This editorial provides background information on the Tribal Epidemiology Centers (TECs) program. The program was authorized by Congress in 1992 to provide public health support to multiple Tribes and Urban Indian communities in each of the Indian Health Service (IHS) administrative areas.
Lisa C. Neel, MPH and Jeffrey T. McCollum, DVM, MPH
March 9, 2023
Tribal epidemiology centers (TECs) are an essential and unique part of the public health system and an important part of federal efforts to improve the health status of American Indian and Alaska Native people. Pursuant to federal statute, TECs serve the 574 federally recognized tribes (hereinafter, “tribes”) and their members across the United States, as well as American Indian and Alaska Native people in general.
Meghan Curry O’Connell, MD, MPH & Charles Abourezk, JD
February 3, 2023
Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality are twice as high among Alaska Native people as among non-Hispanic White people in the United States; as such, colonoscopy is a recommended screening test for Alaska Native people.
Diana G. Redwood, PhD, MPH, Jennifer J. Prewitt, BS, and Stephen S. Gerrish, MD
January 23, 2023
Improving cancer screening rates among Native Americans, increasing education about tribe-specific cancer trends and addressing disproportionately high exposure to carcinogenic environmental contaminants are just a few goals of the newly funded Center for Native American Cancer Health Equity (C-NACHE).
Lisa Dahm, Center for Health Equity Research
December 21, 2022
Over the last five years, syphilis transmission has increased explosively all over the US. The spread of this infection, which starts as a rash but can progress to severe disease in adults, is particularly alarming because syphilis infections during pregnancy can lead to death or disability in newborns.
Keren Landman
November 18, 2022