F16 - Plenary: Conducting Research "With" and "Not On" Indigenous Populations

CLICK HERE to view captioning for this session! 

US Federal regulatory framework serve as the default for the oversight of human participants research. There can be a conflict between Western and indigenous approaches to science. When research includes American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, we tend to hold that same federal regulatory framework as the gold standard and the role of community requirements – or requirements of sovereign tribal nations - is treated as a secondary concern. For example, the US Federal regulations do not permit IRBs to consider possible long-range effects of applying knowledge gained in the research (e.g., the possible effects of the research on public policy) and focus on risks to individuals while the impact of the research and potential group harms may be of significant concern to AI/AN communities. This panel will take a step back from the Western-centric view and move away from competing regulatory or rules-based requirements and instead focus on the research needs, interests, and shared values guiding research efforts with AI/AN communities. In addition, the panel will explore how our shared experiences with the AI/AN community might inform the approach of researchers and research ethics professionals to build trust with other communities.