Indigenous Knowledge, Science, and Ethical Frameworks for Collaboration

Monday, February 8, 2021, 12:00 – 12:45pm ET

Synopsis

Confronting challenges in public health and genetics requires a broader and inclusive societal engagement necessitating the inclusion of communities who have traditionally been left out of the conversation. As many Native American tribes and other Indigenous communities across North America draw upon centuries of millennia of Indigenous knowledge of sustainable practices in health care and governments and other are increasingly seeking to recognize and draw on their expertise. Recognizing a need to avoid systemic sampling biases, large-scale genomic data collection projects such as the NIH “All of Us” initiative seek to recruit participants from Native American and Indigenous communities- though a long history of exploitation and extraction, in which marginalized people have had little agency and seen few or no benefits of such research. Disparities are present in public health programs, however, as these programs lack the vision of treating the whole person which includes the scientific, spiritual, and cultural aspects of the person and the communities they are embedded in.

This symposium will explore active research and engagement projects led or co-led by Native American and Indigenous scholars working in diverse ethical, scientific, and public health disciplines. This symposium will highlight the importance of bringing diverse voices in conversation with scientific research and public health initiatives. Each integrates Indigenous knowledge within their respective research ecosystems of culture, policy and practice for the purpose of increasing the diversity of worldviews is instrumental in having healthy communities.

Speakers

Curtis Baxter, AAAS DoSER – Organizer and Moderator

Rob O’Malley, AAAS DoSER – Co-Organizer

Lee Bitsoi, Fort Lewis College – Respondent

Keolu Fox, University of California, San Diego – Speaker

Nanibaa’ Garrison, University of California, Los Angeles – Speaker

Krystal Tsosie, Vanderbilt University – Speaker