Advisory Board · Healthcare advisor
Physicians, nurses, behavioral-health specialists, and public-health professionals serving Albanian-American populations.
Albanian-American mental-health outcomes are barely documented. Pre-existing-condition prevalence in the diaspora is barely documented. NAR is the first community-led count that can change that. The Advisory Board is where healthcare professionals shape what gets asked and what stays private.
Who fits
- Physicians (any specialty) practicing in regions with substantial Albanian-American patient populations
- Nurses, nurse practitioners, and clinical leadership at hospitals or clinics serving the community
- Behavioral-health specialists — therapists, psychiatrists, counselors — with diaspora-specific or culturally competent practice
- Public-health professionals, epidemiologists, or health-policy researchers focused on diaspora outcomes
- Most acute gap: mental-health practitioners with diaspora-specific experience
What you bring
Clinical literacy on what data is safe to ask and what data has been weaponized historically. Awareness of the cultural barriers around mental-health discussion in Albanian communities. A check on whether NAR's data-policy decisions respect HIPAA-adjacent norms even though we're not a covered entity.
What NAR needs from you specifically
Health data is the most easily misused dataset on the internet. The Advisory Board's vote on data-policy changes is specifically structured so that healthcare voices can stop a bad question from going live before it harms anyone. We'd rather lose a quarter than ask a question that breaks community trust.
What you get
- A vote on consequential org decisions (data policy, bylaws, dissolution)
- Direct line to the President, Treasurer, and Secretary at quarterly meetings
- First look at NAR data on community demographics, geographic clustering, and any health-relevant signals
- Listed publicly with your name + sector + city/state (opt-out available)
- A research vehicle for diaspora-specific public health work
Why this matters
There is no NIH-funded longitudinal study of Albanian-American health outcomes. There is no CDC surveillance dataset. The community is invisible to the public-health system in ways that quietly accumulate into worse care, missed diagnoses, and lost lives. NAR's data is the start of that becoming visible — but only if healthcare advisors are in the room when we decide what to collect and what to publish.
Mechanics
- Contribution
- $0 — volunteer seat
- Term
- 2 years, renewable
- Cadence
- Quarterly meetings (in person, video, or hybrid)
- Authority
- Per-advisor vote on data policy / bylaws / dissolution; no fiduciary duty (Article IV-A + II)
Apply as a healthcare advisor
No references required. The board reviews applications weekly; we get back to everyone within 7–14 days.