Improving wellness for Native American adults using Indigenous knowledge
Official title: Partnering to Achieve Wellness for Native Americans through Indigenous Knowledge (PAWNIK)
Funded at Rand Corporation · NIH-11369460 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Providing training and technical support to Tribal and Native-serving organizations so they can lead research on pain, addiction, and wellbeing for Native American adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rand Corporation NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Santa Monica, United States) |
| Project start | September 9, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,121,737 |
| NIH project number | 3OT2DA061064-01S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369460 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are American Indian and Alaska Native adults and Tribal or Native-serving organizations interested in partnering on or hosting research about pain, addiction, and community wellbeing.
✕Less likely to help
People under 21, individuals not connected to Tribal or Native-serving organizations, or those seeking immediate clinical treatment are unlikely to directly benefit from this capacity-building project.
What this research studies
This project helps Tribes and Native American–serving organizations build the skills and systems to carry out NIH-funded research on HEAL topics like addiction and acute pain. The team will offer direct consultation, remote and in-person training, and tools for designing surveys, collecting data, and sharing results. Work combines Indigenous Knowledge with Western research methods and draws on prior experience recruiting and partnering with Native communities. The goal is to make sure research questions, methods, and findings reflect each community’s needs and values.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could enable Tribes to run culturally relevant studies that lead to better prevention, care, and supports for pain and addiction in Native communities.
How similar studies have gone: Teams that used community-led, culturally tailored approaches have successfully recruited Native participants and produced useful results in prior projects, though this work focuses on building research capacity rather than testing a specific medical treatment.
Where this research is happening
-
Rand Corporation
Santa Monica, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: D'amico, Elizabeth J. — Rand Corporation
- Study coordinator: D'amico, Elizabeth J.
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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.