# Researcher Career Enhancement Project

> **NIH NIH S06** · SOUTHCENTRAL FOUNDATION · 2024 · $319,735

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY - Researcher Career Enhancement Project 
The Southcentral Foundation (SCF) Research Department (RD) has conducted community-based participatory 
research (CBPR) addressing health priorities identified by the Alaska Native and American Indian (ANAI) 
community and leadership for the last 14 years. Moving forward, the SCF RD needs to continue fostering 
foundational research skills, such as basic statistical methods, in developing and new staff. Aligning with SCF's 
reputation as a leader in healthcare delivery, we also propose career enhancement activities that will build 
new, advanced research capacity among SCF senior researchers in dissemination and implementation (D&I) 
research, the study of how effective interventions and practices are implemented, adopted, and maintained. 
Within this Researcher Career Enhancement Project, the SCF RD will partner with established partners and 
subject matter experts at University of Washington (UW) to accomplish two specific aims: 1) Improve the 
acquisition of targeted foundational research skills through group-based didactic training paired 
with ongoing mentoring by academic partners and local peer mentors; and 2) Build organizational 
capacity to collaboratively design and conduct integrated, synergistic quality improvement, evaluation, 
and research efforts using dissemination and implementation research frameworks. 
Didactic learning groups in Specific Aim 1 will be selected using the Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory, 
modified for use in the SCF RD during a previous NARCH, and informed by mentor feedback. On-the-job 
application of foundational research skills within SCF research projects, as well as peer mentor support, will 
facilitate learning and ensure cultural and organizational fit. Specific Aim 2 will involve SCF senior researchers 
(i.e. principal investigators) and other SCF staff integral to evaluating SCF improvement efforts – improvement 
advisors (IAs) and program evaluators (PEs). UW D&I experts will provide didactic instruction and use case 
studies to facilitate pragmatic, applied discussion. Teams of senior researchers, IAs, and PEs will then develop 
and carry out integrated improvement, evaluation, and research projects focused on one to two implementation 
efforts in the SCF healthcare system. 
These efforts will enable the SCF RD to continue conducting tribal health research in a culturally, scientifically, 
and ethically sound manner. Furthermore, by fostering the skills to develop and conduct D&I research and 
generate evidence about the implementation of effective interventions in a tribal health system, this effort will 
advance the NARCH goal of increasing tribal control of research and improving ANAI health outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10923992
- **Project number:** 5S06GM142122-04
- **Recipient organization:** SOUTHCENTRAL FOUNDATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Julie Beans
- **Activity code:** S06 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $319,735
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-24 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10923992

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10923992, Researcher Career Enhancement Project (5S06GM142122-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10923992. Licensed CC0.

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