Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 29(6), 2022, 1120–1127
https://doi.org/10.1093/jamia/ocac038
Advance Access Publication Date: 29 March 2022
Perspective
Perspective
Cynthia Triplett1,2, Burgundy J. Fletcher3, Riley I. Taitingfong1, Ying Zhang4,
Tauqeer Ali4, Lucila Ohno-Machado5,6, and Cinnamon S. Bloss 1,2,6,7
1
Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Longevity Science, University of California, La Jolla, California, USA, 2Center for
Empathy and Technology, University of California, La Jolla, California, USA, 3Department of Ethnic Studies, University of California, La Jolla, California, USA, 4Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, A Center for American Indian Health Research, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, 5Veteran Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San
Diego, California, USA, 6Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of California Health, La Jolla, California, USA and 7Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, California, USA
Corresponding Author: Cinnamon S. Bloss, PhD, Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Longevity Science, University of California, 9500 Gilman Drive MC 0896, La Jolla, CA 92093-0896, USA;
[email protected]
Received 9 September 2021; Revised 3 March 2022; Editorial Decision 4 March 2022; Accepted 9 March 2022
ABSTRACT
Broad health data sharing raises myriad ethical issues related to data protection and privacy. These issues are
of particular relevance to Native Americans, who reserve distinct individual and collective rights to control data
about their communities. We sought to gather input from tribal community leaders on how best to understand
health data privacy and sharing preferences in this population. We conducted a workshop with 14 tribal leaders
connected to the Strong Heart Study to codesign a research study to assess preferences concerning health data
privacy for biomedical research. Workshop participants provided specific recommendations regarding who
should be consulted, what questions should be posed, and what methods should be used, underscoring the importance of relationship-building between researchers and tribal communities. Biomedical researchers and
informaticians who collect and analyze health information from Native communities have a unique responsibility to safeguard these data in ways that align to the preferences of specific communities.
Key words: health information privacy, tribal consultation, community-based participatory research (CBPR), indigenous populations
INTRODUCTION
In November 2019, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a draft policy outlining a new requirement that all NIHfunded investigators make their datasets available to other researchers.1 Aimed at facilitating and promoting collaboration and data
sharing among research groups, this draft policy presented both opportunities and challenges that varied by the characteristics of the
data and the populations those data represent. Specifically, it was
unclear how the draft policy would be implemented for studies involving data from American Indian tribes. Since 2000, federal agencies in the United States have been charged by Executive Order
13175 to engage in open, continuous, and meaningful consultation
and collaboration with tribal officials when developing any policies
that have tribal implications.2 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) later codified this into a Tribal Consultation
Policy (TCP).3
C The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association.
V
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/),
which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact
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Codesigning a community-based participatory research
project to assess tribal perspectives on privacy and health
data sharing: A report from the Strong Heart Study
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2022, Vol. 29, No. 6
based participatory research (CBPR) approach. CBPR focuses on the
development of equitable partnerships to coproduce and cointerpret
knowledge in order to realize shared benefits.21–23 Under the CBPR
framework, community members function as full and equal partners
in the research rather than having a limited role as participants of
the investigation. This approach allows a greater diversity of voices
to be heard, which is particularly useful for research involving moral
and/or ethical complexities that must be addressed collaboratively.
In the case of genomic data sharing, for example, risks of harm are
unique due to the population group being highly identifiable and the
implications for critical issues such as sovereignty, kinship, and ties
to land.19 The harms faced by Indigenous communities when these
key considerations are overlooked in research are well documented,
for instance in the cases of the Human Genome Diversity Project,24
Barrow Alcohol Study,25 or Arizona State University versus Havasupai lawsuit,19,26 which prompted a range of concerns including consent, handling of biospecimens, and the potential for patenting and
commercialization of genetic data.
We designed our general approach with 3 phases: (1) Phase 1—
Conduct a workshop with tribal leaders to discuss privacy and collaboratively identify a process to work with tribal members (ie,
codesign a research project to assess tribal perspectives on privacy
and health data sharing); (2) Phase 2—Implement the codesigned
approach identified in Phase 1; and (3) Phase 3—Hold a roundtable
discussion with tribal leaders to cointerpret the results collected
from Phase 2.
