Online Program

334746
Equipping Public Health Leaders Who Can Address the Health Issues in American Indian Communities Through Culturally Congruent Approaches


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

Donna Grandbois, RN, PhD, MS, Department of Nursing, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
It is widely accepted that health outcomes improve as socioeconomic position improves.  A growing body of empirical evidence strongly supports and consistently links educational attainment with improved health outcomes, even when other socioeconomic factors, including income are taken into account. American Indian children and families endure some of the worst disparities and inequities in the nation, as well as the lowest educational achievement rates. Therefore, a multi-disciplinary approach is necessary to address the health disparities and inequities experienced by American Indians. The purpose of this presentation is to introduce a curriculum and an instructional approach that has been specifically designed to prepare graduates to work with and improve the health of American Indian populations in culturally compatible and congruent ways. The three core instructors are of American Indian descent with doctoral degrees in various public health related fields. The majority of the students enrolled in this specialty track are either American Indian or are working within Native communities. The implementation of this type of public health curriculum is one step towards ensuring there is the capacity to implement change, to create a public health workforce that is well informed and has an understanding of the impacts of history, social determinants and the cultural dimensions of health and how they impact on contemporary American Indian health, practice and research. Furthermore, educating American Indian students who will become leaders in healthcare is not only essential, but fundamental to making the necessary health improvements among American Indian populations that are too long overdue.

Learning Areas:

Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
Describe the 5 key premises that are imperative and intricately enmeshed into the American Indian specialization curriculum. Discuss the pedagogical instructional approaches that are implemented into the courses taught in this specialization.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a tenured faculty member with a dual appointment in the School of Nursing and the Masters of public health program at North Dakota State University. I hold a doctoral degree in gerontology and a masters degree in psychiatric nursing. I am an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Nation.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.