Bethany-Rose (BR) Daubman

Discipline: Physician

Funding awarded to: Massachusetts General Hospital

Developing a Palliative Care Educational Program for Community Health Workers on American Indian Tribal Lands in South Dakota

My goal is to develop, study, and disseminate a palliative care educational program for community health workers (CHWs) on Lakota American Indian tribal lands in South Dakota that is congruent with Lakota tribal values and priorities. We will first explore tribal understanding of and receptivity to palliative care, determine how CHWs are currently being utilized on the reservations, and form relationships with tribal elders and traditional healers. I will build upon my regional and global educational work to develop a culturally congruent palliative care CHW curriculum. The curriculum will be evaluated through CHW satisfaction and knowledge self-assessment measures. We will then engage in a palliative care CHW feasibility/acceptability pilot with seriously ill Lakota patients on tribal lands. All phases of the program will be developed in conjunction with a community advisory board of enrolled tribal members and with the support of the Northern Plains American Indian Palliative Care Collaborative. I will also engage with external palliative care programs on other American Indian tribal lands to ensure the development of a culturally-congruent and adaptable palliative care CHW curriculum relevant for the 300+ American Indian reservations around the US, extending the reach of palliative care to this dramatically underserved population.

“My experiences over the last six years have clarified my commitment to becoming a leader in palliative care education for underserved populations, particularly for American Indian tribal communities. They have also highlighted the challenges I must overcome to achieve that goal. Becoming a leader in this arena requires having the time and ability to create new partnerships to advance research and evaluation, pursue scholarship and academic productivity, and engage mentors from multiple disciplines. The Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program would provide the ideal mechanism to overcome these challenges at an ideal time in my career. With the program’s support, I will advance an innovative approach to addressing palliative care needs among one of the most vulnerable populations in our country. Through my work with American Indian communities, I will emerge as a leader in palliative care curriculum design that gives a voice to the perspectives of underserved populations and fosters an attitude of cultural humility and co-design.”