Center for Native American Health

We acknowledge the land on which we sit and occupy today as the traditional home of the Spokane tribal nation. We take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land.

The Center supports students who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native or as First Nations Indigenous, plus peers, faculty and staff colleagues, tribal partners, and community stakeholders whom are all invited to visit and partake in enriched cultural and educational events.

The Center offers:

  • 3 smart rooms with 55” monitors, computer/Wi-Fi access, OWL technology for Zoom and recording capacity
  • 6 station PC lab with free faxing, scanning, and printing
  • Clinical skills patient exam room with telehealth/education capacity
  • Mentorship from faculty and peers
  • Advisement by Center staff
  • Research and scholarly project opportunities
  • Scholarships & emergency funds
  • Experiential learning opportunities
  • Shadowing opportunities
  • Healing elements indoors (herbs, water and cultural elements)
  • Kitchen with island, theatre-sized popcorn maker, coffee and drink station, fridge, sink, microwave, and other appliances
  • Indoor gathering space with large TV monitor for meetings
  • Additional seating and studying areas
  • Cultural events, both traditional and educational
  • Lockers for student storage, restrooms, filtered drinking station
  • 5’ digital screen providing event updates, news, etc as it pertains to NAHS and the Center
  • Front desk student service support personnel
A mural with photos and quotes in the Native American Center.

Student Center

This center will be the second home for the Native American Health Sciences students
on our campus to help them academically succeed. We will be inclusive to all Indigenous peoples and their community peers in this shared space. We are planning on an increase of serving over 100+ students in our center, that will only increase over time with events, etc.

Simulation Space

The clinical wing is the first Indigenous developed and instructed clinical simulation patient exam space in any higher education health campus in the U.S. Additionally, an Interprofessional Indigenous Healing Perspectives Certification, will be housed within the NAHS Center and be taught from this space to enhance the knowledge, awareness, skills, and cultural safety practices of current and future healthcare workforce. We are not developing curriculum to educate and create traditional
healers, rather, we are creating an Indigenous pathway of learning.

Tribal Community Room

We serve over 50 tribes in the PNW, and across the nation. We project this space will have a large impact on tribal nations who
seek partnership, affiliate work, trainings, workshops, seminars, cultural events. We are planning on over 30 different tribal nations’
representatives, to partake in this space in the near future.

Our Sponsors

Since receiving the Empire Health Foundation’s grant awards in January 2020, WSU saw its largest increase in NA prehealth students, namely on the Pullman campus, and WSU Health Sciences’ individual colleges saw their largest increase in NA health student matriculation to date. This is due in large part to the hard work and policies of the individual Colleges, the recruitment and pathway efforts of Native American Health Sciences program and Native Programs, and support of our tribal community partners. The Center was made possible with contributions from Empire Health Foundation, Eastern Washington University and WSU Heath Sciences Spokane.