In a history-making partnership, the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Harvard University’s Native American Program (HUNAP) are joining forces to tackle the crisis of unequal health outcomes between Native American and non-Native communities in the U.S. The federal agency and the academic institution recently signed a memorandum of understanding to identify areas of collaboration that could help improve the health and wellness of American Indian and Alaska Native people and communities.
According to IHS Director Charles W. Grim, MD, “Combining the talents and resources of our two organizations will produce even greater educational and training opportunities for [IHS] health care professionals. . . and produce culturally appropriate, innovative programs to address the growing health disparities of Indian communities.” Dr. Dennis Norman, faculty chair of the Native Health Program at HUNAP, adds that his program will “engage undergraduate and graduate students in teaching, research and outreach. We also hope to train more Native American and well as non-Native students to become practitioners, researchers and leaders in American Indian health.”