Native Center for Behavioral Health

PI & Director: Dr. Anne Helene Skinstad

The Native Center for Behavioral Health is a research center at the University of Iowa College of Public Health committed to developing programs to support the behavioral health workforce in Native American and Alaska Native communities across the country. Our current projects include three technology transfer programs funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the areas of addiction (ATTC), mental health (MHTTC), and prevention (PTTC), as well as tribal opioid response technical assistance (TOR TA), mental health technical assistance for K-12 schools (MHTTC-Supplement), and a Tribal College and University Initiative. We also host a Leadership Academy for Native American and Alaska Native behavioral health professionals.

The University of Iowa Prevention Research Center

PI & Director: Dr. Rema Afifi
Co-PI & Deputy Director: Dr. Natoshia Askelson

The University of Iowa Prevention Research Center was first funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2002.   To achieve its mission of improving the health of rural communities in Iowa, the PRC continues to innovate in the core Center areas of infrastructure development, engagement of communities and the public health workforce, generation of evidence-based research, training of communities and the public health workforce and evaluation of Center activities.  The PRC is continuing its overall focus of obesity reduction through physical activity and nutrition interventions.  An additional focus of the PRC is health disparities as experienced in the rural Midwest by Latino, low-income and rural populations, among others.