Listening to Launch: Collaboratively Designing a Fellowship for Early-Stage Investigators Pursuing Substance Use Research With Native Communities

There is a significant need for increased leadership in Native community-engaged research to address substance use–related problems and mortality, a top priority for Tribal Leaders. The Pilot Project Core within the Center for Innovative Research, Capacity Building and Leadership Development to End Substance Use Harms (CIRCLE) P50 Center of Excellence (P50DA058619) aims to cultivate the next generation of Native and allied early-stage investigators equipped to partner with communities in substance use research innovations. To develop a responsive CIRCLE Fellowship and request for proposals (RFP), the Pilot Project Core conducted three virtual listening sessions in January 2024 with Native researchers representing diverse Tribes, communities, and career stages. Thematic analysis resulted in six categories that informed the CIRCLE Fellowship and RFP design, implementation, and dissemination. Listening session findings continue to shape the fellowship’s evolution, ensuring fellows’ and communities’ needs, priorities, and strengths are centered. This collaborative approach to building an early-stage investigator fellowship provides implications for practice and research in partnership with Native communities, especially the need for culturally grounded mentorship, relational support, and trusting relationships with communities that promote self-determination and sovereignty.