“It is an honor to help lead the community in establishing our own Akwesasne Research Center for Health and designing our first project to focus on supporting and promoting student interests in community health,” said SRMT Health Services Director, Michael Cook. “We are grateful to have a strong partner in the Center for Indigenous Cancer Research and Roswell Park.”
The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is looking to help build the next generation of leaders in the health care field. In December of last year, the SRMT announced its collaboration on a new and exciting program which is being funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The establishment of the Akwesasne Research Centers for Health (ARCH) is
being made possible by a four-year grant, totaling nearly $2.2 million dollars. These
funds will help develop two projects – an Administrative Core Project and the Saint
Regis Mohawk Research Scholars Programs, which will be implemented in
partnership with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and its Center for Indigenous Cancer Research (CICR) team.
The newly awarded ARCH is one of 29 NARCH awards, and one of two awards
based in the northeast designed to support Mohawk students to enter, advance and remain in health and research careers that address Indigenous health issues, particularly in Akwesasne. The NARCH program supports opportunities for conducting research and career enrichment to meet the health needs prioritized by American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
The Saint Regis Mohawk Research Scholars Programs welcomed there first cohort in December 2022, with high school students participating from Massena Central High school and Salmon River school. The focus is to support Mohawk students to enter, advance and remain in health and research careers that address Indigenous health issues, particularly in Akwesasne.
The project includes three components: a virtual after-school club called the Mohawk Youth Health Ambassador Program; a three-week summer internship program at Roswell Park for Mohawk high school students; and a ten-week summer internship program at Roswell Park for Mohawk college students.
Community members are invited to visit the SRMT Education Division webpage to
learn more about these new and exciting programs for our youth
at https://www.srmt-nsn.gov/education/programs.
Applications are now being accepted until the end of March for summer sessions.
“We appreciate the strong leadership of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and their
efforts to establish the Akwesasne Research Center for Health. Our partnership will support the creation of health and education programming for future generations of Indigenous scientists,” says CICR Director, Rodney Haring.
CICR, which was founded in 2020 by Dr. Haring of the Seneca Nation, has a simple
yet ambitious goal: to reduce the impact of cancer on Indigenous communities
regionally, nationally, and internationally.
The SRMT Health Services Division is the prime recipient of the NIH grant and will
coordinate directly with the SRMT Education Division to co-develop project
planning, student curriculum, staff recruitment and implementation.
Roswell Park and the CICR serve as the research partners to support the projects
and will work closely with SRMT on student curriculum design, project
implementation, and student summer internships at Roswell Park in Buffalo, NY.
The Administrative Core Project will support SRMT Health Services Division’s efforts to provide and integrate community-driven process and scientific leadership, administrative support and fiscal management, along with program evaluation expertise for current and future ARCH projects.
