Indigenous Health

IH 715. Global Indigenous Health Perspectives. 3 Credits.

This course offers a comprehensive examination of the health and well-being systems among Indigenous populations worldwide. It will extensively compare Indigenous Health systems in terms of cultural practices, policies, personnel, and processes. Designed as a graduate-level study abroad program, it is geared towards students interested in gaining insight into how diverse communities across the globe perceive and pursue health and well-being. Prerequisite: Approval of the Study Abroad Office. Prerequisite or Corequisite: Enrollment in American Indian Studies degree program, MPH degree program, Indigenous Health PhD program or consent from instructor. S,SS.

IH 731. Applied Biostatistics. 3 Credits.

Biostatistical analysis provides the means to identify and verify patterns in data and to interpret the findings in a public health context. This is a three credit hour course designed to provide students with an introduction to essential topics in medical and public health statistical concepts and reasoning. Topics include examples from published health research focused on Indigenous populations, and homework assignments expose students to hands-on data analysis using real-life datasets. Specifically, we will cover descriptive statistics and graphical representations of univariate and multivariate data, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, t-tests, analysis of contingency tables, and simple and multiple linear regression using datasets inclusive of Indigenous populations in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. Prerequisite: .Successful completion of a 3-credit, graduate-level biostatistics course, 3-credit graduate-level epidemiology course, admission into Indigenous Health PhD Program or consent from instructor. F.

IH 745. Indigenous Leadership & Ethics. 3 Credits.

Indigenous peoples and communities need to be at the heart of the leadership framework, including: Social innovation, research and policy development; Land, culture, arts and language are vital for healthy communities and economies Indigenous self-determination for a mutually beneficial relationship among populations; and Indigenous values, including humility, as a basis for Indigenous leadership practice. In this course students will examine leadership, organizational and change theory, and the skills required to lead Indigenous health agencies and community-based organizations in the context of changing demographics and increasing diversity. As society becomes increasingly globalized and diverse, there is a growing need for state/provincial, federal/national and international awareness in organizations regarding the impact that diverse perspectives have on leadership practice. Prerequisite: Enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program or consent from instructor. F.

IH 751. Applied Epidemiology. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the processes involved in applying their training in biostatistics and epidemiology to the design of public health surveillance programs to address Indigenous health. This course will also focus on the application or practice of epidemiology to address public health issues in Indigenous populations. Students will acquire the technical skills to use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epi Info relational database software as a data management tool during outbreak investigations. Examples include the monitoring of communicable diseases (e.g. HIV), chronic diseases (diabetes, etc.), mortality rates, and risk factors in the community. Particular attention will be given to health disparities and challenges faced by the Indigenous populations. Prerequisite: Successful competition of a 3-credit, graduate-level course in epidemiology, enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program or consent from instructor. S.

IH 760. Public Health Program Evaluation. 3 Credits.

This course provides key principles of program evaluation; students learn through reading, lectures and presentations, being actively involved in discussions, critically analyzing evaluations of public health initiatives, and working to develop an evaluation plan for a community-based public health initiative. Students will apply systematic methods to improve and account for public health actions by involving procedures that are useful, feasible, ethical, and accurate. Multiple frameworks for evaluation in public health will be reviewed, including those which were developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prerequisite: Enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program or consent from instructor. S.

IH 761. Indigenous Evaluation Frameworks. 3 Credits.

Building upon the CDC Public Health Program Evaluation model, Indigenous communities can take ownership of the evaluation process and be cognizant of and responsive to traditional values and culture. This class will focus primarily on Indigenous public health evaluation principles utilizing the American Indian Higher Education Consortium's Indigenous Evaluation Framework. The Indigenous Evaluation Framework utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods, measuring experiences over time, and looks at what Indigenous communities have done and are doing from multiple perspectives including individual and communal experiences. The Indigenous evaluation process will be guided by key principles in the framework. Prerequisite: Successful completion of IH 760, enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program, or consent from instructor. F.

