NCRE Scholars Program
The Native Children’s Research Exchange (NCRE) brings together researchers studying child development from birth through emerging adulthood in Native communities. NCRE provides opportunities for the open exchange of information and ideas and for building collaborative relationships and disseminating knowledge about Native children’s development. Mentoring early career investigators and graduate students, particularly those who are American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian community members, is central to NCRE’s mission.
The NCRE Scholars Program provides career development support to early career investigators and late-stage graduate students interested in pursuing research on substance use and disorder and Native child and adolescent development. In the first eight years of this program (2012-2020), NCRE Scholars has included 19 Scholars in eight cohorts, including ten postdoctoral Scholars and nine graduate student Scholars. Early career investigators, including junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and late-stage doctoral students in psychology, sociology, public health, anthropology, education, or related disciplines are eligible to apply.
The NCRE Scholars program is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R25DA050645; Whitesell and Sarche, PIs).
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Featured Scholar | Alexis Merculief
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Alexis
Merculief is a Cohort 10 NCRE Scholar. She is a sixth year PhD student in the Human Development and Family Studies program at Oregon State University and a member of the Aleut/Unangax tribe. We are excited to share that Alexis has been accepted into the
Equity in Early Education Postdoctoral (E3) Fellowship Program with Dr. Jelena Obradovic at Stanford University. Alexis shared how the NCRE Scholars program has been instrumental to her success. “Like a lot of Indigenous students, I didn't have a lot of mentors at my university who deeply knew what it meant to work in our communities. I had seen a lot of examples of how to be successful helping my community in education, activism, tribal governance, or social work--but no examples of how to be an Indigenous researcher. I didn't know if it would even be possible for me to thrive in academia while studying and working with my community. The encouragement, guidance, connection, and support from NCRE mentors and peers let me know I was not alone--there were others passionate about changing this field for the better and using science to better our communities. I am so grateful for this program and the lifelong connections I have made."
Congratulations Alexis on this next chapter in your academic career!