Date of Award

August 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Indigenous Health

First Advisor

Shawnda Schroeder

Abstract

This portfolio dissertation presents three independent deliverables: a grant application, a manuscript, and an Indigenous Health Curriculum Readiness Assessment Tool (IHCRAT). While all three products may stand alone, Indigenous health curriculum is the thread that connects them. The research grant application requests financial support for a translational mixed method convergent design study. The research aims to identify the capacity and barriers of clinic staff when placing students in rotations within the Indian Health Service/Tribal Clinic/Urban Clinic system of the Bemidji region in Minnesota. The second product, a manuscript, is an adapted community engagement assessment tool that was employed to assess community engagement levels in a dataset of Indigenous health curriculum literature identified in a scoping review. The third product, the Indigenous Health Curriculum Readiness Assessment Tool (IHCRAT), describes the development to be utilized by United States medical schools to gauge their readiness for implementing an Indigenous health curriculum.

Collectively, all three products prioritize relationships and community. They highlight the importance of valuing Indigenous epistemologies in academia, recognize the role of colonization in current health and educational disparities for Indigenous peoples, and demonstrate that support beyond the classroom are vital for a holistic implementation of Indigenous health curriculum and the education of medical students who are sufficiently trained to provide culturally relevant and respectful care to Indigenous communities.

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