The Tribal Council of the Sokaogon Chippewa Community (SCC) visited Madison for a groundbreaking meeting with Chancellor Mnookin and University of Wisconsin researchers and staff on Sept. 11 and 12. Led by Tribal Chairman Robert VanZile Jr., the SCC continued its relationship with UW at the meeting after previously inviting members of UW to reservation lands in Crandon, Wisconsin in May.

The relationship started with a phone call between SCC’s Chief Information Officer Jason Neilitz and Director of Biohealth Industry Partnerships Kurt Zimmerman, in the School of Public Health and Medicine. It resulted in a virtual meeting between the Tribal Council and UW members in April followed by the meeting in May.

So far the relationship has found two areas of interest — participation in clinical trials and health data. The path ahead for either is still unclear but that doesn’t concern Zimmerman.

“There will be discussions downstream, our goal is to keep building the dialogue,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman co-chairs a working group with a council member, which meets weekly and is responsible for the continued dialogue between the SCC and UW. The group was created by the order of the council.

The focus of both meetings has been on the SCC community, not the goals of VanZile or UW representatives. UW researchers presented on how clinical research is conducted and its benefits to advancing scientific and medical knowledge.

“The goal in terms of health data sharing is to better understand what are the key diseases [the SCC] are dealing with, what are the key health risks and what could be contributing to that,” Zimmerman said.

UW and Native American Centers for Health Professions (NACHP) members will be visiting the reservation on Sept. 19 for a health fair.

Zimmerman said the current goal is to build relationships with the community.

“We built a relationship with [the Tribal Council], and now they’re helping us build a relationship with the community,” Zimmerman said.