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Meeting Information Rocky Mountain Laboratories National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) 903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, Montana 59840 Register Guests--For NIH TAC Open Sessions (Zoom Webinar Registration) April 29, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. MDT April 30, 2026 | 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. MDT
Meeting Information
Rocky Mountain Laboratories
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
903 South 4th Street, Hamilton, Montana 59840
Register
Guests--For NIH TAC Open Sessions (Zoom Webinar Registration)
- April 29, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. MDT
- April 30, 2026 | 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. MDT
Agenda
NOTE: ALL TIMES ARE MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT TIME (MDT)
PRE-TRIBAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE LISTENING SESSION
| Time | Topic | Presenter/Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. MDT | NIH Tribal Health Strategic Plan Listening Session Location: Tammany Room Bitterroot River Inn 139 Bitterroot Plaza Drive, Hamilton, MT (In-Person Only) | Tribal Health Research Office (THRO) staff, TAC Delegates and Technical Advisors (TA) Karina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W. (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Director, Tribal Health Research Office (THRO), Office of the NIH Director (OD), Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI), NIH |
NIH TRIBAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA
| Time | Topic | Presenter/Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. MDT | Meet in the hotel lobby at 8:00 a.m. to depart at 8:10 a.m. for NIH Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) Security | TAC Members and Technical Advisors |
| 9:00 a.m. MDT | TAC Caucus 1: Closed Session TAC & TA Internal Discussion | Herminia Frias, M.P.H. (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) TAC ChairStephen Kutz, M.P.H., B.S.N. (Cowlitz Tribe) TAC Co-ChairTAC Delegates, Alternates, and Technical Advisors Only |
| 10:00 a.m. MDT | InvocationWelcome and Land Acknowledgment | Kimberly Hampton, Ph.D., M.Psy., M.Ed., M.B.A. (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Board of Directors)Annie Belcourt, Ph.D. (Three Affiliated Tribes: Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara Nation) Associate Professor, School of Public and Community Health Sciences Department, College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, University of MontanaKarina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W. (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Executive Secretary for the TAC & Director, THRO in the OD, DPCPSI, NIH |
| 10:05 a.m. MDT | Introductions, Welcome, and BusinessRoll Call and IntroductionsHousekeeping NotesMeeting ProceduresReview Agenda & Meeting GoalsTHRO Update: AIAN Reinstatements | Herminia Frias, M.P.H. (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) TAC ChairStephen Kutz, M.P.H., B.S.N. (Cowlitz Tribe) TAC Co-ChairKarina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W. (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Executive Secretary for the TAC & Director, THRO in the OD, DPCPSI, NIHMarshall E. Bloom, M.D. Associate Director for Scientific Management, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, DIR, NIAID, NIH |
| 10:40 a.m. MDT | Welcome and Overview of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) | Steve M. Holland, M.D. Director, Division of Intramural Research (DIR), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) |
| 11:00 a.m. MDT | Overview of the Rocky Mountain Laboratories and Working with Indian Country | Marshall E. Bloom, M.D. Associate Director for Scientific Management, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, DIR, NIAID, NIH |
| 11:20 a.m. MDT | Research in Indian Country: Indigenous Knowledges Powering Science and Tribal Health (NIH Awardee) | Annie Belcourt, Ph.D. (Three Affiliated Tribes: Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara Nation) Associate Professor, School of Public and Community Health Sciences Department, College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, University of Montana |
| 12:00 p.m. MDT | Lunch | Pre-ordered lunches will be available. (Meals will be self-paid.) |
| 1:00 p.m. MDT | Chronic Wasting Disease Transmission Studies, Are Humans at Risk? | Brent Race, D.V.M. Associate Scientist, Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity, DIR, NIAIDNOTE: All presentations will be limited to 15 minutes to allow for 15-minute TAC questions and answer/discussion period with presenters |
| 1:30 p.m. MDT | Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in the United States: A Risk to Human and Animal Health | Emmie de Wit, Ph.D. Senior Investigator Laboratory of Virology, DIR, NIAID |
| 2:00 p.m. MDT | Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: Past and Present | Ted Hackstadt, Ph.D. Chief, Host-Parasite Interactions Section Laboratory of Bacteriology, DIR, NIAID |
| 2:30 p.m. MDT | 15-minute Break & Stretch | |
| 2:45 p.m. MDT | STEAM Collaborations with Indigenous Peoples Committee Overview | Philip Stewart, Ph.D. Special Volunteer, DIR, NIAID |
| 3:15 p.m. MDT | Hands-On Workshop (In-Person Only) | STEAM Collaborations with Indigenous Peoples Committee at RML |
| 4:55 p.m. MDT | Reconvene and wrap-upBlessing | Karina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W. (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Executive Secretary for the TAC & Director, THRO in the OD, DPCPSI, NIHKimberly Hampton, Ph.D., M.Psy., M.Ed., M.B.A. (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Board of Directors) |
