Successfully Using Community-based Participatory Research to Conduct a Comprehensive Baseline Health Assessment of American Indians in the State of Maine in Partnership with Tribal Partners
Presented by: Patrik Johansson, M.D., M.P.H.
September 14, 2023~ 12pm – 1:30pm Central Time
Overview and Objectives:
In order to address the lack of existing data on the health of Tribes of Maine: the Aroostook Band of Micmacs, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Passamaquoddy Tribe—Indian Township and Pleasant Point, and the Penobscot Nation, identified the need for a multi- Tribal health assessment based on the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System. Employing a community- based participatory research (CBPR) approach in collaboration with researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health, the Maine Tribal health departments conducted the Waponahki Tribal Health Assessment, the first- ever multi- Tribal health assessment in Maine. This CBPR methodology can provide a model for CBPR in rural and remote communities in the absence of a local academic partner.
As a result of this webinar, participants will:
- Describe key features of community-based participatory research
- Describe the significance of having a diverse workforce in community-based participatory research
- Describe factors that led to success of conducting one of the largest known health needs assessments of American Indians east of the Mississippi
NACC Certification Competencies Addressed in this Webinar:
ITP5, ITP6, OL3, OL4, OL4.1
Presenter Information:
Patrik Johansson, M.D., M.P.H. is a tenured Professor at Washington State University’s (WSU) Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. A past provider with Boston’s Urban Indian Health Program, he has a broad background in public health and primary care, with special emphasis on American Indian health disparities. Using community-based participatory research methods with rural and American Indian communities, his research focuses on health disparities related to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and associated risk factors
He is the co-PI on the Wabanaki Native American Research Center for Health (1 S06GM142115-01), along with Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness (WPHW), a Tribal public health district in the state of Maine. WPHW provides public health services to the 4 federally recognized tribes in Maine. This four-year center grant seeks to learn more about risk factor prevalence for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and to establish a research review board in addition to a public health course for WPHW employees.
