Native graduates at an Honor Day ceremony at PSU’s Native American Student and Community Center (Tojo Andrianarivo).
Portland State has been awarded $1.8 million for two workforce development and training projects that will strengthen career pathways for Native students and Tribal communities in the high-demand fields of healthcare and technology.
The grants come from the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC), part of an effort to bolster the state’s workforce in three key sectors: healthcare, manufacturing and technology. The programs supported by Future Ready Oregon prioritize underserved communities in the state and connect them to resources for pursuing good-paying jobs and meaningful careers. They include communities of color, women, low-income individuals, rural communities, veterans and members of Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribes.
PSU’s projects build on its efforts to make the university a destination of choice for Indigenous students interested in STEM fields, or science, technology, engineering and math.
The first project will help increase Native representation in Oregon’s healthcare workforce by engaging a cohort of Native pre-health students in a holistic, paid 15-month program. The second project will work with Oregon’s nine Tribes to build awareness and lower barriers for Tribal members to pursue careers in cybersecurity by providing industry-recognized credentials.
Both projects support PSU’s goals to support underserved communities and create clear pathways for learners from all backgrounds.
Boosting healthcare pathways for Native students
Oregon is home to more than 185,700 Native Americans and Alaska Natives, who make up roughly 4% of the state’s population. And yet, only about a dozen of Oregon’s 15,000 practicing physicians identify as Native.
It’s a statistic that PSU is hoping to change in partnership with the Northwest Native American Center for Excellence at OHSU and with the help of HECC’s $1.2 million grant. PSU’s project was one of 16 projects funded to advance healthcare career pathways and help create a future where Oregon’s diverse population is better represented in its healthcare workforce.
The project — Fostering Oregon’s Workforce in Advanced and Restorative Healthcare Program, or FORWARD PSU — aims to prepare a cohort of 30 American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate students to pursue a terminal degree in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or public health, and enter critical healthcare roles in Oregon.
“Increasing Native representation in healthcare is an essential step in addressing racism as a public health crisis,” said Shandee Dixon (Apache), the project’s program manager who in her roles at PSU and OHSU mentors students and helps them navigate career and research pathways. “FORWARD PSU equips Native students with the support, mentorship, and opportunities they need to succeed in healthcare fields, where they can make a direct impact on reducing health disparities in their communities — and, in turn, all communities.”
The program builds on the strengths of PSU’s Center for Internship, Mentoring and Research (CIMR), whose programs have recruited and mentored over 700 diverse undergraduate STEM students in clinical, biomedical and STEM fields, and OHSU’s Northwest Native American Center of Excellence (NNACoE), which has emerged as a leader in training Native physicians and reducing barriers for both trainees and faculty to serve Native peoples in their careers.
“FORWARD PSU further affirms PSU and OHSU’s position as the emerging leader in training American Indian and Alaskan Natives to lead the future of healthcare,” said Dr. Erik Brodt (Ojibwe), director of NNACoE and associate dean for Native American health at OHSU. “The innovative program will accelerate possibilities for Native students pursuing their dreams of becoming health professionals and will ultimately lead to a healthier and more vibrant Oregon for all people.”
The cohort-style program will build students’ professional networks, deepen their career and interpersonal skills, help them learn about specific healthcare career pathways, develop their career identity and nurture a sense of belonging in the field.
Where many institutions fall short in providing supportive environments for Native students, the team says PSU’s CIMR and NNACoE have together established approaches for identifying and addressing barriers and supporting students with wrap-around services, including culturally affirming spaces like PSU’s Native American Student and Community Center and the Vernier Science Center that uplifts Indigenous sciences, academic advising and funds for childcare and summer housing.
Students will be onboarded through a three-month research and clinical training intensive before being matched with clinical or clinical research mentors who understand their personal interests, focal areas of study and needs. During summer 2025, they’ll work in clinical and healthcare science placements at OHSU while also engaging in 10 weeks of workshops and cohort-building sessions. During the academic year, students will continue in their placements, meet with career and near-peer mentors and participate in bi-weekly culturally inclusive workshops. By spring 2026, students will participate in workshops to help them apply for summer programs and medical, dental, public health, or pharmacy school.
If you are interested in getting involved with FORWARD PSU (as a student, mentor, community member, etc.) or staying up-to-date on program news, please complete the FORWARD PSU Interest Form.
Preparing Tribal members for cybersecurity jobs
Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribes are among the most vulnerable communities to cyberattacks because of a lack of infrastructure, investment and support, according to Birol Yeşilada, professor and director of PSU’s Mark O. Hatfield Cybersecurity and Cyber Defense Center. The center is working to close the gap in skilled workers by educating and preparing more Tribal members for jobs in cybersecurity and offering pathways for advanced training opportunities.
PSU received $604,378 from HECC — one of 17 projects focused on preparing individuals for high-tech jobs — to help as many as 180 Tribal members across the state gain an increased awareness of cybersecurity positions, pathways to industry-recognized certifications and opportunities for practical experiences that would give them a competitive edge in the job market.
“This grant is a huge opportunity to provide much-needed cybersecurity resilience training to the members of the Oregon tribes,” said Yeşilada, who also serves as the inaugural director of the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. “It will also raise participants' awareness of career opportunities in this important sector and contribute to the overall security of Tribes and Oregon.”
The cybersecurity center is partnering with PSU’s Institute for Tribal Government and Umpqua Technologies of the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians to recruit and train cohorts and with Cisco Systems to bring cutting-edge technologies and workforce training to Tribes. Over two years, there will be nine daylong introductory cybersecurity seminars at locations accessible for each Tribe. Graduates of the beginner-level seminars can then choose to continue with one of two advanced options — a 12-week virtual no-cost cybersecurity resilience certificate offered by PSU or a selection of industry-level cybersecurity certifications through Cisco’s Networking Academy. Scholarships would be made available for the fee-based programs.
The program will also train and employ members from each Tribe to serve as place-based mentors who can guide participants toward career advancement in cybersecurity. Participants who work with a mentor or enroll in the 12-week certificate course will get hands-on training through an applied project that may include a risk assessment, maturity analysis or another practical project as defined by each Tribe.
Yeşilada says the project will help Tribes combat the growing cyber threats they face daily and enable members to serve their communities, improve their cybersecurity skills, pursue career advancement in this field and identify areas for infrastructure investments to raise cybersecurity network resilience.