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Up on the housetop, click, click, click...
By Andrea Bersamin, CANHR, and Amy Simpson, CES
Reindeer
meat is a healthy food
The "extreme" dietary habits of Alaska Natives have captured
the imagination of the world for hundreds of years. Relative isolation
has helped maintain traditional dietary patterns to some extent,
but rapid change over the last two centuries has brought a drastic
increase in consumption of Western foods. This change could pose
long-term health consequences for Alaska Natives... Read more: http://www.uaf.edu/news/featured/05/reindeer/meat.html
CANHR
Researchers and Affiliates Awarded New Grants
Recent awards to CANHR researchers and affiliate researchers
include the following:
Ellangneq
(Awareness), PI: Gerald V. Mohatt. This is a three-year
award funded by the NIH/NCMHD to develop a manualized, culturally-based
intervention for a behavioral health problem. The researchers
will work in cooperation with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation
and the Yukon Kuskokwim village that will pilot the program,
using a Community-Based Participatory Research process.
People
Awakening Resilience Program (PARP), PI: Gerald V.
Mohatt. This two-year project is funded by the NIH/NIAAA to
develop and pilot test a manualized approach to reduce drinking
among Alaska Native youth.
Wellness
Teams and Children's Mental Health in Alaska, PI:
Catherine Koverola. This two-year project is funded by the
NIH/NIMH to develop a culturally-based operational definition
of children's mental health in Alaska Native villages based
on Alaska Native values and culture and to articulate how
Wellness Teams function in these settings. This project also
uses a Community-Based Participatory Research model.
CANHR
External Evaluation Report
In October 2005, external evaluators Dr. Ralph Gabrielli and Dr. Nick
Hubalik reported on the progress to date toward CANHR's goals. Included
in this report is a summary of the results of the "CANHR Participant
and Community Perceptions" survey."
[download the report here (pdf, 471 KB)]
CANHR
Submits Proposal for Next 5 Years
In early October 2005, CANHR submitted a proposal to the NIH, National
Center for Research Resources, for funding for the next five years.
Included in the proposal are four new research projects and a continuation
of one current project. The proposed projects include:
"Yup'ik Perceptions of Body Weight and Diabetes: Cultural Pathways
to Prevention" - Dr. Elaine Drew, project PI; "Developing
a Novel Set of Diet Pattern Biomarkers, Based on Stable Isotope
Ratios" - Dr. Diane O'Brien, project PI; "Contaminents
and Nutrients in Alaskan Subsistence Foods: Striking a Balance:
- Dr. Todd O'Hara, project PI; Yup'ik Experiences of Stress and
Coping Intervention via Cultural Understanding" - Dr. Christopher
Wolsko, project PI; and "Obesity Genome Scan in Yup'ik Eskimos"
- Dr. Bert Boyer, project PI.
The
overall goal of the renewal is to create a permanent and sustainable
biomedical research center, focused on our primary theme of investigating
obesity and chronic disease-related risk factors among Alaska Natives.
CANHR
Sponsors Biomedical Health Seminars
A
primary goal of CANHR is to increase research capacity to address
current Alaska Native health disparities. One way we do this is
to sponsor seminars by experts in fields related to health or health
research. CANHR seminars have included:
Dr.
Julien Naylor, Alaska Area Diabetes Program, Alaska Native Medical
Center: "Diabetes in Alaska Native People: Changing Environment,
Changing Health." (IAB Life Sciences Seminar, November, 2005)
Dr.
Raul Caetano, Assistant Dean, School of Public Health, University
of Texas Health Science Center at Houston: "The Epidemiology
of Substance Abuse among Ethnic Minorities." (October, 2005)
Dr.
Bruce Fowler, Assistant Director of Science, Division of Toxicology,
Centers for Disease Control: "Molecular Biomarkers for Early
Detection of Chemical-Induced Kidney Toxicity." (June, 2005)
Dr.
Anthony G. Comuzzie, Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation
for Biomedical Research: "The Genetic Dissection of Obesity
and the Metabolic Syndrome." (March, 2005)
Dr. Joseph Trimble, Center for Cross-Cultural Research, Western
Washington University: "Restoring our Connections: Ethnocultural
Influences on Spirituality, Identity, and the Human Condition."
