Community-Based Participatory Research on American Indian and Alaska Native Health

April 19, 2007
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center

• Paul Spicer
• Associate Professor, American Indian and Alaska Native Programs, Department of Psychiatry
• Director, American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Colorado

Dr. Paul Spicer is a cultural anthropologist who conducts research in human development, behavioral medicine, and bioethics. He is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado, where he is assigned to the American Indian and Alaska Native Programs, and a faculty associate at the university's Center for Bioethics and Humanities. He has led projects on genetics, addiction, mental health, and early childhood intervention, with support from the National Institutes of Health, the Administration on Children and Families (Head Start), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Substance Abuse Policy).

Abstract

The American Indian and Alaska Native Programs in the University of Colorado's School of Medicine, in existence since 1985, have a diverse portfolio of research, training, and technical assistance. This talk provides a history of the programs' growing commitment to community-based participatory research.

Dr. Spicer presents examples of how he and his team are extending this commitment through their work in genetics, child development, alcoholism, and obesity.