Responsibility to All Relations: Indigenous Evaluation of an AI/AN Public Health Workforce Development Program

Aligning with the Western Door – Do Good Work, this article presents an evaluation of Urban Indian Health Institute’s Public Health Training Program (PHTP) by applying their Indigenous Evaluation Framework. The framework was created by and for urban Indigenous communities to conduct evaluation in a culturally rigorous way by reclaiming data for the well-being of the community, staying grounded in cultural knowledge systems, and utilizing Western science when needed. This article focuses on how the framework was applied to evaluate the PHTP’s effectiveness in strengthening the urban American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) public health workforce. Findings contribute to the evidence base for culturally attuned approaches for improving the AI/AN workforce development in public health. The article makes the following recommendations for AI/AN workforce development programs: co-create training spaces with AI/AN communities, intentionally recruit and support AI/AN mentors, and use flexible workforce development frameworks that honour diverse pathways and definitions of success.