Welcome to

CHANGE-RCMAR

Community Health and Aging in Native Groups of Elders Resource Center for Minority Aging Research

A new iteration of the Native Elder Research Center (NERC) that has been continually funded since its inception in 1998, CHANGE will continue to increase the diversity of investigators conducting research with Native populations in the US. We maintain an 18-month cycle, draw on long- established best practices, offer innovative solutions to improvements identified by former NERC Faculty and Scientists, integrate a community-based approach, and expand our diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility platform to create a culture of inclusiveness and support for 9 diverse early-career faculty (3 per cycle).

CHANGE’s Specific Aims are to:

1. Deliver the 18-month CHANGE curriculum to a diverse cohort of 9 Scientists pursuing careers in aging research with Native people;
2. Provide state-of-the-art support for CHANGE Scientists’ Pilot Studies within a holistic framework of mentoring, professional development, and research excellence;
3. Integrate CHANGE Scientists into a network of investigators, RCMAR alumni, and community partners who conduct Native health research and promote Native health interventions; and
4. Embed principles of community outreach, engagement, and participatory research, as well as diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility across all CHANGE activities.

The literature on training programs for underrepresented minority investigators highlights the success of personalized, culturally-informed training and access to underrepresented minority role models. CHANGE will recruit scientists and provide them mentors, while concurrently accommodating the real-world limitations presented by the highly-dispersed and relatively-small community of early-stage investigators and senior faculty conducting aging-related research on Native health.