Introducing Our Native Research Ambassadors, Part 1

You may remember our advertisements for our new Native Research Ambassadors grant writing training program and we are so excited to start introducing you to our amazing participants. Since we have so many participants, we'll be splitting them into two separate posts (this month and in April) so stay tuned to meet the whole crew! Also, make sure you make it to the end because we've got a special offer for you from our longtime supporters at the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College.

Rene Begay, M.S., (Diné/Navajo) is Big Water, born for the Red Bottom People clan, her maternal grandfather's clan is Red Running into Water, and her paternal grandfather's clan is Towering House. Rene received her BS in Biology from the University of Arizona in 2012. She also obtained her master's degree in clinical science from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado where she studied genetic mutations associated with dilated cardiomyopathy. Currently, she is a Professional Research Assistant at the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health at the University of Colorado Denver, School of Public Health. Her work is focused on rural Native veteran suicide prevention and understanding health service utilization and disease in the Indian Health Service. In addition, Rene is passionate about the ethical, social, and clinical implications of genetic research in Native communities.

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Dr. Timian M. Godfrey earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing from Southern Utah University. She was the top Family Nurse Practitioner graduate from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 2014, and recently graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Executive Doctor of Nursing (DNP) program with honors in May 2019. She has practiced as a board-certified nurse practitioner for the past five years in the fields of pain management, orthopedic surgery and, most recently, emergency medicine. She works in critical access emergency departments as an advanced practice clinician on the Pine Ridge, South Dakota and San Carlos, Arizona reservations for TribalEM.

Academic honors for Dr. Godfrey include being selected as a 2018-2020 Jonas Scholar and awarded the Nurse Leadership Executive Mentorship (NLEM) award from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. The NLEM award afforded Timian opportunities to attend workshops and conferences focusing on health informatics, process improvement, innovation and nurse entrepreneurship.

In addition to completing her Executive DNP at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Timian was selected as an Elizabeth Sackler Scholar for the Certificate of Public Health in American Indian Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. She will graduate from this certificate program in July 2019.

Dr. Godfrey is passionate about translational research and innovation to improve the health of our nation. Her doctoral work focused on applying culturally fit diabetes self-management education (DSME) and improving throughput processes for American Indian adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus management in a critical access hospital.

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Dr. Michelle Kahn-John, a member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation, is a Clinical Associate Professor with the University of Arizona, College of Nursing. Dr. Kahn-John is a psychiatric nurse practitioner and geriatric nurse practitioner with 20 years of clinical experience with the Indian Health Service on the Navajo Nation and with Alaska Natives in Sitka, Alaska. Dr. Kahn-John’s research focuses on the protective relationship between American Indian cultural practices (language, stories, ceremony, spirituality) and physical and psychological health of American Indian populations. She is currently the secretary for a Diné traditional healer organization on the Navajo Nation. Dr. Kahn-John is working on the development of culturally-tailored, strength-based health delivery methods for American Indian populations as she continues to advocate for innovative and culturally-tailored health care delivery models. In her work with tribes, Michelle has served as the director of a large, Indian Health Service mental health department (inpatient and outpatient) over a period of seven years and was successful in establishing an integrated model of healthcare delivery that combined Diné traditional healing interventions alongside western medicine at the Fort Defiance Indian Hospital in Arizona. She was instrumental in establishing the first inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit on the Navajo Nation. She has skills and experience as an instructor, a clinician, a health care administrator, a program developer and as a researcher. Her cultural insights lend to her expertise on the development of tailored, individualized, and culturally relevant health related health and wellness options for American Indians.

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Dillon Nelson is from Pine Ridge, South Dakota within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He comes from the Ogala Tituwan Oceti Sakowin and the immediate Nelson family, he also belongs to the Mahpiya Luta and Tuwseca Tiospayes. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Bioinformatics at South Dakota State University in Brookings SD.

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Aubrey Estell Skeeter is a Yuchi and Muscogee scholar from Glenpool, Oklahoma. She is a Gates Millennium Scholar from the 2015 cohort and received her Bachelors of Arts in education from Colorado College in 2019. Ms. Skeeter is currently blessed to be working at the Yuchi Language Project in Sapulpa, Oklahoma where she works daily to preserve and revitalize the Yuchi Language within her community. She stays busy with her two additional jobs in Downtown Tulsa at Glacier Confections as an Assistant Manager and at the Tulsa Artist Fellowship as a Studio Assistant. Ms. Skeeter plans to pursue further education and is actively applying to graduate programs in the field of education. When Ms. Skeeter is not working, studying, or applying to graduate school, she can be found spending time with her family, at ceremonies, cooking, or at the movies. Ms. Skeeter has grown up within a traditional Yuchi family and is dedicated to the overall well-being of her community.

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Chelsea Wesner is an instructor in the joint University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University Master of Public Health program, in which she teaches courses on health policy, social and behavioral sciences, public health research in Native American communities, and advises capstone/practicum projects. In addition to teaching, Chelsea leads the evaluation team for the South Dakota Department of Health’s Overdose Data to Action, a 3-year CDC cooperative agreement, and has worked on assignment with the CDC’s Tribal, Regional, and Territorial Support Team in the Division of Diabetes Translation since 2013.

Chelsea earned a BA in sociology and minor in American Indian studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a dual Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work from the University of Oklahoma. She will complete a graduate training certificate in American Indian Health through the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health in summer 2020 and is applying to doctoral programs. Her research interests include maternal and child health and food sovereignty in Native American communities. Chelsea is from Oklahoma and is a member of the Choctaw Nation. She is most proud of being a mom to Lily (6) and Isla (4) and partner to Jeff, a stream ecologist and professor.

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Lisa Wilson is from a small community on the Navajo reservation called Ganado, Arizona. Lisa represents the the Diné (Navajo) and Tewa tribes. She is currently a Research Assistant/Analyst and Data Abstractor for the Utah Registry for Developmental Disabilities and Utah Autism and Developmental Disability Monitoring Network. She advocates for access to Autism Spectrum Disorder and other neurodevelopmental/mental health resources in underserved populations. Lisa received her Bachelor's of Science degree in psychology with a minor in health research at the University of Utah. In the future, she would love to become a psychologist for American Indian youth on their tribal reservations. Currently, Lisa also serves as an American Indian resource to the Global, Rural, and Underserved Child’s Health program at the University of Utah. In her free time, Lisa loves to cook, hike, travel, and watch true crime shows.

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Orion Zuni is originally from Isleta Pueblo New Mexico where his family resides. He is currently finishing his bachelor's of public health with a minor in psychology at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. After his undergraduate experience, he wishes to proceed with his education in community health. He hopes to return and work with his home community in his future endeavors.

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Special Offer for AIHREA Followers to see Alonzo King's LINES Ballet

The Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College presents Alonzo King LINES Ballet on May 9 at 8pm.

Choreographer Alonzo King is renowned for creating work that infuses classical ballet with new expression and expansive histories. With his latest work, Figures of Speech, King collaborates with slam poet Bob Holman, a leading advocate of linguistic preservation. Join this poignant journey through the sound, movement, meaning and shape of indigenous languages on the verge of extinction, set to a collection of Native peoples' poetry and music

Tickets start at $25, but AIHREA followers can receive discounted tickets by using the code "AIHREA" at checkout! Call (913) 469-4445 or visit www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter to reserve your seat today!