First-of-its-kind university program to focus on indigenous health

The University of North Dakota in Grand Forks is starting a unique program with a focus on the health of indigenous people.

UND already has its Indians into Medicine program which has graduated 244 American Indian/Alaska Native physicians.

The new postgraduate program will train future academic researchers and health-care administrators to see health care through an indigenous lens, said Donald Warne, director of the Indians Into Medicine and Master of Public Health programs at UND.

Warne, who is Oglala Lakota, said that despite millions of dollars spent on research, American Indian health disparities persist.

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“We might have an evidence-based practice that worked very effectively in Boston or Atlanta. That doesn't mean it's going to work in Pine Ridge, South Dakota,” he said.

Health problems are not just an issue for American Indians, said Warne, but a common experience among indigenous people around the world who share similar histories of colonization.

“When we see destruction of traditional economies, loss of traditional food systems, and quite frankly marginalization and discrimination, we tend to see the same patterns of health disparity. Higher rates of addiction, higher rates of suicide, but then also higher rates of chronic disease, diabetes, heart disease and cancer,” Warne said.

“And I think it's important to focus not on just the disparity, but also the resilience of the communities and the health protective effects of cultural connectedness,” he said. “So we’re taking a much more comprehensive approach through the lens of indigenous health.”

Warne said UND has eight indigenous health scholars who will help shape the program and work with students. He hopes the program will train a new generation of academics, scientists and health-care administrators.

“This program will lead the globe, integrating both Indigenous and Western knowledge to prepare a new generation of health scholars to tackle the health issues facing indigenous people everywhere,” said Dr. Nicole Redvers, assistant professor and a member of the Deninu K’ue First Nation in Canada.

Since the program was approved by the North Dakota Board of Higher Education last month, the university has heard from potential students around the world who are interested in participating.