Public health practitioners, researchers, and policy experts are invited to submit proposals for the NIHB 2019 National Tribal Public Health Summit, taking place May 13-15, 2019 at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM.
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) encourages presentations highlighting evidence-based, best, wise, or promising practices developed in and for Tribal communities. NIHB is particularly interested in interactive presentations that provide tools along with information and research, so that participants can make the knowledge they gain actionable. NIHB is also looking for presentations highlighting the social determinants of health (i.e. socioeconomic status, access to education and employment, the physical environment, etc.) as they pertain to the issues discussed. Please choose the track that best fits your proposal.
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention – A cornerstone of Tribal public health is the effort to create a culture of wellness at the community level to combat disease and promote overall wellness. This may include a focus on health choices, health behaviors and the factors that influence those such as social, economic and environmental factors. proposals submitted under this track could include, but are not limited to, topics such as:
The prevention of HIV and STIs;
Diabetes and related chronic diseases;
Cancer prevention, colorectal cancer screening;
Oral health initiatives;
Tobacco misuse;
Obesity, food sovereignty, traditional diets;
Physical activity;
Violence prevention;
Immunizations;
Innovative prevention programming created or customized for Tribal communities;
Implementing traditional/cultural practices;
Social marketing and communication;
Infectious diseases;
Research results regarding public health program implementation;
Public health program evaluation;
Collaborative efforts to improve population health; and
Community mobilization.
Public Health Policy, Infrastructure, and Systems – Public health systems encompass a broad network of agencies and programs that are enabled by factors such as policy and infrastructure. Public health policy sets the vision and can help establish specific targets, priorities and the expected roles for constituents and stakeholders. Public health infrastructure provides the foundation for Tribal Nations to provide essential services and respond to public health threats. Efforts toward improving health for Tribal Nations must pay close attention to these factors that influence the delivery of public health services. Proposals submitted under this track can focus on policy topics such as:
Innovative Tribal public health policies to address health problems;
National, Tribal and state public health legislation, regulations and codes;
Best practices in development, implementation and analysis of public health policy;
Intersections between public health and law;
Strategies to integrate practice-based policy with evidence-based policy;
Organizational policy;
Policies towards quality improvement and performance management;
Understanding policy in practice;
Policy assessment and evaluation;
Current Indian law issues; and
Infrastructure and systems topics such as:
Tribal public health systems improvement;
Tribal Public Health accreditation;
Public health data and epidemiology;
Workforce development;
Public health leadership development;
Public health law and policy development and application;
Innovative funding strategies;
Access to adequate housing, transportation, education and employment opportunities, and other issues;
Internal and external capacity development;
Emergency preparedness, safety and health protections;
Tribal public health strategic planning;
Strategies for performance improvement and quality improvement;
Community engagement strategies;
Partnerships, coalition building;
Cross-jurisdictional relationships;
Integration of public health in healthcare, behavioral health, social services, environmental services, housing, criminal justice, etc.; and
Protective and resiliency factors in health promotion and disease prevention.
Substance Misuse and Behavioral Health – Behavioral health captures a wide range of issues including substance and alcohol misuse and opioid overdose, mental health illnesses such as PTSD, depression, suicide, exposure to trauma, and interpersonal violence. Behavioral health concerns many times co-occur with other health conditions such as chronic disease, and can pose significant challenges for individuals and their families. Improving behavioral health outcomes remains an important priority for AI/AN communities. Proposals submitted under this track could include, but are not limited to, topics such as:
Innovative or successful substance use disorder treatment approaches;
Promising practices in opioid overdose prevention;
Epidemiology of the opioid epidemic;
Integrating behavioral health within other public health programming;
Successes and barriers in collection and linkage of substance use mortality and morbidity data;
Utilization of prescription drug monitoring programs;
Substance use and the criminal justice system;
Identification and treatment of co-occurring mental or behavioral health concerns;
Integration of trauma informed care practices;
Interconnections between mental health and public health;
Specific behavioral health issues such as suicide prevention, gun control and violence protection;
Tele-behavioral health services;
Alcohol misuse and promising interventions;
Behavioral economics and techniques for health promotion;
The connection between substance use and behavioral health;
Substance use prevention programming; and
The integration of behavioral health and mental health systems in other systems (health care, social services, criminal justice, and education).
Environmental Health and Climate Change – Environmental health focuses on the interrelationships between people and their environment with an emphasis on promoting human health and well-being, and fostering healthy and safe communities. Environmental stressors, from both the natural and built environment and climate change pose unique risks for AI/AN populations across Indian Country. These stressors can affect everything from fish and animal migration patterns to water availability and sanitation, allergen levels, air pollution, severe weather occurrences, physical and mental health problems, prevalence of vector borne disease, and a multitude of other factors. Facing these and other challenges are an important component of maintaining holistic health. Proposals submitted under this track can include, but are not limited to, topics such as:
Best practices in public health interventions for environmental health;
Research on environmental health in Tribal communities;
Assessments, including developing climate impact assessments for Tribal communities;
Developing climate and health adaptation plans;
Subsistence strategies to face changing environments;
Environmental health and cancer;
Water, food, and land security;
The relationship between health and industry, energy, and pollution;
Mitigating vector-borne diseases;
Projects that demonstrate the health effects of climate change or environmental health;
Housing and health (mold, asthma, flooding, heating with woodstove indoors, constructive materials); and
Protective and resiliency factors in environmental health.
Emergency Preparedness and Emerging Issues in Public Health – Public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) is the capability of the public health and health care systems, communities, and individuals, to prevent, protect against, quickly respond to, and recover from health emergencies. Situations become emergencies when current systems and capabilities are overwhelmed. Emerging issues in public health are threats that pose new risks to the health of populations, pose challenges to public health systems’ capabilities, which may arise from changes in factors such as environments, economies, systems, social structures and even laws and policies. Proposals submitted under this track can include, but are not limited to, topics such as:
Developing emergency operations plans;
Tools and resources for emergency preparedness;
Natural disaster preparedness and recovery;
Partnerships and cross-jurisdictional relationships;
Community recovery after an emergency;
Risk communication;
Surveillance and response to specific disease outbreaks;
Development of laws and policies; and
Public health system structures factors.