A recent paper published in Health Promotion Practice co-authored by Debra Kaysen, PhD, Michele Bedard-Gilligan, PhD, and first author Cynthia Pearson, PhD (School of Social Work), among others, was named to the Editor’s Choice Collection for the January 2019 issue. Recognized for its inspiring writing, exemplary science, and insightful exploration of an important area of health equity, Building a Tribal–Academic Partnership to Address PTSD, Substance Misuse, and HIV Among American Indian Women is available open access until February 28, 2019. The goal of Editor’s Choice papers are that they are widely read and utilized by students, scholars, and researchers across a wide range of settings and disciplines.

The authors provide guidance for building a community-academic partnership with the purpose of addressing the health of American Indians. Access to mental health care within the American Indian community is scarce; American Indians suffer disproportionately when it comes to lifetime rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), American Indian women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault than women of all other racial backgrounds, and Substance Use Disorder and HIV are highly prevalent.

The article describes a tribal-academic partnership that began when women from a tribal community in the Pacific Northwest reached out to UW’s Indigenous Wellness Research Institute and prompted the formation of a community research committee made up of community leaders, culture and language teachers, elders, health care providers, and young women from the tribe. Community members worked with researchers to develop a theoretical framework pulling from both western and indigenous knowledge. The community developed a resolution with a purpose of promoting resiliency and health among women and girls, and providing culturally tailored support to empower women. The authors hope their lessons may provide a road map for building community–academic research infrastructure and identifying other interventions for American Indian communities. Definitely worth a read!