Spirit of Eagles Communitees Network Program

Unique circumstances of culture, location, history and healthcare combine to produce unusual patterns of cancer occurrence among American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States. The Spirit of Eagles Community Network Program will be a national CNP with outreach to American Indian and Alaska Native communities large and small, urban and reservation. Our partnerships encompass academic cancer centers, Native specific health care organizations, student organizations and advocacy cancer groups. Furthermore, our interdisciplinary members are skilled at addressing comprehensive cancer control from prevention through end of life care. The American Indian / Alaska Native Initiative on Cancer [UOI CA86098] was implemented from 2000 through 2005 as one of eighteen NCI-funded Special Populations Networks. This Network conducted and evaluated efforts that increased cancer awareness among tribal Nations and organizations throughout the country. The American Indian/Alaska Native Leadership Initiative on Cancer [NCI UOI CA 114609], known in the communities as the Spirit of Eagles was funded from 2005 through 2010 and increased community-based participatory research (CBPR) addressing culturally relevant education, training, and research. Our new Spirit of Eagles Community Network Program (SOE-CNP) will focus on translational research, clinical trials, and continued CBPR. The goal ofthis five year study is to efficiently coordinate and assess a national cancer research program for AIAN communities by integrating all project components to address cancer disparities in this population. This multidisciplinary national program will continue efforts to reduce cancer health disparities by implementing and assessing innovative and culturally appropriate research through community-driven partnerships. The SOE-CNP will include four components: (1) Administrative; (2) Research; (3) Outreach and (4) Training. The research base is Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center where the Pl is the Director of Native American Programs within the Population Sciences section of the Cancer Center.