CHER projects

INSPiRE: involving Native stakeholders in pain research efforts

INSPiRE is a community-driven project funded by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). Emery Eaves, PhD, Cora Philips, MSW, and Julie Baldwin, PhD, lead the project. INSPiRE focuses on engaging patients, providers, and other stakeholders in northern Arizona in research to address opioid addiction and chronic pain in underserved rural, southwest Native American communities. The INSPiRE project is guided by a community steering committee composed of key Native American stakeholders spanning the state of Arizona and even including members from southern California and New Mexico.

Together, the committee shapes the direction of the INSPiRE project’s community outreach attempts and ensures a culturally informed approach. Outreach efforts include raising awareness about opioids, the opioid epidemic, and creating an environment of collaborative planning where community members can voice perspectives on their community’s needs regarding pain and opioid research and treatment. INSPiRE will also include a mini-conference symposium at the conclusion of the project, gathering key stakeholders and professionals with expertise in pain management and opioid use/misuse to work toward developing a collaborative research agenda.

INSPiRE is building a foundation of collaboration and involving Tribal communities in every step of the research design process. We strive for health equity in Native American communities.

INSPiRE builds on existing partnerships to engage local, regional, and national stakeholders in taking culturally informed and evidence-based steps toward addressing the need for chronic pain management and opioid overuse in Arizona’s Tribal Communities.

Contact information:

Emery Eaves
Phone: 928-523-6281
Email: Emery.Eaves@nau.edu

Cora Maxx Phillips
Phone: 928-660-3532
Email: Cora.Phillips@nau.edu