Māhina 2018 Application
Deadline extended to February 16, 2018. See below for more information about the Māhina program and a link to the application.
Please note: ALL University of Hawai’i at Mānoa applicants must directly contact Napua Casson casson@hawaii.edu for the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Māhina Application Packet.
About
The Māhina International Indigenous Health Research Training Program is a 10-week international summer research program that encourages American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Maori and Pacific Island students to pursue careers in biomedical, behavioral and public health research fields. Māhina provides housing, tuition and travel funds for all accepted applicants.
The program will be 10 weeks, with at least 8 weeks of the program taking place in Auckland, New Zealand. Specific program details are determined in late Spring 2018. Māhina is a part of the nation-wide “Minority Health and Health Disparities International Research Training” (MHIRT) initiative, sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Māhina is the only MHIRT program that exposes students (who intend to pursue careers in biomedical, behavioral and public health research fields) to Indigenist approaches to wellness, Indigenous ethics and research protocols, and onsite immersion and research learning opportunities with Indigenous peoples. Central to this unique program is the trainees’ explorations of culturally specific Indigenous epistemologies, methodologies, and research protocols. Trainees, per cultural customs of the Maori, will be assigned a “sibling” graduate student mentor (Tuakana) from the University of Auckland, who, in their Tuakana role, will serve as mentors and role models.
Eligibility
This program is open to 3rd, 4th and/or 5th year (junior or senior level) undergraduates, master’s students or PhD students that are currently enrolled at the University of Washington and/or are enrolled in another school in the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and/or Idaho) region. Students enrolled at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa are also eligible to apply. Applicants must be interested in actively pursing in a research career in biomedical, behavioral and public health, mental health, wellness and/or social sciences with a clear health focus. Applications must be enrolled in classes for the entire Spring 2018 semester/quarter in order to be eligible. If an applicant is planning to graduate in Spring 2018 semester/quarter, then they are only eligible if they are available to participate in some research and training activities in Fall 2018. All applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Self-identify as an American Indian, Alaska Native, First Nation, Inuit, Metis, Native Hawaiian, Māori, or Pacific Islander, or as an Indigenous person from the US or US territories or North America, including Canada or Mexico (e.g., Yaqui); OR self-identify as belonging to a socioeconomic or rural background or racial/ethnic group that is underrepresented in biomedical and behavioral research AND is a member of an Indigenous household, family, or community;
- Be an enrolled junior or senior at the University of Washington [or the WWAMI region= Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho] or University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, public health and/or social sciences with a health focus;
- Intend to develop a program of health research or a career in health research with Indigenous communities; and/or
- Intend to develop and submit an application toward a health research degree.
- *Students (outside of the WWAMI region) who are enrolled as a 3rd, 4th or 5th year undergraduate students or are graduate students in biomedical, public health, behavioral, clinical or social sciences with a health focus and have at least at 3.0 GPA are also welcome to apply and will be considered on a space available basis;
You must be enrolled in classes for the entire Spring 2018 semester/quarter in order to be eligible. If you are planning to graduate in Spring 2018 semester/quarter, you are only eligible if you will be available to participate in some research and training activities in Fall 2018.
All applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
All questions regarding the application process for the fellowship program can be directed to Mahina Project Director, Anjulie Ganti anjulie@uw.edu
All questions regarding the application process or the fellowship program for University of Hawai’i at Mānoa applicants can be directed to Napua Casson casson@hawaii.edu
Application Materials
Applications for University of Washington students must be submitted via Catalyst, please see link at the top of this page.
The following additional required documentation must be saved in PDF format using the following convention/title “YourName_App” (e.g. KiniChung_App). Then all of the required documentation must be sent to anjulie@uw.edu in a single email.
- Unofficial transcript
- Resume
- Rural Background *see note below*
- Financial Aid Application (optional)
- Contact Information for two references (we do not require a letter, as we will be calling references)
Provide your home address to demonstrate that you come from a rural background. You should be able to enter and find your home address designation as rural on the Rural Assistance Center’s “Am I Rural” website: http://www.raconline.org/amirural/
*This is for applicants whose eligibility criteria are solely based on being from a rural background.
