Research - KRC
The National Council of Urban Indian Health recognizes the need for and importance of a data for improving the lives of our Urban Indian people. Data represents facts from which we can draw conclusions and allows us to both understand what is happening within our communities and provides guidance on how to improve the quality of health services our members provide. Data represents a snapshot and must be balanced with the full picture by including the human experience of life including community history, language, beliefs, wisdom and culture.
The Technical Assistance and Research Center at NCUIH is responsible for ensuring that Urban Indian Health Programs have access to the most recent and culturally specific data available for improving quality of health care and expanding health services. To accomplish this, NCUIH conducts ongoing archival research and partners on research projects for Urban Indian Communities, as appropriate. Archival research is the process of locating and examining data that already exists. Examples of Archival data include reports generated by the Urban Indian Health Institute (Urban Indian Epidemiology Center) , reports and data from federal agencies, and even state and local data that could assist a specific community, just to name a few sources. NCUIH organizes archival data through the Knowledge Resource Center (KRC) that can assist UIHPs in their work. In the KRC, you will find sources of data-driven information to assist in a wide range of health topics- from diabetes and depression management to organizational cultural competence.
To ensure the highest quality data the Technical Assistance and Research Center follows the following research values and principles:
- Research conducted uses a Community-Based Participatory Research model and involves community and stakeholders in all phases of research.
- Research conducted will follow standard ethics principals for protection of human participants, protection of data, accurate reporting, and confidentiality of data.
- Research conducted will include both qualitative and quantitative data collection to balance the numerical picture with the human experience.
- Research conducted or collected will consider cultural factors influencing findings or results to ensure that data is reflective of urban Indian communities.
For more information about health research with Urban Indian communities or for information about ongoing projects and research opportunities, contact Dr. Jami Bartgis, Director of the Technical Assistance and Research Center at (202)544-0344 or electronically at jbartgis@ncuih.org
Rachel Joseph