IH 762. Quantitative Methods. 3 Credits.

This course provides students with fundamental principles of quantitative research methodologies relevant to public health research, including the study of social determinants of health and research designs to address public health challenges in Indigenous and underserved populations. Students will review a range of methodologies, including randomized controlled trials, observational studies, cohort studies, case-control studies, and survey-based approaches (as well as the limitations of these approaches). Students will develop enhanced capacity to understand and critically appraise data that address Indigenous health through cases study analyses. Students will apply systematic empirical investigation of observable health phenomena with a focus on Indigenous health. This course will also focus on developing culturally appropriate surveys and other quantitative data collection tools. Prerequisite: Successful completion of IH 731 and IH 751, enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program or consent from instructor. SS.

IH 763. Qualitative Methods. 3 Credits.

This course provides students with fundamental principles of qualitative research methodologies relevant to public and Indigenous health research. The course introduces students to: paradigms of qualitative research and inquiry; selected data collection, management, and analysis methods for qualitative research in public and Indigenous health; and standards for reporting qualitative findings. Students will develop competencies in exploratory research used to understand underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations for health behavior and health programming in communities. We will focus on qualitative research conducted with Indigenous and other underserved populations. Prerequisite: Enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program or consent from instructor. F.

IH 764. Mixed Methods Research. 3 Credits.

The goal of this course is to introduce the use of mixed methods in Indigenous public health research. Mixed methods approaches are becoming increasingly common in research across numerous areas of public health. However, most research methods courses focus on either qualitative or quantitative methods, and rarely address how to meaningfully integrate the two. In this course, students will explore the epistemological and methodological issues involved in conducting mixed methods research in public health, with a focus on engaging Indigenous populations. Students will acquire the skills to critique mixed-method research designs, and they will design their own mixed methods study in an area of Indigenous public health of interest to them. Both students who are primarily trained in quantitative methods (e.g., epidemiology) and students primarily trained in qualitative methods (e.g., social sciences) will benefit from this course, and opportunities will be provided for students to learn from one another's expertise. Prerequisite: Successful completion of IH 762 and IH 763, enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program or consent from instructor. S.

IH 765. Indigenous Research Methods. 3 Credits.

The goal of this course is to introduce the use of Indigenous Research Methods and case studies from around the world to demonstrate the specific methodologies that are appropriate for the transformative paradigm of research and the historical and cultural traditions of Indigenous populations. This course is a culminating course in the PhD curriculum and will provide preparation for dissertation and portfolio development. Prerequisite: Successful completion of IH 762 and IH 763, enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program or consent from instructor. SS.

IH 766. CBPR & Tribally-Driven Research Frameworks. 3 Credits.

This course offers an exposure to working with communities to improve health and health services in innovative ways through community engagement and collaboration. For the purposes of this course, "communities" are defined as Indigenous populations who share a social or cultural identity, a particular illness, common resources (including geographic proximity), or communication channels (such as media, internet) pertaining to health. At the end of IH 766, students will understand the practical/ethical issues of Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and put into practice the CBPR guiding principles for collaborating with Indigenous communities in health-related research, and various quantitative and qualitative methods used in partnered research and in implementing partnered interventions and evaluations. Prerequisite: Enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program or consent from instructor. S.

IH 781. Principles of Indigenous Health 1. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to provide students with a critical understanding Indigenous health with local and global perspectives provided. The course will specifically explore both traditional perspectives and cutting edge fields of Indigenous health including traditional healing systems, cultural safety, Indigenous food systems, Indigenous data, Indigenous research methodologies and evaluation processes, plus decolonizing narratives while defining the impact of colonization and health disparities in communities. We will utilize a strengths-based approach in our understandings of Indigenous concepts of health and healing, and ways of moving forward towards greater health equity. Prerequisite: Enrollment in the Indigenous Health PhD degree program or consent from instructor. F.

