This case study of community and university research partnerships utilizes previously developed principles for conducting research in the context of Native American communities to consider how partners understand and apply the principles in developing community-based participatory research partnerships to reduce health disparities. The 7 partnership projects are coordinated through a National Institutes of Health-funded center and involve a variety of tribal members, including both health care professionals and lay persons and native and nonnative university researchers. This article provides detailed examples of how these principles are applied to the projects and discusses the overarching and interrelated emergent themes of sharing power and building trust.

This study was conducted to examine cultural appropriateness and readiness for the Blackfeet people in the United States talking about end of life. In the past, a taboo perception of Blackfeet traditional belief in end-of-life discussion was identified as a core barrier for hospice use. However, a recent anecdotal increase in hospice interest triggered the research team to investigate community-wide interest as well as traditional appropriateness of hospice introduction. The community-based participatory research approach was used to conduct the study. Using convenience sampling, we interviewed 10 tribally recognized Elders and surveyed 102 tribal members who were over 18 years old using a modified Duke End-of-Life Care Survey. Here, our report focused on the perception changes on end-of-life discussion. The elders' statements were divided into two, saying that an end-oflife discussion was not against tradition and that sickness and death would break the living spirit, thus no such discussion. Despite, the importance of a family gathering and the need for knowledge about end-of-life care were confirmed. The survey (response rate 100%; n ¼ 92) showed that 90% of the respondents thought dying was a normal part of life and 76% felt comfortable talking about death. In conclusion, there was a shift in the Blackfeet Indians' attitude toward end-of-life discussion from reluctance to at ease. Recommendations specific to the Blackfeet-related entities are presented.

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