UW-Madison lands grant to help recruit, retain Native Americans in healthcare careers

Madison, Wisconsin – The Native American Center for Health Professions (NACHP) at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has been awarded a five-year Indians Into Medicine grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Indian Health Service. The IMPACT (Indians into Medicine through Programming And Community engagemenT) grant aims to improve outreach, recruitment and retention of American Indian students into health professional careers through educational and cultural programs, and to increase their numbers to serve American Indian populations.

IMPACT will recruit, train and nurture American Indian students along the educational continuum through three interrelated programs and the following objectives:

• Reach out to inspire and recruit American Indian pre-college students to increase the pool of qualified applicants to pursue health professional careers.
• Increase enrollment of American Indian pre-college and college students in STEMenrichment programs at UW-Madison to enhance their preparation for health professional training.
• Create opportunities for American Indian medical and health professional students to pursue Native-specific public health curricula and extracurricular programs rooted in traditional and cultural experiences, and to provide students with skills to promote the health of Native communities.

NACHP will partner with five Wisconsin tribal communities including the Ho-Chunk Nation, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin and Stockbridge-Munsee Community. NACHP will also collaborate with current UW student enrichment programs, such as the Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE) program and the Tribal Technology Institute. IMPACT will prepare American Indian health professionals who will be uniquely qualified to serve American Indians.

“We are grateful for support from the UW, the School of Medicine and Public Health and from tribal communities to enhance the recruitment, training and retention of American Indian health professional students,” said Dr. Erik Brodt, director of NACHP. “NACHP is honored to be awarded this grant and looks forward to working with academic and tribal partners to improve the health of American Indian communities.”

To learn more about the Native American Center for Health Professions, visit http://www.med.wisc.edu/nachp or call (608) 265-8655.