The overall goal of the Center for Indigenous Health Research is to work in partnership with indigenous communities, nationally and internationally, to achieve health equity. Using a CBPR framework, CIHR serves as a research information nexus and catalyst for academic and community partnerships at the local, tribal, state, national, and international level to guide and lead research, translation, dissemination, and capacity building efforts.

As a leader in building strong partnerships with tribes and AIAN communities for the purpose of health research, we believe that only through cross-fertilization between indigenous communities and other stakeholders can we simultaneously benefit all communities engaged in addressing health disparities within AIAN communities and strengthen tribal leaders’ use of science to inform policy development, develop meaningful research infrastructure, and become fully empowered and engaged research partners.

Our approach fosters partnerships that have the capacity to produce system changes and community capacity outcomes that will benefit all AIAN communities subjected to disparities, as well as advance local, state, tribal and federal policy.