Navajo NARCH is a collaboration between Diné College and NAU providing pathways for Native scholars to expand health equity in rural communities. The NARCH team has developed strong avenues for Diné students, practitioners, and researchers to enhance the Navajo Nation’s professional health research capacity.

Guiding Diné youth toward public health professions
Indigenous Summer Enhancement Program

Application now open!
About
The Indigenous Summer Enhancement Program (ISEP) is a unique 8-day residential program for Native American high school students that provides hands-on experiences in public health and research through a Navajo (Diné) perspective. ISEP was developed under the Navajo Native American Research Center for Health (NARCH) grant, a partnership between Diné College and Northern Arizona University.
Program Dates
June 6th – 13th, 2025 at Diné College, Tsaile – Main Campus
Application Deadline: March 21st, 2025
Eligibility
- Rising Sophomore (10th grade in Fall 2025)
- Rising Junior (11th grade in Fall 2025)
- Rising Senior (12th grade in Fall 2025)
Benefits
- Stipend
- Room & Board at Tsaile – Main Campus
- Mentorship from Navajo Public Health Professionals
Partnership goals

Collaborate with native youth
Expand NARCH collaborations with high schools and related youth organizations to inform and expose students to the roles and career paths of health-related professions.

Mentor early stage investigators
Mentor recent Navajo post-doctoral fellows or Early Stage Investigators (ESIs) to build skills for successful, externally funded research careers focused on health equity for the Navajo Nation.
Programs for every stage

Internships
Each semester, about 10 high school students from schools across the Navajo Nation participate in a Public Health internship program with local health agencies. Check with your local agencies to find out more.
News
- Reducing health inequities among Indigenous populations
- Developing future Diné public health professionals
- How NAU is helping reduce health inequities among Indigenous populations
- Developing future Diné public health leaders starts with early, culturally significant exposure (NAU Review)
- Master of Public Health, Indigenous Health Track: An innovation in training future health equity leaders
- CHER partnerships build capacity to address American Indian health
- Diné College public health students provide vaccine education to Navajo Nation residents through study
- Healthy Navajo K’é podcast brings maternal and child health talks to the Navajo Nation
- Resilient teamwork: partners adapt summer program during COVID
- Diné College partners with CHER and others to produce the first Navajo Nation Maternal and Child Health Assessment in Arizona history
- Summer public health enhancement programs for Diné College students, NAU’s project partner, move online during pandemic
- CHER partners with Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH)
- Indigenous Summer Enhancement Program is Accepting Applications for Summer 2019