Integrating Indigenous Values into Cancer Patient Advocacy and Research
The Indigenous Cancer Health Excellence Initiative (ICHE-i) supports Indigenous-led solutions to promote health, address cancer health disparities among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and culturally aligned cancer care and research across Washington State (WA). Grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems and values, ICHE-i fosters sustainable partnerships with tribes and Urban Indian Organizations (UIOs) to advance cancer health excellence.
Why Does ICHE-i Exist?
ICHE-i is housed within the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement at the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium (the Consortium). ICHE-i was established to address the persistent cancer disparities experienced by AI/AN communities in WA by supporting Indigenous-led solutions, strengthening tribal-academic partnerships, and aligning systems of care with tribal priorities, protocols, and ways of life. The initiative seeks to transform institutional relationships with tribes and AI/AN communities by moving beyond extractive research and clinical practices toward approaches rooted in respect, reciprocity, and relational accountability.
Our Guiding Values
ICHE-i is guided by the core values of relationality, sustainability, wholeness, and honoring Tribal Sovereignty. These values are living principles that inform how decisions are made, how trust is built, and how responsibility is upheld. Community voices, tribal leaders, and Indigenous scholars shape the direction of ICHE-i to ensure that the work remains grounded, culturally resonant, and community-defined.
What We Do
In practice, ICHE-i utilizes a Two-Eyed Seeing approach (Bartlett, Marshall, & Marshall, 2012) to weave Indigenous epistemologies with Western data tools to advance cancer health excellence. This includes centering Tribal Sovereignty in research and care, co-developing sustainable partnerships with tribes and UIOs, and creating pathways that support culturally responsive cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship. ICHE-i contributes to the Consortium’s broader mission by embedding Indigenous-centered frameworks into institutional systems and remains committed to continuous learning, community-driven evaluation, and the advancement of Indigenous-defined standards of excellence in cancer care and research.
Our Priority Areas:
ICHE-i’s areas of focus are grounded in continued engagement and guided by Indigenous values and community-identified priorities. These efforts support the broader goal of advancing Indigenous cancer health excellence within the Consortium:
- Building research capacity to cultivate partnerships across Tribal Nations, health systems, and academic institutions.
- Elevating advocacy to strengthen systems-level coordination of cancer care and ensure Indigenous perspectives inform institutional approaches.
- Convening a biennial Tribal Cancer Health Summit to gather tribes, UIOs, and community partners to share priorities, knowledge, and pathways for collaborative action.
Initiating Indigenous Cancer Health Equity 2023
Learn more about the outreach and engagement the ICHE-i is doing.
Contact ICHE-i