RESEARCH AND PLANNING

In partnership with Montana State University and other Institutions of Higher Education, PLHI leadership developed the Indigenous Research Initiative (IRI) that seeks to empower Tribal Institutional Review Boards to better control research agendas and define the ethical framework by which research is conducted on Native lands.

PLHI’s research framework is carried out by localized planning that drives, with a Native voice and will, multiagency, multidisciplinary coordination of large research projects that fulfill Tribal priorities and lead to greater economic independence and ability to conduct research locally. A central feature of this framework is PLHI’s commitment to young Native scholars as they explore meaningful career paths in health, food and agriculture, and related topics.

PLHI sponsors and mentors young researchers as interns within PLHI programming. To date, PLHI hosts on average, 10-16 interns annually, all who have gone on to complete high school, obtain professional positions, and/or enroll in graduate school. In 2021, PLHI and MSU hosted inspiring science camps for 200+ Piikani k-12 students which featured young Piikani leaders with degrees in STEM, sharing their challenges and triumphs along their career paths.