Fort belknap tribal undergraduate to graduate research training and leadership experiences

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded Fort Belknap Indian Community a $175,600 Cooperative Agreement on September 1, 2026, to support the Tribal Undergraduate to Graduate Research Training and Leadership Experiences (TURTLE) program under the Biomedical Research and Research Training assistance listing (CFDA 93.859).

TURTLE expands training and mentoring activities for graduates of the Young Medicine Movement, a seven-week summer preparatory program co-designed by Fort Belknap Reservation and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing to build educational engagement for Aaniiih and Nakoda high school students addressing youth suicide. The program develops Indigenous scholars prepared to enter the biomedical research workforce and advance health equity, targeting individuals with deep cultural understanding of tribal communities facing documented health disparities linked to historical trauma and systemic disadvantage.

Fort Belknap Indian Community, a federally recognized tribal government headquartered in Harlem, Montana, receives the award as the recipient organization and performs the work on the Fort Belknap Reservation at Harlem, Montana (59526). The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through May 31, 2028. The source does not identify sub-recipients or pass-through arrangements.

Abstract

In 2020, following a youth suicide cluster, the fort belknap reservation partnered with the johns hopkins school of nursing to address youth suicide using a comprehensive, community- engaged research approach. Together, we CO-designed a 7-week summer preparatory program, pathway to nursing, public health, and stem for aaniiih and nakoda high school scholars (young medicine movement), aimed at promoting educational engagement and supporting aaniiih and nakoda high school juniors through a tailored educational pathway. Importantly, the tribal undergraduate to graduate research training and leadership experiences (turtle) program enables US to expand training and mentoring activities for graduates of our two-year program. This initiative significantly enhances our ability to develop indigenous scholars who will join the biomedical research workforce and advance health equity. Reservations established by treaty, including fort belknap, have been shaped by policies that create disadvantages and have drastic implications for morbidity and mortality. These reservations are characterized by enduring and concentrated poverty and historical and ongoing trauma. These are key social determinants of health-factors that account for 30-55% of health outcomes and are evidence of a pervasive health crisis linked to systematic and traumatizing disadvantage. Despite facing stark and extensive health disparities, there is a notable lack of impactful research, and native american (NA) researchers necessary to address these challenges and reduce inequities. The lack of NA researchers with deep cultural understanding is a critical factor limiting impactful research with and for NAS. Our training approach is designed to provide learning opportunities that spark creativity, build resilience, provide inspiration, and offer instrumental and social support to take on new and old health challenges at fort belknap, while at the same time develop the next generation of NA researchers. Specifically, our program will pursue the following specific aims: (1) provide in-depth, mentored and exciting biomedically-relevant research experiences to undergraduate trainees; (2) provide leadership training, preparing trainees to with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in leadership roles; (3) provide mentoring and opportunities to build a professional support network for undergraduate trainees to create a sense of belonging, agency and enthusiasm as members of the biomedical research community. We firmly believe that our approach, to train our own people to address our needs is best accomplished at the grassroots level, led by the fort belknap tribal health director and an established native american investigator from the community in a research-practice partnership. Our multi-PI leadership team is exceptionally qualified to manage the proposed program, with extensive experience in leading collaborative research and training, fostering aaniiih and nakoda scholar participation in biomedical research, and working closely with tribal communities.