Tribal Epidemiology Centers (TECs) work in partnership with AIAN communities, Tribes, Tribal communities, Tribal Organizations, and urban Indian organizations (T/TO/UIOs) to improve the health and well-being of AIAN people by offering culturally appropriate approaches to epidemiologic and public health support. Each TEC is uniquely positioned in their respective regions to provide technical assistance in these and other public health activities to T/TO/UIOs. The TECs often coordinate with the Tribes, the Indian Health Service (IHS), other federal agencies, state agencies, and partners to work towards the goal of eliminating health disparities experienced by many AIAN populations.

TECs provide data analysis, data surveillance, and epidemiologic services, and produce data products for monitoring, evaluating, and advocating for the health and wellness of AIAN peoples. The services provided by the TECs enhance the knowledge and understanding of the health status or concerns of AIAN people and provide decision-makers, policy-makers, community members, and Tribal leaders with the valuable data and information they need to make informed health-based decisions for the people they serve. TECs also contribute to the workforce development of T/TO/UIO staff and provide many training opportunities. They implement and evaluate community-based strategies to eliminate health disparities in an effort to achieve health equity and strengthen the public health systems.

Data is essential to the work of TECs. Permanently reauthorized in 2010, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (IHCIA) designated TECs as public health authorities. In this role, TECs can access data, including protected health information, held by the US Department of Health and Human Services for various public health activities.

Each TEC is unique- they vary in size and organizational structure and are housed in a variety of types of parent organizations. Each TEC has a Director who provides leadership and, in collaboration with T/TO/UIO partners, sets the priorities of the center based on the needs in their respective areas. The 12 TEC Directors comprise an informal association referred to as the TEC Consortium (TEC-C) and each Director is considered a voting member of the TEC-C. Members of the TEC-C often share lessons learned to help strategize public health best practices and approaches to enhance data access and stewardship, establish collaborations, and diversify funding for sustainability.