An Evaluation of the Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health Summer Health Academy

Indigenous ways of knowing center on balance and holism, with an emphasis of learning through ancestral and intergenerational knowledge, which continue to be revitalized as a demonstration of the ongoing resilience of Indigenous Peoples. The Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Health (NHIH) Summer Health Academy (SHA) program was developed and implemented with an objective of increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, fostering relationships at multiple levels, addressing gaps in education and academia, preparing students to work with and for Native and Indigenous communities, and changing the narrative of health and healing to better align with Native Hawaiian and Indigenous worldviews of health. Program activities included individualized mentoring, critical self-reflections through activities such as Indigenous photovoice, experiential opportunities to learn about social determinants of health, and community-engaged research projects. Overarching themes from the critical self-reflections included holistic and relational health, the importance of 'ohana (family), intergenerational relationships, and thriving 'Āina (land) as thriving health. Results of the pre and post-test surveys demonstrated the promise and success of the NHIH SHA course, with a statistically significant change in knowledge related to cultural humility, community-based research, Indigenous methodologies, and Indigenous frameworks of health. This program demonstrates the importance of creating a pathway of success for Native Hawaiian and Indigenous students to address gaps and disparities in higher education for Native Hawaiian and Indigenous communities at large, while increasing the pursuit of health-related fields by Native Hawaiian and other Indigenous students.