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- By Kaili Berg
Arizona State University (ASU) unveiled last month the Indigenous Health Research Dashboard, an online repository aimed at improving access to health research for Indigenous populations.
Spearheaded by Angela Gonzales, an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe and ASU’s director of American Indian Studies, the dashboard is a user-friendly database that compiles peer-reviewed studies from 2020 to the present, with plans to include earlier publications starting this winter.
The dashboard is designed to address a pressing issue in Indigenous health research, the accessibility of specialized data for tribal communities, researchers, and policymakers.
“Specifically, we’re thinking about the ability of tribal communities, our tribal partners, to be able to access research on Indigenous health issues. The goal is to provide a one-stop source for people to search through keywords, health conditions, or even specific tribal affiliations,” Gonzales told Native News Online.
According to a study from Indian Health Service (IHS), American Indian and Alaska Native populations have higher rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes (14.5% prevalence compared to 9.4% in the general U.S. population) and cardiovascular disease.
The idea for the dashboard arose during the COVID-19 pandemic when the need for accessible, reliable health research became urgent. Tribal communities expressed concerns about the health impacts of the pandemic but found it challenging to access pertinent studies.
“One of the things the pandemic helped create across Indian Country is a real awareness of needing to understand health research and to find out who’s doing the studies, what they’re finding, and how this data is generalizable,” said Gonzales.
Development of the dashboard was supported by a grant from Genentech’s Health Equity and Diversity in STEM Innovation Fund. ASU students, particularly those from Barrett, The Honors College, played a critical role in compiling and categorizing nearly 800 articles.
“We aimed to recruit Native students to work on this project to develop their research capacity while also involving non-Native students to expose them to health issues affecting Native populations,” said Gonzales.
The collaborative process included extensive keyword searches for chronic health conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and terms specific to Native populations.
The dashboard allows users to narrow their searches based on tribal affiliation, geographic region, or study type, a feature that distinguishes it from broader platforms like PubMed.
“This feature is a game changer,” Gonzales said. “It lets users refine searches to find studies tailored to their unique needs.”
The dashboard is part of a larger ASU initiative to advance Indigenous health equity and research capacity. Arizona is home to 22 tribal nations, and ASU’s institutional support, bolstered by over 60 Native faculty members and more than 4,000 Native students, provides a unique environment for such projects. Gonzales said this attracted her to the University.
“ASU really believes in the importance of contributing to the communities of which you are a part,” Gonzales said. “That’s why I came here from Cornell University, to be at an institution where this type of work is possible.”
The dashboard addresses a critical need for tribal communities to access credible health data to secure funding, design health programs, and influence policy.
“Good data is essential for developing programs that train community health representatives or recognize signs and symptoms of different health issues,” Gonzales said. “This tool gives tribes the scientific knowledge needed to support the work they want to do in their own communities.”
Future enhancements include integrating research studies published before 2020 and exploring ways to connect the database with policy impacts.
“We’re really searching primarily health databases now,” Gonzales said. “But linking it to policies that support research, or policies that have evolved as a result of this research, is a potential area for expansion.”
Looking ahead, Gonzales hopes the dashboard will serve as a model for other universities and health organizations.
“It’s not the end-all, be-all, but it’s a roadmap for students, researchers, and tribal communities to navigate Indigenous health issues,” she said. “The curiosity and energy of students can increase their knowledge while also benefiting others.”
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