In this paper, we describe Phase 1 of this work: a collaboration
between researchers from the University of California San Diego
(UCSD), the SHS Coordinating Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC), and a subset of American
Indian tribes and their leaders who have been participating in the
SHS for over 30 years. We report the results of our Phase 1 workshop conducted in December 2019 that was focused on bringing
tribal leaders, tribal members, and SHS researchers together to codesign a research project to assess tribal perspectives on privacy and
health data sharing. The types of data of focus were clinical and genetic data.
METHODS
We convened a workshop to codesign a research study to assess
tribal preferences pertaining to health data privacy. Formal workshop participants included a facilitator (BJF; a researcher and citizen
of another tribe in Oklahoma), four researchers, and nine tribal
community members (SHS tribes). Community members included
retired SHS staff, community health advocates, elders, physicians,
and tribal presidents and chairs. We utilized elements of design
thinking in our approach. Design thinking is a formal method that
encourages both practical and creative solutions by asking stakeholders to thoughtfully generate as many ideas as possible in response to specific prompts.27 A high-level goal of the workshop was
to plan a research project that would generate knowledge of SHS
tribal community perspectives about privacy and health data sharing
by ensuring that the right questions are posed to the most appropriate groups of people.
Cultural safety
Prior to the conduct of the workshop, we sought feedback on our
study design and methods from a tribal research consultant. Our
study was also reviewed by the SHS steering committee, which
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Organizationally situated under the HHS, the NIH recognizes
tribal sovereignty and currently uses tribal approval to develop processes governing data originating from American Indian tribes, including processes for health data collection, sharing, and use in
research. In April 2020, the NIH initiated a Tribal Consultation on
the proposed draft data management and sharing policy, and subsequently released a report summarizing three themes and eight consultation recommendations.4 Based on these recommendations, the
NIH released their final NIH Policy for Data Management and
Sharing in October 2020,5 noting that they are still in the process of
developing supplemental information for researchers who plan to
work with Native communities.
Many tribal leaders recognize the benefit of academic research
partnerships,6 and there has been agreement between tribal leaders
and the entities who work with them that certain core values should
be acknowledged when conducting research with tribal communities. These include an acknowledgment that Indigenous or American
Indian knowledge(s) are valid and should be incorporated into the
project, that there is no such thing as culturally neutral research, and
that responsible stewardship includes a shared interpretation of the
data collected.7 Although the new final NIH policy takes these core
values into account, it is unclear how they can be implemented in
practice so that American Indian populations are both included in
the research, and so that their data are shared according to these
core values. In this context, we also note that around the world, Indigenous Peoples are leading movements aimed at Indigenous Data
Sovereignty (IDSov), or, “the right of a nation to govern the collection, ownership, and application of its own data [. . .] deriv[ing]
from tribes’ inherent right to govern their peoples, lands, and
resources.”8 IDSov movements are well underway in the United
States, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, where Indigenous leaders and scholars are pushing for self-governance of data,
including biomedical and genomic samples and information, in
alignment with Indigenous communities’ collective values and interests.9–11
The new NIH policy is of particular interest to both researchers
and participants involved with the Strong Heart Study (SHS), the
largest epidemiologic study of American Indian health in the United
States.12,13 Although the SHS began as a study focused on cardiovascular disease, over the years, it has expanded to include other health
research on cancers, liver diseases, inflammatory conditions, genetics, and genomics. Through this work, the study has resulted in the
production of a large amount of personally identifiable information,
including personal health information. Investigators affiliated with
the SHS are committed to the doctrine that research requires full
partnership and ongoing consultation with tribal communities.14
The authors of this paper comprise one research team working on a
study ancillary to the SHS (integrating Data for Analysis, anonymization and Sharing, or iDASH-SHS, NHLBI R01 HL136835). The
goal of iDASH-SHS is to facilitate shared access of clinical and genetic data of tribal populations to researchers who are approved to
conduct a study or query by developing a framework to move the
analysis code to the data rather than moving the data outside the
SHS enclave.15 To inform the development of this framework, we
sought to gain an understanding of SHS tribal members’ data sharing expectations and preferences, while keeping in mind the themes
and recommendations articulated through tribal consultation, together with the requirements and goals of the NIH data sharing
policy.
In line with calls for collaborative research practices among
researchers and communities,16–20 we opted to take a community-
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includes an Ethics Sub-committee led by Native investigators. Together, they provided cultural safety training during monthly meetings. Members of our team also met multiple times per month with
SHS investigators, who have a long history and experience working
with the tribes in the SHS.
