Community-Engaged Research From a Diné-Centered Perspective: Advancing Mentorship and Transforming Praxis

Supported by the University of New Mexico (UNM) Transdisciplinary Research, Equity and Engagement (TREE) Center, and grounded in a need to advance health equity with tribal communities, a Navajo (Diné) early stage researcher mentored by an experienced Diné mid-career researcher conducted a pilot study with a Diné community advisory research team (CART) and utilized a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach while using a Diné-centered perspective. The study involved a mixed-method approach using both surveys and focus groups. The findings from the quantitative survey built on previously reported qualitative findings and further emphasizes the importance of community partnerships in increasing group capacity for health research by developing collective agency, power, partnerships, and affirming community cultural values to achieve transformative praxis while addressing health disparities. For early stage researchers, true community-engaged research partnerships can be obtained with mentorship to improve health in Indigenous settings that have been grounded in local Indigenous research methodologies to positively transform the health landscape in Indigenous communities.