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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Injury Prevention Program

2019-2020

EPI Fellowship Program Summary [PDF - 1.16 MB]

Thirteen fellows completed the program from June 2019 to September 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Fellow project completion, the 12-month Fellowship was extended to 15 months.

Fellows attended four in-person learning sessions:

  • Assessment and Planning (June 2019; Atlanta, GA)
  • IVP Networking and Study Design (July 2019; Denver, CO)
  • Field Work (October 2018; IHS Navajo Area NM/AZ)
  • Continuing Education (January 2020; Johns Hopkins University Winter Institute)

And four distance-based learning sessions:

  • Applied Epidemiology and Data Collection (Sept and Dec 2019)
  • Scientific Writing and Presentations (Dec 2019 and Feb 2020)
  • Funding and Proposal Development (April 2020)
  • Social Marketing and Advocacy (August 2020)

The program ended with a virtual Symposium from September 28-30, 2020. Recorded project presentations were aired, followed by live A&Q.

  • 9/28/20: Motor Vehicle Safety(2 hours)
  • 9/29/20: Falls and Opioid Prevention (75 minutes)
  • 9/30/20: Injury Data (60 minutes)

Fellow Projects by Category

The 13 Fellows were required to submit project reports. Below is a list of report titles by category, in the order in which projects were presented at the Symposium. Only reports with permission to share are posted on this site.

Motor Vehicle Safety

  1. George Chung, MPH, REHS Evidence-based assessment of the Hopi Tribe’s MVC data collection and reporting system
  2. Tabatha Harris, MA, Assessing access and use of tribal motor vehicle crash data in Indian Country [PDF - 810 KB]
  3. Jordan Vandjelovic, MPH, Absence of tribal traffic laws as a risk factor for crash injury severity: A retrospective study [PDF - 313 KB]
  4. Melinda Hansen, MS, Evaluation of a Curbside Car Seat Check in a Tribal Community
  5. Wilpita Honie, MPH, A Descriptive Study of 2018 Navajo Nation Child Passenger Safety Data
  6. Antoinette Toya, REHS, How safe are the school bus stops in the Pueblo of Jemez?

Fall and Opioid Overdose Prevention

  1. Zachary Hargis, MS, REHS, Older adult falls in a Southwest American Indian community: The problem and potential intervention [PDF - 677 KB]
  2. Veronica Leaf-Bellile, A Process Evaluation of Tai Chi Classes and Elder Fall Prevention Services on a South Dakota Reservation
  3. Monte Yazzie, MA, Yoga for elder fall prevention: Pilot study of a 10-week program for older adults in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community [PDF - 1.31 MB]
  4. James Isaacs, MS, REHS, Use of the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) to study opioid overdoses in Oklahoma and the Pawnee Service Unit [PDF - 383 KB]

Injury Data

  1. Kayla Davis Phoenix Area Indian Health Service Injury Atlas
  2. Clifton Ellis Descriptive study of injuries within the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal territory of Oklahoma [PDF - 423 KB]
  3. Carolyn Garcia, MSPH, REHS California Area Indian Health Service Atlas of Injuries 2006-2017