Early dispersal of domestic horses into the Great Plains and northern Rockies.

The horse is central to many Indigenous cultures across the American Southwest and the Great Plains. However, when and how horses were first integrated into Indigenous lifeways remain contentious, with extant models derived largely from colonial records. We conducted an interdisciplinary study of an assemblage of historic archaeological horse remains, integrating genomic, isotopic, radiocarbon, and paleopathological evidence. Archaeological and modern North American horses show strong Iberian genetic affinities, with later influx from British sources, but no Viking proximity. Horses rapidly spread from the south into the northern Rockies and central plains by the first half of the 17th century CE, likely through Indigenous exchange networks. They were deeply integrated into Indigenous societies before the arrival of 18th-century European observers, as reflected in herd management, ceremonial practices, and culture.

Building bridges: from high school to healthcare professional.

A summer health careers program in existence for 10 years has created interest in high school juniors and seniors to pursue healthcare professions. This program, now open to all students, began as a recruitment initiative to encourage underrepresented minority and disadvantaged students to pursue health careers in a rural North Carolina county, a previous Health Professions Shortage Area (HPSA). Seventy percent (70%) of the 160 students who have participated in the program are pursuing or practicing a health profession, and of these, 50% chose nursing. Collaboration between an Area Health Education Center, a local community hospital, and county school system makes this program successful. The authors describe the history of this program and the importance of collaboration. A framework for the development of a summer program is summarized. Staff development educators can use this framework to develop outreach programs to recruit students into nursing.