Successful research with AI/AN populations will only be achieved when the research participants see themselves as partners who share both the research responsibility as well as the knowledge and benefits of the outcome. This approach, ‘community-based participatory research’ (CBPR) is an applied collaborative approach that enables community residents to more actively participate in the full spectrum of research with a goal of influencing change in community health, systems, programs or policies.66,67 Academic/research and community partners join to develop models and approaches to building communication, trust and capacity, with the final goal of increasing community participation in the research process. For example, tribes may have their choice of local community partners and be able to include tribal specific questionnaires in the research. ‘Partnership, ‘Education and Empowerment’ are key terms for the outcome expected for any community involved in community-based research. Thus the focus of research goals has shifted away from scientific discovery first and foremost to that which can be learnt about the individual community to improve health and quality of life. To this end, an increasing number of tribes now