Reflexivity statement
Community consent
Prior to initiation, this project received tribal consent from the
Southwest Oklahoma Intertribal Health Board (SWOIHB), which is
comprised of representatives from each of the seven Oklahoma SHSparticipating tribes. The SWOIHB reviews all newly proposed projects, and if approved, provides the team with a Resolution of Support. Investigators are then responsible for presenting progress
reports at monthly SWOIHB meetings to keep tribal representatives
up to date.
Workshop process
Informal welcome
All participants were greeted at the door by research staff who were
familiar to them. Food that was purchased locally was provided for
invited participants as well as their accompanying guests. There was
a brief time of conversation prior to the consent process where participants could, at a relaxed pace, catch up with each other and with
SHS staff.
Individual consent
Given the robust body of literature showing a correlation between
poor consent processes and research mistrust,28,29 we sought to ensure all individuals were adequately informed about our study, including any potential benefits and risks to themselves or their
communities. To this end, we endeavored to review the consent document thoroughly and communally. Specifically, we projected an
enlarged version of the consent form onto the wall and reviewed it
with all participants simultaneously. The facilitator read the consent
form section-by-section as participants followed along on their own
printed copies, stopping periodically to ask if anyone had any questions. The facilitator also pointed out key information, defined particular academic or scientific terminology, and periodically invoked
their own community affiliation as a citizen of another tribe in
Oklahoma. This approach addressed the individual consent processes required of our institutional IRBs, while creating shared space
for participants to ask questions and discuss the implications of their
participation. Particular emphasis was put on how to opt out of the
study and with whom to speak if a participant had any concerns or
questions about the study. All nine community participants who
were present agreed to participate.
The discussion then began with roundtable introductions. This
was intentionally designed to be an unhurried time of sharing, start-
RESULTS
During the introductions, many participants shared information related to their personal and professional ties to the SHS, either as
study participants, current and/or former employees, or sometimes
both participant and employee. They candidly shared their thoughts
on the opportunities and the challenges of such a long-running and
ever-expanding federally funded research study and shared ways in
which they could envision current and future SHS investigators engaging with communities in ways that are focused on specific research questions. Participants voiced that the continuation of the
SHS was crucial to the health of their respective communities, signifying their personal investment in the success of the study. This portion of the workshop suggested that participants were taking the call
to collaboration seriously.
As the facilitator moved the discussion toward the first of our
three main questions (ie, who we should talk to for this research), it
quickly became apparent that participants expected and recommended that a wide swath of individuals be consulted. Participants
named specific individuals (eg, two individuals who are attorneys)
as well as groups of people (Figure 1). For the second question
(what should we ask participants), workshop attendees initially had
difficulty imagining the content of specific research questions, but
ultimately suggested that researchers start by asking people how important privacy is to them. During the brainstorm, the group voiced
wonderings about the policies governing existing data versus data
that had not yet been collected and warned that there might be cases
in which tribes have hard limits on data sharing, and that those limits may not be expressly articulated in any easily accessible written
documents. The third and final question that was posed to participants involved logistical questions about when, where, and how to
best engage members of American Indian communities. The workshop participants provided several suggestions rooted in their cultural practices (Figure 2). These suggestions emphasize the
importance of relationship-building through both formal (eg, structured meetings and presentations) and informal (eg, cultural events
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Members of our research team hold unique positionalities, relations,
and experiences that shaped our approach to this work. Five members of our team identify as female (71.4%), and education ranges
from having obtained a bachelor’s degree (one individual) to having
obtained a doctoral degree (five individuals). From a disciplinary
standpoint, our team has expertise in public health, ethnic studies,
communication, biomedical informatics, medicine, clinical psychology, and epidemiology. The workshop prompts were shaped by
team members’ expertise in qualitative research, as well as lived
experiences of team members from marginalized identities.
ing with the nine tribal community leaders and members seated
around the table, and then expanding to the other individuals (family members of tribal members, researchers) in the room. Participants were asked to share their names, titles, tribal affiliations,
connection to SHS communities, and their reason for being in attendance. It should be noted that no one was rushed through the introductory process as the goal was to create a relaxed, collaborative
environment. After introductions, the facilitator led a generative discussion in response to three major questions intended to codesign
Phase 2 of the study: (1) Who should we talk to? (2) What should
we ask them? and (3) When, where, and how should we talk to
them? These questions were intended to help us broach conversations and potentially sensitive topics about inclusive ways to recruit
participants, what facilitators should know about engaging participants, and what format might help people feel more comfortable
talking about health data privacy. Members of the research team
took written notes during the workshop; the session was not audio
or video recorded. The research team provided their personal contact information and university email addresses for follow-up
thoughts. The group discussions related to each of the aforementioned questions are described below. The data that support the
findings of this study are available from the corresponding author
upon reasonable request.
