overcome
  those barriers.

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Making a Difference The Role of Family Support
in Self-Care of Navajos with Diabetes 1999 -
2004

• Identify factors that predict level of family
  support for diabetes management.
• Investigate how family dynamics impact the
  management of diabetes.
• Assess how traditional Navajo philosophical
  concepts are used by families in their
  interactions regarding diabetes management.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of specific diabetes
  educational interventions in improving both
  self-management behaviors and objective measures
  of diabetes control.

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Life - Style Effects on Navajo
Cardiovascular HealthNIH NIGMS Minority
Biomedical Research Support ( MBRS )
Program1988 - 1994

• A natural experiment, based on matched pairs
  of siblings, to ensure genetic similarity.
• Within each pair of siblings,
• one had at least 9th grade education and steady
  employment
• over the past 10 years
• matched sibling had no more than 6th grade
  education and no employment for gt 6 months
  over the past 10 years
• Data collection included height, weight, skinfold
  thicknesses, blood pressure and pulse,
  respiratory function, 24-hour dietary recall,
  education (including meals eaten at school),
  religious affiliations, and activities
  (job, subsistence, recreational, etc.)

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Uranium Education CenterNational Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences1996 - 2000

• The Radiation Education Center established under
  this project conducts community needs assessments
  and educational outreach. Communities have
  identified some research needs
• Adverse Health Effects on Uranium Millers
• Water Quality Issues Near Abandoned Mines and
  Tailings Piles
• Adverse Health Effects on Family of Miners and
  Millers
• Soil and Surface Water Contamination Near
  Abandoned Mines and Tailings Piles
• Diné Colleges Radiation Education Center
  participated in conducting the Millers Health
  Study, in collaboration with staff at the UNM
  School of Medicine.
• Diné College will continue to seek for ways to
  provide the research that the communities have
  identified as important.

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The Variety, Affordability, and Availability of
Healthful Foods at Convenience Stores and Trading
Posts on the Navajo Reservation

• This research project, funded by USDA, was
  conducted in 1999, with the following aims
• Assess the availability of healthful foods on the
  Navajo reservation
• Assess the affordability and variety of healthful
  foods
• Determine the reliance of nearby trading posts
  and convenience stores
• Determine purchasing patterns

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Monitoring the Nutritional Status of Navajo
Preschoolers

• This research project, funded by USDA, was
  conducted in 2000, with the following aims
• Assess the nutritional status of preschool
  children participating in the Navajo Head Start
  program in the Northern Navajo Agency area.
• Provide nutritional information to the Navajo
  Nation Head Start and provide a dataset that can
  be used to inform discussion of policy and
  effectiveness of food assistance programs and
  nutritional interventions among Navajo families.

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Development of Nutrition Education for Navajo
Families

• Funding obtained from USDA 2003-2006.
• Nutrition Education will be developed from
  feedback obtained from focus groups.
• Nutrition Education will be designed to assist
  parents efforts to make wise food choices for
  their families.
• Intended to meet the request of the staff and
  parents of Navajo Head Start.

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Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement
(RISE)

• Funding from NIH / MBRS 2000-2009
• Four components
• Faculty Enhancement
• Student Enrichment
• Student Research Placements (40 per year)
• Community Research Enhancement

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2006 Summer Research Enhancement Program for
Diabetes Prevention (SREP)

• Funded by
• National Institutes of Health MBRS-RISE
• U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Native American Research Center for Health

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2005 ProgramStudents and Staff

• Top Left Dr. Edward R. Garrison, Nathan Etsitty,
  Amber Lee, Mindy Lantz, Dr. Mark C. Bauer,
  Micheryl Miller. Middle Left Lou LeGarde,
  Jonathan Meyers, Rose Bull, RISE Coordinator
  Clarissa Bowman, SEDP Coordinator Melinda Frank.
  Bottom Left Maza Old Rock, Shannon Gravatt,
  Marie Smith, and Glenda Billy.
• Not pictured RISE Coordinator Vangie Martinez,
  UNM MPH Student Verena Serafin

