To celebrate the breadth of Tribal public health accomplishments across its service area, the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., Tribal Epidemiology Center (ITCA) developed the Tribal Epidemiology Center Success Stories magazine, a collection of projects that highlight the people, partnerships, and public health initiatives strengthening Tribal communities across Arizona, Nevada, and Utah.
The publication serves as both a record of impact and a resource for Tribal leaders, partners, and public health professionals interested in learning more about these initiatives.
Read the full magazine to explore each success story in greater detail here.
A new publication from the Alaska TEC, the Alaska Native Epidemiology Center, authored by Diana Redwood, LaRita Laktonen-Ward, and Elena Roik highlights opportunities to strengthen research and prevention among Alaska Native peoples.
Read the abstract here: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(26)00089-0/abstract
Congratulations to Keri Miller, MHA, ODS at the Alaska EpiCenter as she begins her term as President of the National Cancer Registrars Association. In this national leadership role, Keri represents more than 7,000 cancer registry professionals nationwide.
On Tuesday, July 14, 2026, UIHI Director Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee) testified before Congress on the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous peoples—telling lawmakers that the shocking numbers they’re hearing aren’t shocking to Indian Country. They’re lived experience.
Echo-Hawk was joined by tribal and Indigenous leaders to lay out what’s actually needed: better data collection, accountability across jurisdictions, and sustained investment—not just attention when a case makes headlines.
Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), a longtime advocate on Native issues, put it plainly: “We need more than talk—we need actions… I want to stop it from happening somehow.”
The Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center (GPTEC) Evaluation Unit partnered with Seven Directions to host a three-day Evaluation 101 training that introduced participants to contemporary and traditional evaluation concepts to build the Tribal public health program evaluation capacity and empower Tribal data sovereignty and self-determination.
Designed for individuals with little to no experience in program evaluation, GPTEC’s training focused on key foundational evaluation concepts, including common evaluation designs, approaches, and types, the CDC Evaluation Framework, and developing an evaluation plan.
The Seven Directions training focused on applying the Indigenous Evaluation Framework, a Tribally developed framework that highlights proven traditional approaches and emphasizes community stakeholder engagement.
Fourteen participants representing nine (50%) of the Great Plains Area (GPA) Tribes attended, including department directors, program managers, and staff. Key outcomes include:
Increased confidence in planning and implementing program evaluations. Prior to the training, participants were asked about their evaluation experience, with only three (3) indicating that they had previously planned or participated in an evaluation. By the end of the training, 100% of participants recognized evaluation as already part of their daily activities, which helped them identify and reconcile previously held assumptions and doubts concerning evaluation and their ability to plan and implement evaluation activities within their own programs.
Increased ability to plan and implement program evaluations. By the end of the training, 100% of participants agreed that the knowledge, tools, and resources provided during the training would help them to respond to evaluation requirements within funding proposals, plan and implement evaluations that are meaningful to their communities, and utilize evaluation findings to improve program efficiency and effectiveness.
Increased collaboration and partnerships. As participants shared their experiences and roles, the group recognized one another as valuable resources. By the end of the training, participants wished to formalize their collaborations into a group with regularly scheduled meetings, thus establishing a Great Plains Tribal Evaluation Community of Practice. GPTEC evaluation staff will facilitate group logistics and discussions, while Tribal staff set group goals, agendas, and activities. The first meeting is planned for July 2026.
