National Resource Core

NATIONAL RESOURCE CORE: PROJECT SUMMARY American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities are at substantial risk of diabetes. Consequently, In 1997, Congress created the Special Diabetes Program for Indians to fund diabetes prevention and treatment programs throughout Indian Country. This initiative led to substantial improvement in blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels among AI/ANs with diabetes, accompanied by significant decline in diabetes- related end-stage renal disease. Yet the lessons from this exciting work have been slow to be learned. The Center for American Indian and Alaska Native Diabetes Translation Research (CAIANDTR) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (UC/AMC) addresses this problem by extending the knowledge, skills, and experience of our Research Base – drawing from UC/AMC faculty and those at our 7 Satellite Centers – that emphasizes 6 specialty areas, including cultural adaptations of intervention, health literacy, health technologies, dissemination and implementation science, sustainability, and qualitative research methods -- to facilitate a multidisciplinary, culturally grounded, problem-oriented translational research program of major scientific and programmatic importance. This Core promotes the dissemination of such work and rigorously evaluates the impact of the training, technical assistance, and consultations provided to external investigators, programs, and institutional partners in the U.S. work with AI/AN communities to advance diabetes translational research and reduce resulting disparities.