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2006 Summer Research Enhancement Program for
Diabetes Prevention (SREP)

• Nitsáhákees
• Learning concepts in the classroom
• Nahatá
• Group work and project
• Iiná
• Practicum in the community
• Siihasin
• Final presentation

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Phase I Public Health Research Methods Course
4 credit hours

• Topics covered include
• Native American health and illness concepts
• Determinants of Public Health
• Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
• Diabetes diagnosis and management
• Basic epidemiology
• Nutrition
• Data Collection
• Statistics
• Ethics and Research Methods

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Phase I Public Health 290 (continued)

• Public Health Methods
• Assessment, planning, implementation and
  evaluation to develop a diabetes prevention
  program
• Foundations of understanding and actively
  participating in community based diabetes
  prevention

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Phase I Public Health 290 (continued)Group
Project

• Students will be divided into teams and will be
  responsible for assessing a community and
  designing a diabetes intervention program.
• Community description demographics
• Health background of community members
• Health facilities available
• Assessed health problems and offered effective
  solutions
• Describe goals, objectives and activities of
  diabetes intervention
• Evaluation of proposed plan
• Presentation that included literature references

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Phase I Public Health 290Group Projects

• Trade Ur Fat for Fun 2005-2006
• Primarily targeting all teens/adolescence to
  teach and illustrate healthy nutrition and
  exercise through classroom and outdoor sessions
• Health on Wheels
• Increase knowledge of diabetes prevention and to
  get youth to live a healthy lifestyle by making
  healthy food choices in our schools
• Mutton Town
• Decrease percentage of impaired glucose tolerance
  by 10 of adults between ages of 31-45 through
  establishment of routine exams given by DM
  professionals, providing physical activities for
  weight loss and wellness workshops in the
  community.
• SEDP Planning Intervention
• Overall weight reduction in diagnosed Type II
  Diabetics in town of Jin-Jeeville by providing
  community members free, organized physical
  fitness activities, nutrition classes and
  Diabetes Prevention Awareness classes.

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Phase II Practicum Student Placement Sites

• Six week internship appointment
• Hands-on participation in community-based
  diabetes prevention
• Mentoring provided by professionals (MDs,
  Nutritionists, Nurses, Health Educators,
  Traditionalists, etc.)
• Contribute to community

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Phase II Practicum Student Placement Sites
(continued)

• Many Farms Wellness Center (Two students)
• NNMC Diabetes Program and HPDP
• GIMC Diabetes Program
• Ganado Wellness Center
• Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Health Center
• Cankdeska Cikana Community College (Two students)
• Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College
• Tsaile Health Center
• Crownpoint IHS Diabetes Program
• Kayenta Hogan Project

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Phase III Analysis and Final Preparation for
Class Presentation

• Classroom instruction on Data Analysis and Excel
  Worksheets
• Students interpret evaluation data collected from
  their practicum site and develop a power point
  presentation
• Students share practicum experience

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Program Statistics2000 - 2006

• 76 students participated in the program
• 56 female/20 male
• Tribal Affiliation (23)
• Navajo, Spirit Lake Sioux, Mandan, Winnebago,
  Keweenaw Bay Indian, Minnesota Chippewa, Zuni,
  etc.
• College Representation
• 10 Tribal Colleges
• 22 non-tribal Colleges/Universities

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Sample of Accomplishments

• Assisted with a survey of community members on
  levels of participation, satisfaction, and
  suggestions for their wellness center. They
  prefer simple group activities.
• Helped to analyze a tribal college health survey
  with a focus on the age of onset of DM and
  nutrition.
• Did a project with the IHS DM program in her area
  to explore issues of depression and DM, how well
  it is being screened for, and how to design more
  accurate but efficient screening tools that will
  be culturally appropriate.
• Helped an IHS DM Clinic with a behavior survey
  and chart review that showed their DM patients
  over age 50 had better HbA1cs than younger
  patients.
• Assisted with many youth activities in her tribal
  community aimed at preventing obesity in youth.
  Her medical record search showed 1/3 of 5-21
  yr.olds are overweight.
• Went on home visits in her community with the
  CHR. Her experience was that older, more rural
  patients are most likely to enroll in the home
  visit program.
• Worked with her tribal college and local health
  programs to get community input on potential
  messages for health awareness campaigns. She was
  able to see how different groups had different
  preferences for messages.

