The 7th Annual American Indian Health Research Conference on Friday, Oct. 23, at the CanadInn Hotel and Destination Center in Grand Forks will provide opportunities for partnerships between communities, tribal colleges, and researchers.
 
The conference, sponsored by the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences, runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday in Ambassador Room C, CanadInn. There is a $25 registration fee. Breakfast and registration begin at 8 a.m. At 8:45 a.m., Phyllis Johnson, UND vice president for research and economic development, will make welcoming remarks, followed by a greeting from U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan.
 
The American Indian Health Research Conference is daylong event with national speakers, researchers, students, and community members. Participants learn how to conduct research with American Indian communities and discuss community research needs. It includes a poster session for students that enables them to present their research with American Indians.
 
Keynote speaker Leo J. Nolan, Indian Health Service (IHS) senior policy analyst for external affairs, will discuss “Health Care Reform in Indian Country” at 9:15 a.m. He served as the executive director of the Intradepartmental Council for Native American Affairs for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and has been with IHS in various capacities since 1986.
 
Nolan is from the Onondaga Nation and is an enrolled member of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation. He has degrees from Syracuse University and the Pennsylvania State University.
 
Conference panel discussions topics include:
11 a.m. – “Reducing Cancer Disparities for American Indians in the Rural Intermountain West”
1:15 p.m. – “Bringing Back the Horses – Culturally-Based Wellness”
2:15 p.m. – “Recognizing Community Expertise in Research Partnerships”
 
Funding is provided by the UND Center for Rural Health, the UND American Indian Programs Council, the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences dean’s office and associate dean of research, and the office of the UND vice president of research and economic development.
 
Useful link: http://ruralhealth.und.edu/projects/aihrc/
 
Contacts
Tara Mertz
Center for Rural Health
(701) 777-8071
taramertz@medicine.nodak.edu
 
Patrick Miller
Office of University Relations
University of North Dakota
(701) 777-5529 (office)
(701) 213-2578 (cell)
patrick.miller@und.edu