Presented by Diana Rohlman at the Contemporary Northwest Tribal Health Conference
March 28-29, 2014 in Portland, OR
For more information and resources on Tribal - University research, please visit our web site: http://superfund.oregonstate.edu/outreach
Evolution of a Robust Tribal-University Research Partnership to Investigate Tribal Exposures and Build Scientific Capacity
1. Evolution of a Robust Tribal-University
Research Partnership to Investigate Tribal
Exposures and Build Scientific Capacity
Tribal-University Collaboration to Address Tribal Exposures to
PAHs and Improve Community Health
Contemporary Northwest Tribal Health Conference
March 28-29, 2014
Portland, OR
Diana Rohlman, OSU
OSU: Barbara Harper, Anna Harding, Molly Kile, Kim Anderson, Staci
Simonich
CTUIR: Barbara Harper, Stuart Harris
1
2. 2
Focus of the OSU Superfund
Research Program
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
3. Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation
3
CTUIR Field Station equipment:
Two greenhouses
Botany and chemistry labs
ICP/AES; GC/MS; UV/Vis spec.
Equipment installed Jan-Feb 2012
4. History of Collaboration
4
2003 - 2009 2015 - 20182010 2011 2012 2013 2014
High-
volume
ambient air
sampler
installed on
the Umatilla
Reservation
1 joint paper
published
Personal air
monitoring
training
video’s
3 joint
papers
published
PAH in traditionally
smoked salmon study
published
Dietary
study - PAH
EPA-
STAR-JI-
R831046
(2003 –
2007)
Air and urine samples collected
Passive sampling devices (PSD) deployed
PSD deployed in the Nixyáawii Governance Center
NIEHS – P42ESO16465 (2009 – 2018)
Memorandum of
Understanding
OSU and the CTUIR
Department of Science
and Engineering (DOSE)
begin collaboration
Engage
Tribal Youth
5. The beginning of a partnership
2003 – EPA grant
2006 – Memorandum of Understanding
Template for the Data Sharing Agreement
currently being used (CTUIR, Swinomish,
Samish)
All data belong to the CTUIR
Specific CTUIR concerns identified
5
6. Mission of the University-
Tribal Partnership
6
Create a collaborative project and partnership aimed at better understanding
health risks associated with PAH exposure on the Reservation and assist in
capacity building with tribal partners and research scientists.
CTUIR SRP
Agencies
Investigators
Community
members
Investigators
CEC
Cultural
Capacity
Scientific
Capacity
Pubs
Culturally appropriate
risk reduction
InputsCapacityOutputs
Increased trust in
University research
Understanding of Tribal
culture and tradition
CBPR
Cultural
Capacity
Scientific
Capacity
7. 7
CTUIR-University Partnership:
Activities
(1) Traditional Smoking Practices
PAH exposure from traditional smoking practices
PAH exposures from traditionally smoked foods
(2) PAH concentrations in ambient air on the Reservation
(3) Tribal member engagement in research (CBPR)
Novel Research
Interests
Community Health
Concerns
Research interests identified by CTUIR
8. 8
What makes a University-Tribal
Partnership Sustainable?
Community-based participatory Research
• Empowering communities to make informed decisions regarding their
health and their environment
• Doing collaborative research that has been identified as important by
CTUIR
• Trust between CTUIR and OSU Scientists
Attention to capacity building in scientists and Tribal
members
• Utilize the CTUIR Field Station
• Increase scientist cultural capacity
Respect for Tribal culture and traditions
• Develop culturally respectful ways to reduce the health effects of chemical
exposures
• Recognition of a sovereign government with laws & policies
9. 2007 - 2010
Traditional Tribal Subsistence
Exposure Scenario and Risk
Assessment Guidance Manual
9
Cultural
Capacity
Scientific
Capacity
Symposium:
Conducting
Research in Tribal
Communities
10. 10
2010 - 2011
Specific Tribal Requests
(2) PAH concentrations in ambient air on the
Reservation
(3) Tribal member engagement in research
(CBPR)
Installed ambient PAH
monitors
Produced training
videos – How to
use personal air
samplers
Trained Tribal Air
Quality Technician to
collect PAH filters
CTUIR
community
SRP
Researcher
SRP Community
Engagement Core
DOSE
11. 11
Specific Tribal Requests
(1) Traditional Smoking Practices
PAH exposure from traditional
smoking practices
2011 - 2012
Traditional Salmon Smoking
Event
Collection and analysis of personal air and urine samples
from Tribal members smoking food
Tribal involvement: Catching and smoking Chinook salmon,
wearing air monitors, provide urine samples
OSU involvement: Analysis of PAH in air and fish, analysis of
PAH in urine
Cultural
Capacity
Scientific
Capacity
12. Shed Tipi
Apple Alder Apple Alder
Chinook Salmon
Commercial Salmon #1
Chinook Salmon
Non-smoked salmon
Analysis of 33 PAH in ambient air, personal air exposure, salmon
Commercial Salmon #2
Commercial Salmon #3
∑PAH levels between 140 – 430X
higher in CTUIR smoked salmon
∑PAH levels in commercial vs
CTUIR non-smoked salmon similar
Traditional Salmon Smoking Event
Anderson and Simonich Laboratories, CTUIR Tribal members, DOSE
13. 13
Traditional Salmon Smoking Event
Personal air sampling
The first of its kind conducted with tribal members.