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Four-Year Collaborative Planning Grant (P 20)
between Diné College and Mayo Clinic (Rochester,
MN and Scottsdale, AZ) funded by the National
Cancer Institute

• Start Date January 1, 2006

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Diné College / Mayo ClinicDeveloping Cancer
Researchers

• Edward R. Garrison, Ph.D., M.P.H. (PI)
• Mark C. Bauer, Ph.D. (Co-PI)
• Diné College
• Christi A. Patten, Ph.D. (PI)
• Mayo Clinic Rochester
• Cynthia Claus, M.P.H. (Co-PI)
• Mayo Clinic Scottsdale

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NCI Project Rationale

• To increase the number of Navajo undergraduate
  students pursuing advanced degrees in the medical
  field by providing opportunities to obtain
  experience in cancer research and training.
  This may ultimately help to reduce cancer risk
  behaviors and decrease the cancer mortality rate
  among Native Americans (currently the second
  leading cause of death).

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NCI Project Aims

• Aim 1 Cancer Education - Faculty
• Aim 2 Cancer Education - Students
• Aim 3 Cancer Research Training -
• Student Research Training

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Environmental Health Environmental Science
Research

• Current Projects
• Ts4tah / Oaksprings uranium impacts
• Phytoremediation at uranium tailings piles
• Aneth oil gas impact
• Coal burning impact on air quality,
  respiratory health
• Funding WERC, TCI, NASA, ATSDR

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GIS Workstations, GIS Lab at Diné College
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GIS SUMMER RESEARCH PROJECTS

• 1995 Shiprock Campus Vegetation Study
• 1996 Soil Type Study at New Shiprock Campus
  Site
• 1997 Shiprock UMTRA Site Contamination Plume
  Study
• 1998 Morgan Lake Recreation Area
• 1999 Unregulated Trash Dump Sites in Shiprock
  Chapter
• 2000 Tamarisk Invasion Study
• 2001 Tamarisk, Russian Olive and Cottonwood
  Study,
• San Juan River Riparian area, Shiprock
• 2002 Abandoned Uranium Mines, TséTah area
• 2003 Abandoned Uranium Mines, Oak Springs area
• 2004 Vegetation of San Juan River Riparian
  area, Shiprock
• 2005 Abandoned Uranium Mines, TséTah, Arizona
  area and
• Oil and Gas Wells in the Aneth, Utah area
• 2006 Abandoned Uranium Mines, TséTah and Oak
  Springs areas and Oil and Gas Wells in
  the Aneth, Utah area

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Gas and Oil Well Development in
the Aneth, Utah area

• Diné College Student Research Intern taking
  GPS reading of Open Gas Flare, Summer 2005

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Diné College Student Research Intern in the
Aneth, Utah Gas and Oil Development Area,
with Exposed Gas Line Extending Out from under
Highway
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Perry Charley, Director of the Uranium Education
Program at Diné College, with Student Research
Interns in the TséTah Wash Uranium Mining Area,
Summer 2005
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TséTah Wash Uranium Mining Area

• Diné College Student
  Research Intern with Trimble GPS Backpack
  in TséTah Wash area. Numerous uranium mines were
  dug into the sides of these mesas.

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Lessons Learned

• Institutionalization of grant-supported
  activities
• Long-term Funding
• Single Source
• Diverse Sources (Internal External Issues)
• Mode of operation within institution
• Insular
• Integrated