**[Annual Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) Meetings
at NIH]{.underline}**

**[November 7-8, 2007: Natcher Conference Center, (Building 45, NIH
Campus)]{.underline}**

The annual fall meetings for NARCH Investigators, Project Directors and
interested Federal staff are timed to coincide with the NIH celebration
of Native Heritage Month, each November. A comprehensive schedule
listing all related events is attached.

This year's NARCH/NIH Fall Science Meetings have been scheduled for
November 7-8. Both days will find us at the Natcher Conference Center on
the NIH campus. There will be a pre-conference meeting/brainstorming
session for a discussion of evaluation methods for the NARCH Program and
an assessment of the research infrastructure for Indian Country. This
will begin on Wednesday, 11/7, at 10:30 AM in Balcony B of Natcher. See
below for more details.

The featured speaker for the NIH Program starting that day at 1:30 will
be Dr. R. Dale Walker, Director of the One Sky National Resource Center
for AI/AN Substance Abuse Services. We will also have two NARCH speakers
for about 10 minutes each and the usual NARCH poster session that
follows. Thursday afternoon is kind of a "NARCH open house" for NIH
program staff, held in conjunction with the NIH Native Heritage Week
celebration. See below for more details about the NIH AI/AN Heritage
Month program.

On Thursday, 11/8, we will hold the day-long meeting in Natcher Balcony
B for NARCH Investigators, Project Directors, and other NARCH
participants. There will an opportunity for interaction between the
NARCH grantees and IHS/NIH staff working with them (or interested in
working with them)

**[The NIH American Indian and Alaska Native Employee Council Seventh
Annual Program to commemorate American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage
Month.]{.underline}**

The Program will feature a symposium and poster session which will focus
on research in Native communities.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Symposium - 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. - Natcher Auditorium, Bldg 45, NIH Campus
Poster Session - 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. - Natcher Bldg 45, Rooms G1 and G2.

Please note visitor Instructions with information on parking and access
to the main NIH Campus, on the following link:

<http://www.nih.gov/about/visitor/index.htm>

Symposium Keynote Address will be provided by R. Dale Walker, M.D.

(Cherokee), Professor of Psychiatry and Public Health and Preventive
Medicine at Oregon Health and Sciences University, entitled \"Talking

Leaves: A Research Journey through Native Addictions, Treatment, and
Prevention.\"

Also featured on the program:

Tassy Parker, Ph.D., R.N., University of New Mexico Health Sciences
Center will present \"Legal, Social, Educational, and Mental and
Behavioral Health Characteristics of New Mexico Native American Youth
Detainees.\"

Eugene V. Millar, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health
will present \"Preventing Pneumococcal Spread with Pneumococcal
Conjugate

Vaccine:

The Long-term NP Study.\"

Featured research at the poster session will include projects from the
Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) program, funded by
NIH in collaboration with the Indian Health Service. Refreshments will
be served following the symposium.

This event is sponsored by the NIH American Indian and Alaska Native
Employee Council (AIANEC); National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism (NIAAA); John E. Fogarty International Center (FIC); National
Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and the Indian Health
Service (IHS).

For additional information, please contact Jared Jobe, President, NIH
American Indian and Alaska Native Employee Council at 301-435-0407 or
jobej@mail.nih.gov.

Sign Language Interpreters will be provided. Individuals with
disabilities who need reasonable accommodation to participate in this
event should contact Cheryl White, Specialized Information Services
Division, National Library of Medicine, 301-496-3350 or the Federal
Relay (1-800-877-8339).

[**Pre-meeting/Brainstorming on NARCH evaluation**]{.underline}

All NARCH projects are being invited to attend an informal brainstorming
session about the potential for a multi-site evaluation of NARCH
projects nationally. The brainstorm, which will be led by Dr. Nina
Wallerstein, would include what would benefit you in a cross-site
process; and in particular, what information would help you strengthen
your research partnership to reach your desired outcomes.

For the last year, Nina Wallerstein and Bonnie Duran, from the
University of New Mexico and University of Washington, have been
involved in a pilot study, funded by the National Center for Minority
Health and Health Disparities and administered through the NARCH, to
examine the characteristics of partnership and participation that matter
to producing effective CBPR outcomes. This study has allowed them to do
a literature search; an internet survey, (which some of you may have
filled out last spring), asking your opinions on the characteristics of
partnering and participation that were important to you; and to develop
a logic model of CBPR processes and outcomes. This session on November
7^th^ in the morning will allow for discussion of your interest in
participating in a cross-site process, as a collaborating partner in
identifying common processes, data points, and system change outcomes.
Common NARCH system change outcomes include, for example, the reduction
of mistrust between university and community partners and the
improvement of tribal research infrastructure and capacities.
Ultimately, a multi-site process might provide better information on
what constitutes CBPR best practices in different contexts to make a
difference in improving the research and in improving health outcomes.