A Voice for Tribes within the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

In this session, attendees will learn about the Tribal Health Research Office at the National Institutes of Health established in 2015. Pursuant to Presidential Executive Order No. 13175, November 6, 2000, and the Presidential memoranda of September 23, 2004, and November 5, 2009, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) adopted a Tribal Consultation Policy that applies to all HHS operating and staff divisions, including the NIH. The HHS Tribal Consultation Policy directs divisions to establish a process to ensure accountable, meaningful, and timely input by Tribal officials in the development of policies that have Tribal implications. As the first NIH office focused on tribal health, the office targets research efforts where the needs are greatest within native communities and establishes consistent research protocols with the ICs that will ultimately benefit research in tribal communities and investigators alike.