Youth Enjoy Science (YES) MPI Regina Idoate on Training the Next Generation of Indigenous Scientists

November 2, 2023, by CRCHD Staff

‘Siyo! I am an Indigenous health researcher, an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and an associate professor of health promotion, serving as Director of Spirituality, Culture, & Health and Co-Director of Community Engagement and Outreach in the College of Public Health at UNMC. I am a cancer control and population health scientist who studies community systems in relation to culture, resilience, and health. My work is centered on increasing Native American representation in research and health professions and advancing the health and wellness of Indigenous Peoples. I love my job!

I am a direct descendent of Nanyehi Ward, the Beloved Cherokee woman known for being both a warrior and a peacemaker who negotiated understandings between Settlers and the Cherokee People. I stand on her shoulders as I work to negotiate the differences between Western and Indigenous science to address health disparities. As a mother, an educator, and a researcher, I am passionate about mentoring and training the next generation of Indigenous scientists, which I believe is critical to improving the lives of all individuals.

UNMC-YES offers a fluid path to cancer careers and has engaged more than 500 Native American middle-school, high-school, and undergraduate students and their teachers in education-level-appropriate, culture-based cancer research activities that develop critical thinking, communication, analytical, and laboratory skills.

Colonization, discrimination, and privilege have created and maintained harrowing inequities in health care and health status, particularly among Native Americans. A significant amount of literature details the persistent and growing health disparities between Native Americans and the majority White population with regard to cancer. We have higher incidence rates for several types of cancer (e.g., breast, colorectal, stomach, lung, kidney, and liver cancer) when compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Our mortality rates (e.g., for breast, prostate, and pancreatic cancers) are among the highest of all racial/ethnic groups in the U.S., and cancer is the leading cause of premature death among Native American populations. Cancer is the leading cause of death among Native American women and the second leading cause of death among Native American men.

As recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), educational training programs that increase representation of Native Americans in research and health professions are part of the solution to tackling these health disparities. Less than 0.5% of Native Americans successfully complete a 4-year degree in a science or engineering field, and 0.003% pursue a graduate degree in science (National Science Foundation, 2021). Health disparities, stemming from historical injustices and a multitude of social determinants of health, can be improved by building our Native American health professions workforce through culture-based programming that engages students in research experiences that acknowledge, incorporate, and maintain Indigenous knowledge, lifeways, and identity.

The majority (83%) of high school graduates who participated in UNMC-YES internships have progressed to pre-medical/health science majors in college, and most (78%) undergraduate participants who have graduated from college have advanced into or are actively applying for science-related graduate or professional programs.

I am incredibly grateful to NCI, which has funded the Youth Enjoy Science Program at UNMC (UNMC-YES). The program allows me opportunities to work closely with students and teachers in public and tribal schools, cultural educators, local Elders, and community leaders across Nebraska, South Dakota, and Arizona to promote Native American representation in cancer research and health professions. As MPI of this project, I am honored to work alongside Drs. Joyce Solheim, Maurice Godfrey, and Aislinn Rookwood at UNMC; Dr. Karen Taraszka Hastings at the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine; and Dr. Travis Robbins at the University of Nebraska Omaha Department of Biology and Native American Studies Program to develop, implement, and evaluate cancer research education and training programming for Native Americans. We have worked diligently for almost two decades to build bridges and develop and maintain the trust of Native communities in the Great Plains and beyond. This began with the first of four NIH Science Education Partnership Awards, followed by an NCI Cure supplement, and one of the first NCI YES grants. Our objective is not only to increase Native American representation in cancer-related health professions and research but also to advance the health of Native Peoples through improvements in cancer prevention, treatment, and research.

UNMC-YES aims to:

• Cultivate and sustain trusting community partnerships to expand outreach initiated in the original grant cycle to rural and urban Native American students.
• Develop, disseminate, and implement culturally relevant, technology-based cancer education curricula with Native American populations.
• Expand Native American student horizons through hands-on, culture- and standards-based science activities; research experiences; and exposure to health science careers.

As we enter National Native American Heritage Month, I encourage Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples alike to reflect on and celebrate Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing to address our history of colonization and genocide and uplift Indigenous knowledge systems and Native American contributions to science.

UNMC-YES offers a fluid path to cancer careers and has engaged more than 500 Native American middle-school, high-school, and undergraduate students and their teachers in education-level-appropriate, culture-based cancer research activities that develop critical thinking, communication, analytical, and laboratory skills. Student participants experience a range of activities, from those high in intensity, such as summer research camps, to higher frequency activities, such as school-based science clubs, mentored cancer research internships, and ongoing research talking circles. We also provide teachers with research experiences, workshops, and in-service education to facilitate continuous wrap-around support. The majority (83%) of high school graduates who participated in UNMC-YES internships have progressed to pre-medical/health science majors in college, and most (78%) undergraduate participants who have graduated from college have advanced into or are actively applying for science-related graduate or professional programs. In the past 5 years, we have increased representation of Native Americans in pursuit of cancer careers, and in the next 5 years, we are confident that the UNMC-YES program participants will be advancing into post-graduate cancer careers.

As we enter National Native American Heritage Month, I encourage Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples alike to reflect on and celebrate Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing to address our history of colonization and genocide and uplift Indigenous knowledge systems and Native American contributions to science.