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SALT LAKE CITY — We talk a lot about getting more students, especially women, into the sciences, but there is a group of Americans facing even tougher challenges. Now, a University of Utah program is empowering Native American college students to pursue careers in science and medicine.
These days, Jenna Murray feels right at home in a medical research lab.
"I've always been pretty interested in health science and potentially going to medical school," Murray said.
But growing up in an Eastern Shoshone family with roots on Wyoming's Wind River reservation, Murray did not have any mentors in the sciences. In fact, she says, "You don't see, you know, a lot of people on your reservation going to medical school."
University of Utah Nephrologist Dr. Kalani Raphael has been a mentor to Murray.
"I was aware of some of the few numbers of Native American physicians and scientists," Raphael said.
The numbers actually show that only .6 percent of Native Americans are scientists and .5 percent are doctors even though they represent close to 3 percent of the U.S. population.
"That was another reason why I was really interested in being a mentor for this group," Raphael said.
The group is the U of U's Native American Research Internship program or NARI. This summer marked the program's sixth year and it's growing.
Murray and Raphael did extensive research into the connection between animal protein intake and kidney disease this summer. Now, the pair is preparing to publish their joint research into kidney disease.
Murray said, "Dr. Raphael is interested in chronic kidney disease and we are working on a bunch of different clinical trials with patients."
The one on one time with doctors and scientists is a confidence booster for students like Murray.
"It makes them realize, yes, you're great and you're going to do well and we're going to help you succeed," Raphael said.
Murray is now in her senior year at Colorado College, but she's spent the past two summers in the U's NARI program that is open to rising college juniors and seniors.
Dr. Maija Holsti is the director of the NARI program.
"The students have a wide range of abilities that are coming in here but a lot of them are really insecure with what they bring to the table," Holsti said.
Many NARI students are not even sure whether science or medicine is the direction they want to go after college and that's just fine with the program director.
"We're not trying to direct them into one area. We want them to find their own passion," Holsti said.
And, mentors want to develop the confidence in their students to help them continue with their education. NARI students say it helps to be on this journey with those who share their culture.
"I know the struggles we (Native American college students) face back home," said Cynthia Wilson, a NARI student leader.
"It is a struggle I think for these students to find people they can go to, that they can trust," Raphael said.
The U of U is already able to measure some of the program's success. NARI has trained 60 students over the first five years of the program with three-quarters of them graduating from college and over a third going on to graduate or medical school.
"I've learned so much and it's definitely going to benefit me when I'm applying for medical school," Murray said.
And then, Murray hopes to pay her knowledge and experience forward: "I would love to go to work in Fort Washakie with the Indian Health Services," she said.
This summer's NARI program wrapped up in late July with 15 new interns completing their research. NARI's reach is also expanding to now include student interns from 37 different tribes and 21 home states.
