Community outreach to prevent harmful shellfish toxin exposure
Knowledge Warding Against Toxin Levels, Community Engagement Core
This program works with Alaska Native and coastal Gulf of Alaska communities to share culturally relevant information that helps people avoid shellfish toxin harms.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sitka Tribe of Alaska NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Sitka, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11387538 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We partner with the Kodiak Area Native Association and the Sitka Tribe to form a Community Voices Panel and create culturally appropriate materials such as fact sheets and infographics. The core will produce uniform K-12 classroom lessons for schools across the Gulf of Alaska and deliver outreach in smaller and remote communities about harmful algal blooms and paralytic shellfish toxins. We will offer hands-on training and online modules to build college-level experiential learning and local marine science career pathways. Local feedback will shape the materials so communities can harvest more safely and reduce toxin exposures.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are residents of Sitka and other Gulf of Alaska tribal and coastal communities, including K-12 students, subsistence shellfish harvesters, and college students seeking marine science experience.
Not a fit: People who live well outside the Gulf of Alaska or who do not harvest or consume local shellfish are unlikely to get direct benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could lower the risk of shellfish toxin poisonings by improving local knowledge and safer harvesting practices.
How similar studies have performed: Community-based education and outreach have reduced toxin exposures in some regions, but tailoring programs specifically for Alaska Native communities and remote villages is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
Sitka, United States
- Sitka Tribe of Alaska — Sitka, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ellwanger, Grace — Sitka Tribe of Alaska
- Study coordinator: Ellwanger, Grace
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.