Empowering Native Students in Neuroscience Discovery
Alyssa Joe (left) and Angel Leslie, students from Diné College in northern Arizona, took part in the Undergraduate Readying for Burgeoning Research for American Indian Neuroscientists (URBRAIN) program, which places Native students at the center of neuroscience research.
Students from Diné College in northern Arizona took part in a UArizona Health Sciences neuroscience research program for Native American students this summer. Native Americans currently account for 0.5% of the total workforce in the biosciences, a rate lower than any other racial or ethnic group, according to the National Institutes of Health, which funded the Undergraduate Readying for Burgeoning Research for American Indian Neuroscientists (URBRAIN) program.
Students worked alongside researchers on neuroscience projects, spent time with mentors, took part in talking circles, explored Tucson and gave presentations about their experience.
Kathleen Rodgers, PhD, a professor of pharmacology at the College of Medicine – Tucson and associate director of translational neuroscience at the Center for Innovation in Brain Science, conceived and led the program in collaboration with Diné College.
Diné College students took part in a 10-week program focused on building research capabilities, trust and discovery in neurosciences under the leadership of Kathleen Rodgers, PhD, professor of Pharmacology at the College of Medicine – Tucson and Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, director of the Center for Innovation in Brain Science.
Diné College program manager Kaitlyn Haskie (right) meets with Agnes Attakai, MPA, (left) of the College of Medicine – Tucson, for a mentoring session. Haskie studied health disparities among Native populations this summer.
Diné College students Alyssa Joe (left) and Angel Leslie (right) work with graduate student David Bradford on an ALS-focused investigation at the UArizona Health Sciences Center for Innovation in Brain Science.
Alyssa Joe, of the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, aspires to earn her PhD in neuroscience, pharmacology or immunology.
Students worked in labs alongside researchers, engaged in mentor sessions, took part in talking circles and gave presentations on their research findings.
From left, Diné College students Angel Leslie, Alyssa Joe and program manager Kaitlyn Haskie spent time at Mt. Lemmon during a field trip – part of the URBRAIN neuroscience internship.
Diné College student Alyssa Joe (left) and program manager Kaitlyn Haskie enjoy a break from the heat while on a field trip to Mt. Lemmon as part of their neurosciences internship.
Kathleen Rodgers, PhD, professor of Pharmacology at the College of Medicine – Tucson (left) and Diné College program manager Kaitlyn Haskie (right) discuss the properties of a plant specimen found at Mt. Lemmon.
Kathleen Rodgers, PhD, professor of Pharmacology at the College of Medicine – Tucson, takes in the scenery and cooler mountain temperatures while riding the ski lift at Mt. Lemmon during a trip with students from the URBRAIN program.
Diné College students Angel Leslie (left), Alyssa Joe (back) and program manager Kaitlyn Haskie (right) make fry bread and prepare mutton stew for a meal at the home of Kathleen Rodgers, PhD, who developed and leads the URBRAIN program.
Diné College student Alyssa Joe prepares fry bread for a dinner with colleagues from the Center for Innovation in Brain Science, where she took part in a 10-week neurosciences program.
Diné College student Alyssa Joe presents on her ALS-focused research project to an audience of colleagues, professors and mentors from the UArizona Health Sciences Center for Innovation in Brain Science.
Diné College Program Manager Kaitlyn Haskie presented on health disparities among Native populations to Center for Innovation in Brain Science colleagues, researchers and faculty. Much work needs to be done to build trust among Native communities and the medical establishment, she said, adding that hesitancy to participate in research and provide input could deprive Native communities of health solutions.