CIRCLE: Advancing Indigenous Equity in Substance Use Outcomes
The CIRCLE P50 Center of Excellence is funded by the National Institute On Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health, under Award Number P50DA058619.
The Community-Driven Indigenous Research, Cultural Strengths & Leadership to Advance Equity in Substance Use Outcomes (CIRCLE) P50 Center of Excellence will address substance use related health problems and deaths in collaboration with American Indian (i.e., Indigenous) communities.
The CIRCLE Center will serve as a national resource and fuel a hub of Indigenous-driven research and training to understand and address substance use inequities across diverse tribal cultures and contexts. Through research, training, and outreach, we will respond to calls from Indigenous Peoples for enhanced focus on recovery, prevention, sources of strength, culture- and family-based approaches to wellness, and policy solutions.
About the CIRCLE P50 Center of Excellence
The Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, along with various Tribal and Urban Native collaborators, received a five-year, $12 million P50 Center of Excellence award from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse under Award Number P50DA058619 to study and create resources for addressing problematic substance use and amplifying existing protective factors in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.
A goal of the CIRCLE Center and team is to respond to the need for culturally-driven Indigenous substance use prevention programs and policies. Decades of research have failed to address Indigenous substance use inequities in the U.S. AI/AN people experience the highest rates of substance use-related morbidity and mortality of any racial or ethnic group. CIRCLE aims to be a partner with Indigenous communities as they turn the tide by developing novel research methods, implementing a range of innovative research projects, fostering the growth of Indigenous scholars, and creating resources like measurement tools, educational webinars, and online resources to be shared nationally.
Indigenous culture is a profound source of healing and strength already engaged by Indigenous Peoples to prevent and address substance use harms resulting from centuries of historical trauma and oppression associated with colonization. CIRCLE’s Administrative Core, Pilot Project Core, Research Core and Research Projects will serve as resources to build empirical support and understanding for how culture can be used to address substance use in public health research, policy, and practice.
Annual CIRCLE Summit
The purpose of the Annual CIRCLE Summit is to foster synergy across the CIRCLE Center and to develop and sustain pathways to serve as a national resource.
The Inaugural Annual CIRCLE Summit was held in October 2023 at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, with over 40 attendees from 10 states and at least 9 Tribal Nations. The agenda included:
- Introductions and relationship building,
- Core and Research Project overviews to encourage collaboration and synergy,
- Critical allyship and decolonization activities,
- Sessions on organizational and collaborative structures, and
- A “Lightning Talk” presentation on longitudinal data from the NIDA-funded Healing Pathways Project (award number R01DA039912); this presentation is posted on the CIRCLE YouTube Playlist
The 2024 Annual CIRCLE Summit was held in October in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Summit brought together 57 people from across Turtle Island and featured:
- Introductions to Elders in Residence (see more info below) and CIRCLE Fellows
- Discussions on how team members conceptualize substance use, addiction, and strengths-based approaches, and
- A “Lightning Talk” presentation on the NIDA-funded substance use prevention program Thiwáhe Gluwáš’akapi (award number R37DA047926); this presentation is also posted on the CIRCLE YouTube Playlist.
Elders in Residence
The CIRCLE P50 Center of Excellence provides support for an Elders in Residence (EIR) program. Such programs are becoming more common in educational institutions across North America (i.e., Turtle Island). These programs help Indigenize the academy, provide culturally appropriate support(s) to Indigenous Peoples and teams, and enhance spiritual and cultural connection. EIR programs also uplift Indigenous perspectives and ways of knowing in modern systems of education and research.
Elders are revered members of Indigenous communities who hold important teachings and wisdom. They frequently promote intergenerational knowledge sharing, provide mentorship and education, and serve as supportive leaders and helpers. CIRCLE takes a flexible approach to programming. Elders in the EIR program will share their preferences and guidance on protocols for seeking their counsel and support. Miigwech/Thank you to our first two Elders, Pamela Hughes and Dee Gokee-Rindal.
Current Research Projects
With support from CIRCLE, three new studies have been launched, representing partnerships built on decades of collaboration and new partnerships with Tribes and Urban Indian organizations.
Cradling Our Future Long-Term Follow-Up
Cradling Our Future Long-Term Follow-Up will determine if a culturally tailored, evidence-based early childhood home visiting intervention, Family Spirit®, reduces long-term substance use, suicide, and related consequences among Indigenous mothers and their children 16 years after they completed the program.
Hastiin Bidziil (Strong Man)
Hastiin Bidziil (Strong Man) will determine the effectiveness of a secondary prevention program aimed at reducing substance use among Native men who are 18-26 years of age.
Syringe Services Program (SSP) Implementation in Indigenous Communities
SSP Implementation in Indigenous Communities will explore the factors that facilitated the successful implementation of Indigenous-centered syringe services programs that integrate harm reduction, allopathic “western,” and traditional Indigenous approaches to health and healing.
Requests for CIRCLE Fellowship Proposals Now Closed
As part of the CIRCLE Center, the CIRCLE Fellowship will support Indigenous and allied new investigators to conduct pilot research on the science of substance use prevention, treatment, and policy in partnership with Indigenous communities. Application submissions for the CIRCLE Fellowship are now closed.
To learn more about the CIRCLE Fellowship, visit the CIRCLE Fellowship homepage.
CIRCLE Resource Library
Coming soon!
Contact Us
If you have questions about pilot funding, please visit the CIRCLE Fellowship homepage for more details.
Use the form below to contact CIRCLE Center for general inquiries.
General Inquiries
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.