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and local communal spaces) activities, and practices that foster inclusivity and accessibility of information.
As the formally guided discussion came to a close, participants
encouraged investigators to keep abreast of and in compliance with
Indian Health Services (IHS) regulations and other legislation that
impacts tribal-researcher relations. The conversation then turned to
a discussion of whether researchers, especially those who might access data from tribal communities under the new NIH policy, would
be aware of the history of Presidential Directives about tribal consultation.2 One participant who self-identified as a retired medical professional and US veteran expressed that all researchers working with
tribal communities need to recognize tribal sovereignty and should
understand the position of tribal governments within the larger
structure of American government prior to initiating any research.
Participants cited examples of noncompliance, leading to lawsuits
against federal agencies in which the tribes were victorious. Further
questions were raised about whether NIH leadership and staff were
aware of this history and whether it would be taken into account in
the final policy (given that this workshop was conducted after the
draft policy came out but prior to the release of the final policy).
Lastly, the group provided several ‘cultural tips’ for investigators
(Table 1). These tips are specific to the participating SHS communities with whom we partnered, and may not be generalizable to other
groups or Native communities.
DISCUSSION
Informaticians and biomedical researchers who collect and study
health information from Native communities have a unique responsibility to safeguard these data in ways that align to the preferences
of specific communities. Here, we describe how a multidisciplinary,
NIH-funded research team applied an early-stage CBPR approach
to begin to ascertain community preferences and codesign further research to inform data collection, data sharing practices, and safeguards for a biomedical informatics research effort. The insights
learned, while not generalizable to all Native communities, are the
result of a process that represents a valuable approach for research-
ers in the informatics community who are working with (or seeking
to work with) tribal communities and their data.
As participants provided guidance about potential topics to discuss and individuals to consult, we were struck by the inclusivity of
the suggestions. For example, the response to one of our main questions (“Who should we talk to?”) was essentially “everyone”—from
elders and tribal councils to Native youth and their guardians. Likewise, the response to logistical questions of when, where, and how
we should speak to those identified was essentially “in as many
ways as possible”—individually, in groups, more than once, and
with the option of collecting written responses. This input suggests
that all members of tribal communities (ie, “everyone”) should be
consulted about the privacy of tribal health information, including
those individuals from whom we might not immediately think to solicit input (eg, Native youth). While it may be difficult in practice to
consult every individual within a large, diffuse tribal community or
nation, workshop participants’ desire for researchers to be as inclusive as possible in such efforts is clear.
The communal nature of some American Indian tribal cultures
stands in contrast to individualistic Western conceptualizations of
privacy, and by extension, research about privacy. Western
approaches are focused at the individual level; Western definitions
of privacy are synonymous with self-governance and individualism,
and existing regulations are designed to protect against individuallevel risks. However, the focus on individual autonomy is incongruent with “Indigenous communitarian ethics”30 and research has suggested that privacy and consent policies fall short in protecting tribal
communities as group entities.31–34 Indeed, Native and Indigenous
researchers have emphasized the importance of collective well-being
and protection in tribal communities, pointing out the high stakes of
research outcomes that may affect the entire tribe (eg, genomic research that is or can be used to disenroll tribal members35). Our
findings suggest that individual tribal members desire to have highly
inclusive collective discussions when making decisions about their
health data privacy, pointing to the need for additional studies about
Native perspectives on the use of health data for research.36
Furthermore, there is a need for researchers to seriously consider
familial and kinship ties when developing research plans that involve
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Figure 1. Who in the community should be included in the research?
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Table 1. Cultural expectations expressed by workshop participants
Expectation
Example
Eye contact and physical
touch
When interacting with elders, use a
gentle touch during your handshake, and do not spend too much
time looking them in the eye.
Do not verbally admire their jewelry
because they may give it to you. If
given a gift, put it in your pocket
and look at it later.
The provision of food is an expectation—not just for the participant
but for the participant’s family as
well. It is also custom to offer a
blessing for the food prior to eating.
Spend time and attend tribal meetings—with no agenda—just to hear
and learn how business is conducted.