| 5:00 p.m. MDT | Adjourn | |
| 5:10 p.m. MDT | Depart from RML campus to the Bitterroot River Inn | TAC Delegates and Technical Advisors, and NIH Staff |
| 6:15 p.m. MDT | Leave for Dinner at Teller Wildlife Refuge | TAC Delegates, Alternates, Technical Advisors, and NIH Staff |
| 6:30 p.m. MDT | Dinner at Teller Wildlife Refuge, The Barn 1180 Chaffin Lane, Corvallis, MT 59828Presentation: Bridging Western Health Research and Traditional Knowledge Systems (NIH Awardee)Poetry Reading | TAC Delegates, Alternates, Technical Advisors, NIH StaffDamian Chase-Begay, Ph.D. (Mandan/Arikara) Associate Professor of Social Epidemiology and Indigenous Health, University of MontanaHeather Cahoon, Ph.D. (Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribe) Chair, Native American Studies, University of Montana & Founder of the American Indian Governance and Policy Institute (AIGPI) |
| 8:30 p.m. MDT | Depart for Bitterroot River Inn | TAC Delegates, Alternates, Technical Advisors, NIH Staff |
| Time | Topic | Presenter/Facilitator |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | Topic | Presenter/Facilitator |
| 8:00 a.m. MDT | Meet in the hotel lobby at 8:00 AM to depart at 8:10 a.m. for NIH Security | TAC Delegates, Alternates, and Technical Advisors |
| 9:00 a.m. MDT | Tour of the RML Laboratories (In-Person Only)Electron MicroscopeLight MicroscopeGenomicsBiosafety | TAC Delegates, Alternates, and Technical Advisors OnlyVinod Nair, Ph.D. Jacqueline Leung, Ph.D. Paul Beare, Ph.D. Jared Montana, M.S. |
| 10:00 a.m. MDT | TAC Caucus 2: CLOSED SESSION TAC Delegate, Alternates, and TA Internal Discussion | Herminia Frias, M.P.H. (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) TAC ChairStephen Kutz, M.P.H., B.S.N. (Cowlitz Tribe) TAC Co-Chair |
| 11:00 a.m. MDT | InvocationWelcome and Call to OrderIntroductionRecap of Day 1 and Overview of Day 2 | Debra Danforth, B.S.N., R.N. (Oneida Nation)Herminia Frias, M.P.H. (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) TAC Chair Stephen Kutz, M.P.H., B.S.N. (Cowlitz Tribe) TAC Co-ChairKarina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W. (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Executive Secretary for the TAC & Director, THRO in the OD, DPCPSI, NIH |
| 11:15 a.m. MDT | Welcome and Opening Remarks Discussion with NIH Leadership | Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D. Director, NIHNicole C. Kleinstreuer, Ph.D. NIH Deputy Director, DPCPSI, OD, NIH |
| 12:15 p.m. MDT | Group Photo (In-Person Only) | TAC Delegates, Alternates, Technical Advisors, Drs. Bhattacharya, Kleinstreuer, and Walters, THRO and NIH staff |
| 12:30 p.m. MDT | Lunch | Pre-ordered lunches will be available. Meals will be self-paid. |
| 1:30 p.m. MDT | THRO UpdatesTribal Data Sovereignty | Karina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W. (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Executive Secretary for the TAC & Director, THRO in the OD, DPCPSI, NIH |
| 2:00 p.m. MDT | THRO Strategic Plan Development Working Session with the TACVision, Mission, & GoalsSubstantive Areas discussionStrategic Plan workgroup | TAC DelegatesKarina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W. (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Executive Secretary for the TAC & Director, THRO in the OD, DPCPSI, NIH |
| 3:45 p.m. MDT | Break | |
| 4:00 p.m. MDT | Action Items for NIH | Herminia Frias, M.P.H. (Pascua Yaqui Tribe) TAC ChairStephen Kutz, M.P.H., B.S.N. (Cowlitz Tribe) TAC Co-ChairTAC Delegates and NIH Leadership and Staff |
| 4:45 p.m. MDT | Closing Comments & Adjourn & Blessing | Debra Danforth, B.S.N., R.N. (Oneida Nation)Karina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W. (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Executive Secretary for the TAC & Director, THRO in the OD, DPCPSI, NIH |
| 5:00 p.m. MDT | Depart from RML to the Payne Family Native American Center at the University of Montana, Missoula, Montana | TAC Delegates, Alternates, Technical Advisors, NIH Leadership, and Staff |
| 6:00 p.m. MDT | Arrival at Payne Family Native American Center, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, NAC 112, Missoula, MT 59812 | TAC Delegates, Alternates, Technical Advisors, NIH Leadership, and Staff |
| 6:30 p.m. MDT | Opening Blessing in RotundaDinner (Meals will be self-paid) | Zachariah Rides At The Door (Blackfeet Nation)Marshall E. Bloom, M.D. Associate Director for Scientific Management, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, DIR, NIAID, NIHKarina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W. (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Executive Secretary for the TAC & Director, THRO in the OD, DPCPSI, NIH |
| 8:00 p.m. MDT | Planetarium Experience: Native Star Stories and Health Research | Annie Belcourt, Ph.D. (Three Affiliated Tribes: Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara Nation) Associate Professor, School of Public and Community Health Sciences College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, University of Montana |
| 9:00 p.m. MDT | Closing Comments and Blessing | Karina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W. (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Executive Secretary for the TAC & Director, THRO in the OD, DPCPSI, NIHMarshall E. Bloom, M.D. Associate Director for Scientific Management, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, DIR, NIAID, NIH |
| 9:05 p.m. MDT | Depart for Comfort Inn |