ARCH-Saint Regis Mohawk Scholars Programs
The ARCH is a four-year grant awarded by Indian Health Service (IHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The newly established ARCH kicks off its first project – The Saint Regis Mohawk Research Scholars Program. This program includes three major components: Mohawk Youth Health Ambassador (MYHA) Afterschool Program; High School Summer Research Internships; and College Summer Research Internships.
Mohawk Youth Health Ambassador Afterschool Program
The MYHA Afterschool Program invites Mohawk students at the junior level in high school to participate in a 60-minute afterschool session to join conversations about community health, science, and research through a combination of Indigenous Knowledge and western science. Students meet on a weekly basis with the ARCH Project Coordinator and virtual speakers like Roswell Park researchers, SRMT department leaders, and other Haudenosaunee leaders in health and wellness to learn about health equity, health disparities, and health-related areas of study and careers. The goal is to engage and support young Mohawk health ambassadors of today and for future generations.
- Program Dates: January 2023 – June 2023; Wednesdays from 3:00 to 4:00pm EST at Ronthahiiohstha:ke A/CDP Clubhouse
- Registration Dates: November – December 31, 2022
- *Notes: Program dates are subject to change or cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Eligibility: You must be enrolled in your junior/senior year of high school at the time of submitting registration. · Participating High Schools: Salmon River and Massena High Schools
MYHA Schedule/Topics/Activities:
- SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
- WAYS OF KNOWING: Understand the distinctions between Indigenous and Western views and practices on health, how researchers study the risks, influences, prevention, and disparities in incidence or outcomes for various diseases, and how such research translates to community benefit and wellness.
- RESEARCH ETHICS: Understand tribal sovereignty, data sovereignty, and how clinical studies are designed to ethically protect human subjects.
- HEALTH CONCERNS: Learn the causes, risk factors, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer and other health concerns, how they disproportionately impact Indigenous communities, and how SRMT is working to reduce these concerns.
- COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Be a Community Health Ambassador by using what you have learned in a project promoting health equity for Saint Regis Mohawks.
Mohawk Youth Health Ambassadors Afterschool Program Registration: Take 20-minutes to review and submit your program registration by clicking the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/r8SMWmX4Mu
High School Summer Research Internships
Students who participate in the MYHA Afterschool Program are eligible to apply to and participate in a 3-week paid summer internship program in Buffalo, NY with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Students will be housed at the Canisius College campus with three adult supervisors from SRMT. They will be matched with diverse research projects at Roswell Park and will engage in community outreach and out of the classroom learning with staff from the Center for Indigenous Cancer Research. Participants will receive $600/week in subsistence allowance.
- Program Dates: July 10 – July 21, 2023 (2 week prep course in Akwesasne); July 24 – August 11, 2023 (3 weeks in Buffalo, NY)
- *Note: Program dates are subject to change or cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Application Dates: Coming Soon!
- Eligibility: You must be enrolled in your junior/senior year of high school at the time of submitting registration.
- All participants in Roswell Park’s degree-granting educational programs will be required to show proof that they are fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the World Health Organization (WHO).
College Summer Research Internships
Mohawk college students are eligible to apply to and participate in a 10-week paid summer internship program in Buffalo, NY with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. College students will also be housed at the Canisius College campus. They will be paired with a high school Mohawk student to support mentorship connections, and they will be matched with a research area of interest at Roswell Park. College students will also engage in community outreach and out of the classroom learning with staff from the Center for Indigenous Cancer Research. Participants will receive $600/week in subsistence allowance.
- Program Dates: June 5 - August 11, 2023 (10 weeks)
- *Note: Program dates are subject to change or cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Application Dates: November 1, 2021 – January 31, 2022
- Eligibility: You must be enrolled in your junior year of college at the time of application (graduating class of 2024) OR enrolled in your sophomore year AND participating in a SUNY C-STEP, LSAMP or McNair Program.
- All participants in Roswell Park’s degree-granting educational programs will be required to show proof that they are fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the World Health Organization (WHO).