IH 782. Principles of Indigenous Health 2. 3 Credits.

This course is designed to expand on the knowledge attained in IH 781 while prioritizing in-depth examinations of more complex Indigenous health topics. The flipped classroom model for this course will allow the examination of global discourses form various Indigenous communities around the globe. Areas of focus will include: traditional knowledge systems, systems thinking, sustainability models, women and gender, specialty Indigenous health topics, and promising practices in Indigenous health through decolonizing narratives. Prerequisite: Successful completion of PH 581 or IH 781, enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program, or consent from instructor. S.

IH 783. American Indian Health Policy. 3 Credits.

The course will provide a detailed overview of the unique policy issues that form the legal basis for provision of public health and healthcare services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The American Indian (AI) population is unique in the United States in that AIs are born with a legal right to health services. This is based on treaties and numerous other laws, executive orders, court decisions and other legal bases in which the tribes exchanged land and other natural resources for various social services, including housing, education, and healthcare. The Indian Health Service (IHS) is the federal agency responsible for carrying out the federal government's trust responsibility to provide public health and healthcare services to AIs. Prerequisite: Enrollment in MPH degree program or Indigenous Health PhD degree program, or consent from instructor. F.

IH 784. Indigenous Health Policy. 3 Credits.

In this course, we will describe Indigenous health disparities, health systems, and policies in terms of their impact on Indigenous health internationally. We will focus on how national health systems engage, or do not engage, Indigenous peoples, as well as analyzing how health policy has an impact on Indigenous health status. The course is divided into several modules to assess specific nations' health systems, Indigenous health disparities, Indigenous approaches to policy development, and promising practices in Indigenous health policy. Prerequisite: Successful completion of PH 583 or IH 783, enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program, or consent from instructor. F.

IH 790. Indigenous Health Seminar. 1 Credit.

This course is intended to provide PhD students with the supports, resources, and knowledge required to be successful in the PhD Indigenous Health Program, and to be successful Indigenous health scholars. Students will work with other students in multiple stages of the PhD program, learning to collaborate, and establishing professional relationships. All PhD students should plan to take the seminars consecutively, whether enrolled as full- or part-time students. Prerequisite: Enrollment in Indigenous Health PhD degree program or consent from instructor. Repeatable to 6.00 credits. S/U grading. F,S,SS.

IH 799. Research. 1-9 Credits.

Intended for students conducting original research in consultation with faculty. F,S,SS.

IH 970. Special Topics in Indigenous Health. 1-3 Credits.

This course explores special topics in the field of Indigenous Health. Topics vary with faculty expertise and issues current in the field. The course may be repeated for credit if the topics are different. Prerequisite: Approval of Faculty Advisor. Repeatable to 6.00 credits. F,S,SS.

IH 996. Continuing Enrollment. 1-12 Credits.

Continuing enrollment credit. Repeatable to 32.00 credits. S/U grading. F,S,SS.

IH 997. Independent Study. 1-3 Credits.

The independent study is designed to require the student to investigate a topic related to the field of Indigenous health. The study need not be an original contribution to knowledge but may be a presentation, analysis, and discussion of information and ideas already in the literature. The requirement for independent study is to ensure that a student can investigate a topic and organize a scholarly report on the investigation. Repeatable to 12.00 credits. F,S,SS.

IH 999. Dissertation. 1-12 Credits.

Students will complete a dissertation in one of the following two formats (1) Academic Track - Students will produce a dissertation in the more traditional format of the scholarly monograph or (2) Applied Track - Students will produce a dissertation that includes three products with prior approval of faculty advisor and Indigenous Health PhD degree program (e.g., published manuscript, tribal program evaluation, tribal health strategic plan, grant application, policy brief, etc.). Prerequisite: Passage of a comprehensive exam, and successful completion of Indigenous Health PhD coursework. Repeatable to 12.00 credits. S/U grading. F,S,SS.