Denise Dillard, PhD, professor at the WSU College of Medicine and co-director of the Institute of Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH), spoke with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about her work raising awareness of critical research gaps for Alaska Native populations. The Q&A session is part of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities’s (NIMHD) series “Conversations with Researchers Engaging With Communities.”
Dillard’s portfolio includes projects focused on chronic diseases, such as hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, and sleep apnea. She is also focused on training scientists to conduct research with indigenous populations.
“Funders and scientists need to understand the sources of distrust that impact peoples’ willingness to participate in research, as well as geographic and other challenges that exist when doing research with indigenous people,” Dillard said in the interview. “It’s also critical that [they] know about tribal sovereignty and the inherent strengths of Alaska Native people.”
In the NIMHD article, Dillard shares more of her research experience, what inspired her to work in the field of minority health and health disparities, and her hopes for the next generation to advance community-engaged research.