Good morning and happy middle of the meeting USET Staff!

This Alert is being shared with you as an FYI as part of our effort to keep all staff informed. If your position requires you to participate and/or engage, you should already be aware. If you have any questions about your personal engagement in this issue, please reach out to your supervisor.

June 14, 2023

Dear USET/USET SPF Family,

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us Research Program aims to accelerate medical research and medical advancements for all. NIH states that All of Us recognizes that American Indians and Alaskan Natives (AIAN) are underrepresented in medical research, and are often not included in sufficient numbers to arrive at conclusive results about our populations. USET SPF has advocated in the past for stronger data protections in NIH programs and activities, including in the All of Us program. We maintain that as a research entity and a federal agency that must uphold the government's trust and treaty obligations to Tribal Nations, NIH must be held to stronger data sharing requirements to protect subject data, and must institute protocols for integrating Tribal consent, oversight and Tribal ownership of data. USET SPF will continue to advocate for greater Tribal data protections and sovereignty at NIH and within all HHS programs. 

The Tribal Engagement team at All of Us will be hosting information sessions for AI/AN Tribal leaders, Indigenous-led organizations, Indigenous researchers, and community members across Tribal land and urban Indigenous communities. Each session has a different topic. The remaining sessions will be held on the following dates and times: 

• Session on "Describing Self-Identified AIAN Participants in All of Us Data" will be held on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm ET. Register here. 
• Session on "Data and Partnerships in All of Us" will be held on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm ET. Register here. 

These informational sessions will inform the Tribal consultation that will be held on September 28, 2023. More information can be found on the All of Us Tribal engagement page. 

For more information, please contact Ashton Martin, USET SPF Health Policy Analyst, at amartin@usetinc.org. 

Established in 2014, the USET Sovereignty Protection Fund (USET SPF) is a non-profit, inter-Tribal organization advocating on behalf of thirty-three (33) federally recognized Tribal Nations from the Northeastern Woodlands to the Everglades and across the Gulf of Mexico. USET SPF is dedicated to promoting, protecting, and advancing the inherent sovereign rights and authorities of Tribal Nations and in assisting its membership in dealing effectively with public policy issues.