Reflections on Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg and Native Voices.

Personal reflections on Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D. are offered by four Native American leaders who were instrumental in the successful development of the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Native Voices Exhibition: Stories of Health and Wellness from American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. A uniquely collaborative effort, the exhibition features nearly 100 videographed interviews conducted by Dr. Lindberg with Native elders, healers, leaders, and people. He is credited with the incorporation of indigenous peoples' healing knowledge in a personal and relational way, making for a wonderful journey together that was a very large chapter in his life and that of the authors.

Reflections on Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg and Native Voices.

Personal reflections on Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D. are offered by four Native American leaders who were instrumental in the successful development of the National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Native Voices Exhibition: Stories of Health and Wellness from American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. A uniquely collaborative effort, the exhibition features nearly 100 videographed interviews conducted by Dr. Lindberg with Native elders, healers, leaders, and people. He is credited with the incorporation of indigenous peoples' healing knowledge in a personal and relational way, making for a wonderful journey together that was a very large chapter in his life and that of the authors.

Public health and health professional education at a tribal college: a collaborative immersion program in rural North Dakota.

INTRODUCTION: Native Americans have some of the worst health outcomes of any minority group in the USA, and are severely under-represented in the health professional workforce. From 2009 to 2015, partners from a tribal college in rural North Dakota and academic institutions in New York collaborated to create a program wherein non-Native health professionals traveled to the reservation to teach a summer course to Native students. This study assessed the impact of the program on both the Native students who took the course and the non-Native health professionals who taught the course. METHODS: Focus groups composed of former students in the program were held in Spirit Lake, North Dakota. Non-Native student teachers were surveyed using an online survey tool. Focus group data were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Fifteen former students participated in the focus groups. Participants stated that their experiences in the course increased interest in health professions and knowledge of public health issues. Participants also described barriers to entering health professionals for Native students and the benefits of close interaction with non-Native individuals. Eighty-six percent (24/28) of former course teachers responded to the survey. Survey respondents stated their experiences in North Dakota increased their understanding of underserved populations and their interest in working in rural areas. CONCLUSION: This study assessed the successes and limitations of a collaborative, interprofessional immersion program in rural North Dakota. Similar programs may increase the number of Native Americans in health professions and increase non-Native health professional interest in and engagement with rural communities.

Developing capacity for the American Indian health professional workforce: an academic-community partnership in Spirit Lake, North Dakota.

BACKGROUND: American Indians/Alaskan Native (AIAN) populations experience significant disparities in health when compared to the average US population who are under-represented in the health care professional workforce. Current research suggests that racial concordance between patients and providers has a positive effect on patient care. OBJECTIVE: We describe a successful academic-community partnership between a tribal college, a local state academic center, an urban public health institution, and an urban academic center all aligned with the goal to increase AIAN health care professional capacity. METHODS: A tribal college course and youth education program were developed with the intent to expose AIAN youth to the health care professions and encourage entry into health professional career tracks. Evaluation using a pre- and post-survey design is underway to assess the impact of the intervention on participating AIAN attitudes and career intentions. CONCLUSION: We believe this model is one way of addressing the need for an increased AIAN health care professional career force.