Boundaries around compliments
Providing food to the community
Spend time in the community
American Indian communities. For example, traditional assumptions of privacy during an individual research interview (eg, one researcher and one participant, located in a room where the
conversation is not easily overheard by others, etc.) might not be
feasible nor desirable. At our workshop, one of the community
members was an uninvited individual who accompanied an invited
participant to the session. Participants mentioned this and explained
that tribal members often invite family and friends to join them at
local events, and if they live farther away from the town center, they
might travel with others who also need to go into town to run
errands. In these situations, participants noted, the expectation is
that investigators would invite such guests to stay, eat, and participate, if willing. This kind of pivot requires flexibility and forethought on the part of the research team, for example, ensuring
extra incentives, meals, and seats are prepared so as to avoid any
discomfort to tribal community members.
The fact that conversation turned to US Presidential Directives is
also noteworthy. After the workshop formally concluded, the same
participant who raised the topic stopped to speak with CT and BJF
to reiterate their points. Table 2 charts the Executive Orders and
Presidential Memoranda, or “Presidential Directives,” to which this
Elder referred. Our takeaway from this encounter was that Native
community members are aware that researchers often come to their
communities with specific priorities—priorities which, according to
this participant, should be considered in light of the ongoing and
meaningful consultation outlined in the Executive Orders and Presidential Memoranda. An awareness of federal directives for tribal
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Figure 2. When, where, and how should we conduct this research?
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Table 2. Examples of US policy development of tribal consultation
Date
Description
Executive Order 12866
“Regulatory Planning and Review”
September 20, 1993
Executive Order 12875
“Enhancing the Intergovernmental Partnership”
October 26, 1993
Memorandum on Government-to-Government Relations
with Native American Tribal Governments
April 29, 1994
Executive Order 13175
“Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal
Governments”
November 6, 2000
Memorandum on Government-to-Government Relationship with Tribal Governments
September 23, 2004
Memorandum on Tribal Consultation
November 5, 2009
Outlines guidelines to improve the internal workings of the
federal government and its regulatory processes so as not
to be costly, ineffective, and overly burdensome on the
American people, including the tribes.
Again addresses burdensome costs of federal mandates on
State, local, and tribal governments with the added intent
to allow these governments the flexibility to tailor
“Federal programs to meet the unique needs of their
communities.”
Addressed to the Heads of Executive Departments and
Agencies to “ensure that the rights of sovereign tribal
governments are fully respected” by federal government
officials and employees.
Addresses the unique relationship that the US government
has with sovereign tribal nations. This Order defines the
terms “Indian tribe,” “tribal officials,” and “policies that
have tribal implications,” and outlines fundamental principles that should be upheld when interacting with sovereign tribal nations. Importantly, this Order cements the
idea of “meaningful and timely consultation.”
A second iteration of the 1994 memorandum reiterating
tribal sovereignty and tribal rights to self-govern. Again
addressed to Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, this Memorandum includes a renewed commitment
to the relationship between the Federal Government and
federally recognized tribes.
Provides clarification on Executive Order 13175 and
acknowledges that “consultation is a critical ingredient of
a sound and productive Federal-tribal relationship.”
consultation, as well as historic conflicts that have arisen when research entities do not comply with them, will be particularly instructive for researchers as the NIH finalizes its supplemental
information for researchers working with Native communities.
In the context of the current project, “ongoing and meaningful
consultation” might include proactive efforts that seek to hear and
learn from community members, inclusively welcoming participants
and any guests they bring, and staying mindful of the inherent power
dynamic that exists between researchers and community members.
Our conclusions are aligned with the final NIH Policy for Data
Management and Sharing, and we supplement that report with our
own key takeaways and more specific recommendations for research
with SHS tribal communities (Table 3).
CONCLUSION
This paper describes our community-based participatory approach
to design a study to understand attitudes toward health data privacy
among SHS tribal community members. The workshop was the first
step (Phase 1) of our project, and we believe this process of consulting with tribal elders and tribal leadership was valuable for building
relationships and trust, as well as generation of ideas and design elements that were novel to the research team. A common theme across
all the recommended research design elements was inclusivity and
the need to talk with a diverse cross-section of the community and
to use a range of methods, both formal and informal, particularly
when studying a concept as complex and sociopolitically fraught as
health data privacy.