PAH in urine
Collected urine from 2 Tribal members to analyze PAH levels in
urine
PAH concentration was higher in the tipi
versus the shed
Forsberg, N., Stone, D., Harding, A., Harper,
B., Harris, S., Matske, M., Cardenas, A.,
Waters, K., Anderson, K. (2012) Effect of
Native American fish smoking methods on
dietary exposure to polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons and possible risks to human
health. Journal of Agricultural & Food
Chemistry, 60(27), 6899-6906.
14. 14
2011 - 2012
“The initial trigger for this work occurred because regulatory
agencies need to understand tribal exposures in order to
evaluate risks and set risk-based remedial goals at contaminated
sites if tribal lands, health or resources are affected either on- or
off-reservation.”
Cultural
Capacity
Scientific
Capacity
Develop culturally
respectful ways to reduce
the health effects of
chemical exposures.Harper, B.L., Harding, A.K., Harris, S., Berger, P.
(2012) Subsistence Exposure Scenarios for
Tribal Applications. Human and Ecological Risk
Assessment, 18, 810-831.
15. 15
2011 – 2012
Building a sustainable partnership – using the
Material and Data Sharing Agreement as a model
for other projects
Distributed to:
• Regional EPA Tribal Liaisons
• Regional Indian Health Service providers
• NIEHS Resource Center (Accessible to SRPs and EHSCs)
Harding, A.K., Harper, B., Stone, D., O’Neill, C., Berger, P., Harris, S.,
Donatuto, J. (2012). Conducting research with tribal communities:
Sovereignty, ethics, and data-sharing issues. Environmental Health
Perspectives, 120(1), 6-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1103904.
16. 16
2012 – 2013
Focus Groups
Three 90-minute focus group sessions with a total of 27
participants were held to elicit opinions on meanings of
health and how the environment interacts with health
Cultural
Capacity
Scientific
Capacity
Selection of questions asked during the focus group:
1. What does being a healthy individual mean to you?
2. What does a healthy community look like?
3. In what ways is your health and the health of your family connected to
the environment?
4. What sources of pollution or types of chemicals concern you the most?
5. Would you eat plants or game or fish obtained [near sources of
pollution]?
18. Perceptions of Health
• Participants expressed a holistic
view of health that included
environmental, physical, mental,
spiritual, and intergenerational social
components.
• A healthy natural environment was
identified as an essential component
of a healthy individual and a healthy
community.
• Many believe the identified
environmental hazards contribute to
diseases in their community.
18
Schure M, Kile ML, Harding AK, Harper B,
Harris S, Uesugi S, Goins T. (2013)
Perceptions of the Environment and Health
Among Members of the Confederated Tribes
of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Environmental Justice, 6(3), 115-120.