(December, 2004)
Dr.
John Middaugh, Medical Epidemiologist at the Alaska Division of
Public Health: "Pre-Industrial Methylmercury Exposure: Analysis
of Ancient Human Remains in the Arctic." (October, 2004)
Dr.
Paul Franks, Genetic Epidemiologist at the NIH National Institute
of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: "Thrifty Genes
in a Wealthy Era: What is the Role of Gene-Environment Interactions
in Complex Metabolic Disorders?" (August, 2004)
Dr.
Van Hubbard, Director of the NIH Division of Nutrition Research
Coordination: "Obesity: Current Realities and Directions
for the Future." (May, 2004)
Dr.
Ulf Gyllensten, Department of Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala
University: "Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors for Common
Non-Communicable Disease in the Swedish Saami Population."
(September, 2003)
Dr.
Stephen T. McGarvey, Director of the International Health Institute,
Brown University: "Genetic Epidemiology of Adiposity and
Type 2 Diabetes in Modernizing Samoans." (September, 2003)
Dr.
Charles Irvin, Director of the Vermont Lung Institute: "What
Causes Hyperresponsiveness: It's Not What You Think." (April,
2003)
Wellness
Project Begins
In October, Dr. Cecile Lardon began the third phase of the "Cultural
Understandings of Health" research project by beginning a Health
Promotion program in one of the participating villages. One of the
goals of this program is to put our research data to use to benefit
the people who live in the village. CANHR has hired 2 people in
the village to assist with the program. We look forward to working
together with the Wellness Team in the village this year.
Scarlet Hutchison a Familiar Face in Villages
CANHR Field Research Coordinator, Scarlett Hutchison, has been making
extended stays in research villages to help with recruiting participants
before the full research team arrives. Stays of two to four weeks
let Scarlett get to know the village residents and give them a chance
to ask questions about the project. She says she really enjoys village
life, especially the chance to get involved in local activities.
CANHR Biostatistics Core is Crunching Data
CANHR researchers have collected data from approximately 745 participants
as of this fall. The Biostatistics Core, lead by Dr. Rosemarie Plaetke,
is responsible for turning this data into useable information. Yichen
Wang, our Programmer Analyst, sets up the programs to store and
analyze data. Johanna Herron enters the data and assists with analysis.
Amy Qin, our Biostatistics Research Assistant, designs analytic
approaches and assists with data analysis. As researchers continue
to collect data and conduct new research projects, the Biostatistics
Core will provide support through data management, systematic reports,
and communication.
CANHR Funds Research on Nutrients and Contaminants
CANHR has funded a pilot research project by UAF researcher Dr.
Todd O'Hara to study nutrients and contaminants in subsistence use
mammals in northwestern Alaska. Dr. O'Hara's goals are to document
the affects of food processing on nutritive values and select contaminants
in tissues of subsistence use mammals, and to determine the nutrient
concentrations in the tissues used for general human health and
that likely offsset diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
CANHR
Director Receives National Rural Health Award
Download
the press release (pdf, 99 KB)
Research
Lives On at UAA
Read
the article online.
Or download a pdf version (58 KB)
Update
on CANHR Data Collection
During
the winter of 2003-04, CANHR researchers began to collect data from
villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim area. As of the end of February, they
had visited 4 villages. Each trip took about a week for the crew to
collect information for all three research projects. The participants
and their host villages have all been warm in welcoming the CANHR
crew and we look forward to visiting our final four research sites
this spring.
CANHR
Plans Second Wave of Data Collection
Throughout
the spring and early summer of 2004, CANHR researchers gathered
data in the remaining villages and took two data collection trips
to Bethel. Late summer is a time when many people in the villages
of the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta are fishing, so researchers will wait
until early fall to revisit the villages. Researchers are currently
busy preparing reports on data already collected so they can bring
the information back to the villages and share what they have learned
so far.
New
Researcher at CANHR
This fall, Dr. Elaine Drew joined CANHR as an Assistant Professor
of Medical Anthropology/Health Research Scientist. Dr. Drew will
begin visiting villages in November. |
