# A NW Tribal EpiCenter Collaboration to Improve the Use of Motor Vehicle Injury Data

> **NIH NIH R01** · NORTHWEST PORTLAND AREA INDIAN HLTH BD · 2021 · $428,506

## Abstract

Abstract
American Indians and Alaska Natives(AI/AN) are disproportionately affected by motor vehicle
injuries and fatalities. As sovereign nations, tribes are often responsible for policies, practices,
and infrastructure improvements to address these problems. The Northwest Tribal Epidemiology
Center (The EpiCenter) is tasked with responding to the data needs of the 43 NW Tribes,
including motor vehicle injury related information. While The EpiCenter does provide state-
specific AI/AN fatality data and hospital discharge injury data, tribes have repeatedly requested
local injury data, as well as crash data to inform decision-making. We initiate this proposal in
response to these requests and needs of the tribes.
We plan to use race-corrected data sources we have in-house at the EpiCenter – death
certificates, hospital discharge data and trauma registries – to evaluate the magnitude of the MV
injury disparity and to report and map injury data to as local of level as possible. We will also
utilize other data sources that are not race corrected, including Fatality Analysis Reporting
System, and syndromic surveillance data (near real-time clinical data from Emergency
Departments, urgent care facilities and other medical clinics) to illuminate injury severity and
understand crash-related factors. We will undertake quality improvement of these data as
necessary. We will complement these quantitative data with qualitative data to help us
understand the context of the problem, identify where tribes need increased capacity, and to
paint a more complete picture of AI/AN motor vehicle injuries and deaths.
Because motor vehicle injuries fall under the scope of work of several different departments –
planning, law enforcement, transportation, policy and health – information and the use of data
can be disjointed. This proposal will bring together experts from these fields to respond to the
data, identify and assist in quality improvement efforts, and ensure that analyses and reports
are useful to decision-makers in various capacities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10166615
- **Project number:** 5R01MD013353-04
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWEST PORTLAND AREA INDIAN HLTH BD
- **Principal Investigator:** JODI A LAPIDUS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $428,506
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-06 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10166615

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10166615, A NW Tribal EpiCenter Collaboration to Improve the Use of Motor Vehicle Injury Data (5R01MD013353-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10166615. Licensed CC0.

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