19. 19
2013 – 2014
Cultural
Capacity
Scientific
Capacity
Dietary Study
50g smoked salmon
Pre-breakfast urine sample
Urine sample – 3 hours
PAH analysis, PBPK analysis for metabolism
10 Tribal members
Specific Tribal Requests
PAH exposures from traditionally smoked foods
Urine sample – 6 hours
Urine sample – 12 hours
Urine sample – 24 hours
Survey – exposures to
other sources of PAH
Restricted Foods
20. 20
2014 – 2018 – Future work
Material and Data
sharing agreements
Improve understanding of PAHs among
the Swinomish and Samish Indian
communities
Use PSD to measure
ambient PAH
exposure
Multi-media
Environmental
Health Activity
Engage Tribal Youth Use air samplers
indoors
Measure air quality in
CTUIR homes using
wood burning stoves
21. • Community-based participatory research
• Scientific and cultural capacity building between
CTUIR and OSU researchers
– Emphasis on trust between CTUIR and University
• Developed data sharing agreements for Tribal-
University partnerships that protect Tribal rights
• Develop culturally appropriate risk reduction
strategies with CTUIR
• Disseminated knowledge through journals,
newsletters and community meetings to provide Tribal
Perspectives on research practices 21
Summary: Building a robust,
sustainable partnership
22. 22
Acknowledgements
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
• Michelle Burke
• Jack Butler
• CTUIR participants in salmon smoking study and focus group sessions
• Tribal Advisory committee members
OSU Superfund Researchers, Staff
• Andres Cardenas (Community Engagement Core)
• Norman Forsberg, PhD (Anderson Lab)
• Yuling Jia (Simonich Lab)
• Oleksii Motorykin (Simonich Lab)
• Jill Schrlau (Simonich Lab)
• Dave Stone, PhD (Research & Translation Core)
• Dan Sudakin, MD (Director, Research & Translation Core)
• Lane Tidwell (Anderson Lab)
• Sandra Uesugi, MS (Former Program Coordinator, Community Engagement
Core)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratories
• Katrina Waters, PhD
Editor's Notes
The SRP focus is on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are products of combustion (car exhaust, wildfires, smoking/grilling food). The Community Engagement Core is one of 6 cores, which all bring expertise. The CEC can connect the expertise of these cores to community partners, such as CTUIR
One of the limitations we have had to overcome is our distance, which does make it difficult to sit down at a table and talk face to face. However, one reason our partnership has thrived and been sustainable is because the CTUIR has scientific capacity and resources, which is unique amongst Tribal nations. Because of this, both entities are bringing scientific expertise to the table.
Brief overview of the partnership, which is going on over 10 years. Of note – this is not a research-only partnership. There have been events throughout the year to focus on building scientific and cultural capacity. Also note the collaborative publications.
On paper, the partnership began with a collaborative EPA Star grant. In reality, it began with a conversation, and shared research interests and expertise. The MOU transitioned into a Material and Data Sharing Agreement designed to protect Tribal rights.As the partnership evolved, specific CTUIR concerns were identified, and expertise from both entities combined to address these concerns.
Stress that expertise and experience (scientific, cultural) was equally contributed. This is a partnership that is designed to combine skill sets, and to share the experiences of both partners. This model has resulted in several publications co-authored, as well understanding of University research strategies and Tribal culture/tradition.
Three activities were addressed in the first SRP grant cycle.
As the partnership progressed, a great deal of thought was given to how this could be a sustainable partnership.
To help sustainability, activities to address cultural capacity were conducted.
The first research project to address specific CTUIR environmental concerns. Used the principles of community-based participatory researchBrief description of the design – 2 air monitors, use filters to trap particulate matter, Tribal members and Air Quality technician collect filters, etc.
Second large research effort – PAH concentrations in smoking structures, in urine of Tribal members performing the smoking, and in the smoked salmon
Visualization of the experiment itself.Focus first on the comparison of the PAH levels in non-smoked vs commercial The increase in PAH levels in smoked salmon set the stage for upcoming studies, to determine the meaning behind these numbers, and to try to influence risk reduction strategies.
Briefly mentioned the difference in PAH concentration, most likely due to air flow differences between the smoking shed and the tipi.
Running alongside the research efforts, collaborative publications were done to continue informing researchers and risk reduction strategies about the unique situations of Tribal communities regarding consumption and use of traditional foods, etc.
Published the Material and Data Sharing agreement so that it could be used as a template for other Tribal-university partnerships. This template has been used by the CEC to form partnerships with other Tribal nations.
The point of these focus groups was to discover how environmental health is viewed by the CTUIR, from an individual and community perspective.
The size of the text indicates the importance of the topic. Main topics were air and water quality, polluted natural foods, and radiation from the nearby Hanford plant.
Diagram of proposed research. This research will help inform risk reduction strategies regarding consumption of traditionally smoked fish/meats.
Up-coming projects
Stress CBPR – future studies will make heavy use of this model
Questions:“I read about the wristbands – what exactly do they pick up?” Answer: They can pick up volatile and semi-volatile compounds. I think of it as chemicals that are dissolved in the air – they are freely available, so they are absorbed by the wristband. Other chemicals that can be identified – flame retardants, herbicides, and personal care products.”“What was in your wristband?” Answer: The whole study was done confidentially, so I don’t know! I do know flea medicine (for dogs and cats) was identified, as well as a lot of caffeine, which was absorbed from sweat. “Can this research be used in a retrospective manner? For example, can you use these results to look at diseases, etc. that have affected the past few generations to look for a cause? It doesn’t sound like you are doing this, but maybe you could mention it to your team?” (This was a personal question asked later during a break)Overall reception was very positive.