There are some limitations of this work. First, it is important to
note that the findings reported in this manuscript reflect the ideas and
customs of leaders from six federally recognized tribes that participate
in the SHS. To put this into context, there are 574 federally recognized
tribes and over 200 tribes without federal recognition in the United
States, each with distinct lands, histories, traditions, and languages.
Our findings should therefore not be considered reflective of all tribal
communities across the United States. To preserve participant privacy,
we did not collect personal identifying information about the participants; we therefore cannot characterize our findings in terms of demographic traits, such as Native Americans living in urban versus rural
settings. Additionally, given the CBPR approach of this work, recommendations regarding research design are specific to the context of the
SHS, an epidemiological study that works with participating tribes’
clinical and genetic data. Thus, the recommendations may have less
applicability for researchers working on projects that deal with different types of data. It should also be noted that some participants of the
workshop were past or current SHS employees. These professional ties
to the SHS may have led participants to speak more cautiously, despite
our taking steps to design the workshop in such a way that would mitigate this possibility.
Recognizing that the development of new technology and analysis techniques often outpace changes to governance and policy,
informaticians and biomedical researchers working with tribal communities and their data must take initiative to adhere to community
wishes and preferences regarding the use of those data. The design
of any research study, especially one aiming to understand tribal
communities’ health privacy and data sharing preferences, should
first and foremost consult with members of the communities. Our
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Directive
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Table 3. Key takeaways and recommendations for research with SHS tribal communities
Listen to and learn from community members
•
•
Build in extra time on site to accommodate invitations to gather with community members for impromptu activities. Building rapport
and strengthening trust may take the form of meetings with no agendas, tours of reservation lands, or visits to cultural sites such as tribal
heritage museums.
Seek out the opinions, ideas, and actions of Native teenagers and young children. Both the young and the old in Native communities are
held in high regard with the knowledge that each generation is critical to familial and community well-being. The opinions, ideas, and
actions of teenagers and young children are heard and seen.
Stay mindful of the power dynamic between researchers and communities
• Put money back into the local/tribal economy. Demonstrating awareness of the inherently imbalanced power dynamic between researchers and
community members, researchers can respectfully contribute to the flourishing of tribal communities by purchasing food from local markets, restaurants, or Native vendors.
findings also suggest that research with some tribal communities
may also benefit from taking into account a relational worldview,
group identity and collective privacy protection prior to initiation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors acknowledge the participants of the workshop and the late Dr.
Julie Stoner (former PI of the SHS Coordinating Center and the iDASH-SHS
collaboration).
FUNDING
The preparation of this manuscript was supported by NIH Grants R01
HL136835 (PI; LO-M) and R01 HG008753 (PI; CSB). The Strong Heart
Study has been funded in whole or in part with federal funds from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Health, and Department of Health and Human Services, under contract numbers
75N92019D00027,
75N92019D00028,
75N92019D00029;
75N92019D00030. The study was previously supported by research grants:
R01HL109315, R01HL109301, R01HL109284, R01HL109282, and
R01HL109319
and
by
cooperative
agreements:
U01HL41642,
U01HL41652, U01HL41654, U01HL65520, and U01HL65521. The content
is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent
the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the Indian Health Service (IHS).
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
CT: methodology; investigation; formal analysis; writing—original draft;
writing—review & editing; project administration. BJF: methodology; investigation; formal analysis; writing—review & editing; project administration.
RIT: conceptualization; methodology; writing—review & editing. YZ: investigation; resources; writing—review & editing; supervision; project administration. TA: investigation; resources; writing—review & editing; project
administration. LO-M: conceptualization; resources; writing—review & editing; funding acquisition. CSB: conceptualization; methodology; investigation;
formal analysis; resources; writing—review & editing; supervision; funding
acquisition.
ETHICS APPROVAL
This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board for
the Protection of Human Subjects at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (IRB #9922). Additionally, this manuscript has been reviewed
and approved by the participating SHS tribes in Oklahoma, Arizona, and the
Dakotas, and their respective IHS IRBs.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
None declared.
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Radical inclusion
• Provide a hot meal not only for participants but for people they bring. Like many peoples and cultures, Native Americans have long traditions of
sharing food, having hot food to offer extended family, friends, visitors, or sometimes unknown travelers. The custom of eating together is a
form of relationship-building.
• Prepare extra incentives to be able to pay unexpected participants. Consider uninvited or unexpected guests to be bonuses, rather than burdens.
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2022, Vol. 29, No. 6
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