Melissa Walls
Jaclyn Smith
Kathy Etz
Christina Ore
The Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness (NCREW) Program is a NIH funded initiative to support Tribes and Tribal/Native-Serving organizations (TNSOs) in the US to do research that addresses overdose, substance use, pain, and other related factors. NCREW provides federal funding for research led by and for Native communities. The initiative prioritizes community driven research as critical for culturally grounded, strengths-based, impactful, and sustainable health promotion and intervention efforts, and understands that Tribal ownership of research processes is one aspect for reinforcing Tribal sovereignty. The NCREW initiative involves a novel approach to funding and doing research through a multi-stage process to build capacity for and support Tribally-led projects. The current planning phase of NCREW encourages collaboration among a) TNSOs, b) NIH NCREW staff, and c) research organizations/university-based teams. In this roundtable, representatives from the NCREW network will provide brief remarks then shift to a moderated discussion. We will focus on lessons learned and ongoing tensions surrounding: Establishing leadership and governance structures grounded in Indigenous values, “ethics,” and relational responsibilities Creating a network evaluation plan that addresses western evaluation and Indigenous methodologies, time and relationship building, trust and communication, singular or multiple IRB oversight, and CARE principles Efforts to understand, debate, and honor diverse viewpoints around data sharing (e.g., access, use, etc.) Solutions to practical barriers TNSOs may face as they work towards data sovereignty, including issues related to data management (e.g., IT infrastructure, data analysis support, etc.) Navigating federal funding/research policies with a focus on Tribal sovereignty