Partnering on the Evaluation of the Montana Tribal Tobacco Program: The Story of a Successful State-Tribal Collaboration

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities have historically been subject to unethical research and evaluation practices imposed upon them by outsiders. Given this history and the often, strained relationships between state and tribal governments, tribes can be hesitant to work with and trust state agencies to conduct research and evaluation in their communities. This paper shares a collaborative process undertaken by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, American Indian Tobacco Prevention Specialists, and James Bell Associates, Inc., to successfully develop and implement a locally meaningful evaluation project. Together, we designed a culturally responsive evaluation study to examine the impact of the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program being implemented in tribal and urban Indian communities. We co-authored this paper to ensure the perspectives of all three groups were represented. We share lessons learned and recommendations for state agencies, tribes, and urban Indian organizations seeking to evaluate tribal public health programs.