Indigenous Wellness Research Institute

SACNAS Canoe Ceremony

Chris Charles — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:04:17 +0000

Check out this article that features IWRI’s community relations director Polly Olsen helps facilitate a canoe ceremony for the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science conference. http://sacnas.org/news-SACNAS-canoe-ceremony

Karina Walters at UNC forum

Chris Charles — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:34:06 +0000

2007 University of North Carolina Summer Public Health Research Videoconference on Minority Health

Right-click or ctrl-click this link to download

Check out this video done by Elton Naswood and the Redcircle Project

Chris Charles — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:27:34 +0000

Hear Institute Director Dr. Karina Walters on First Person Radio

Chris Charles — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 20:19:31 +0000

Dr. Karina Walters, director of the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute, will be joining radio host and Native activist Richard La Fortune on First Person Radio to talk about the HONOR project. Dr. Walters was to principal investigator of the HONOR project.

The HONOR project was a groundbreaking study of the health and wellness of Native American, Two-spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender people from seven urban communities across the USA.

First Person Radio is a weekly public affairs program on KFAI “radio without boundaries” out of Minnesota that responds to and empowers the Native community and promotes understanding and learning in non-Native listeners. To tune in you can listen on-line at https://www.kfai.org/ on Wednesday, February 9th at 7am Pacific Time. Those listening from the Central Time zone (where the show is produced) can listen in at 9am.

Roundtable Discussion On Native American/Alaska Native Health Issues Research Projects & Cultural Humility

Chris Charles — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:55:07 +0000

Time	Tuesday, February 1 · 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Location	University of Washington Health Science Building Room H-670

Created By	Indigenous Wellness Research Institute

More Info	Roundtable Discussion On Native American/Alaska Native Health Issues Research Projects & Cultural Humility With Dr. Bonnie Duran, Dr. Tessa Evans-Campbell, Dr. Karina Walters, Dr. Cynthia Pearson, Polly Olsen, and more. LUNCH PROVIDED BY UW Health Services Department in the School of Public Health Co-Sponsors: Center for Indigenous Health Research Center for Indigenous Child and Family Wellness Growing Our Own: Native American Students and Faculty

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Program on Funding Opportunities

Chris Charles — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 02:31:20 +0000

RSVP for the RWJF New Connections Program Luncheon

Panel and discussion on funding opportunities for diverse researchers from New Connections

* Dr. LeShawndra Price, National Institute of Mental Health
* Dr, Annie Belcourt-Dittloff University of Montana
* Dr. Edith Arrington, RWJF New Connections program

New Connections works with early- to mid-career scholars who:

* Have not received prior funding from RWJF as a principal investigator or through a program contract.
* And are members of ethnic or racial minority or low-income communities and/or the first in their family to receive a college degree.

The New Connections program offers access to research funding opportunities as well as career development and mentoring activities.

Time: Wednesday, January 26 · 11:00am – 2:00pm
Location: University of Washington Club Seattle, WA
Created By Indigenous Wellness Research Institute

RSVP for the RWJF New Connections Program Luncheon

All underrepresented group members are strongly encouraged to attend.

New Connections Mission: New Connections: Increasing Diversity of RWJF Programming is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) .New Connections is a program which works to develop and retain a diverse, well-trained leadership and workforce in health and healthcare to meet the needs of all Americans. New Connections seeks to increase the exposure of RWJF to researchers and experts that represent historically underrepresented research communities. More info at http://www.rwjf-newconnections.org/

RSVP for the RWJF New Connections Program Luncheon

Don Coyhis: Intergenerational Trauma and the Healing Forest

Chris Charles — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 02:28:43 +0000

Time	Thursday, February 24 · 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Location	4098 15th Ave Ne, Seattle, WA 98195 – Kane Hall Room 110

Created By	Indigenous Wellness Research Institute

More Info	About the presentation: First the individual must heal, then the family can begin healing; then the community can start to heal; and then the nation can heal. Mr. Coyhis will introduce the concept of Wellbriety as balance and connection to the natural laws that create healing within the native community. Culturally based tools are discussed as a way for changing families. A combination of immense losses and traumatic events that …have perpetrated an entire culture need healing as natives across the nation are encouraged to seek to reinstate cultural ways, language and sacred traditions. The unfortunate consequences of trauma include not believing you have a future, difficulties within families and a distrust of the outside world. This is passed down through direct parent-child interactions and also through interactions with extended family and the community. Healing will take place through application of cultural and spiritual knowledge. Healing of our Native Community is entirely possible. About Don Coyhis: Don Coyhis is a member of the Mohican Nation. He currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is the founder and president of White Bison, Inc., an American Indian non-profit corporation that has the following vision: To bring 100 Native American communities in healing by the year 2010. Through the leadership of White Bison, the Wellbriety Movement has taken a prominent role in the recovery of many Native Americans and their communities. In 2002, White Bison, Inc. published the Red Road to Wellbriety: In the Native American Way. This traditionally-based and spiritually-oriented resource is just one of the many recovery support resources developed for the Firestarters and for the Wellbriety Movement. In 2008, White Bison, Inc. also published a new book for youth about life teachings entitled Understanding the Purpose to Life: 12 Teachings for Native Youth written by Don Coyhis. All of the programs, trainings, and resources developed by White Bison are based upon principles, values and laws found in the Teachings of the Native American Elders and the principles and values of the 12 Step program. For the past few years, Don has been called upon to provide technical assistance by national policy organizations such as the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and national recovery organizations such as the National Association for Children of Alcoholics to develop prevention campaign materials and prevention and recovery programs for Native American communities. He was also the 2009 Purpose Prize Award winner.

Career paths as an indigenous health research scholar

Chris Charles — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:37:16 +0000

Vanessa Simonds recently started a postdoctoral fellowship from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy. She is affiliated with the MPH program in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UNM. Simonds completed her graduate studies at Harvard School of Public Health with a Master of Science from the department of Epidemiology and a Doctor of Science from the department of Society, Human Development and Health. As part of her postdoc she is working with Nina Wallerstein and the CBPR(community based participatory research) research team. Simonds has worked in public health with a number of Native American communites. She is commited to working with indigenous communities. Her public health areas of interest are diabetes, cancer prevention, health literacy, cultural influences on health, and indigenous methodologies.

Come join us!

UW Seattle – School of Social Work Room 306

Wednesday, December 8, 2010 – 12:30 pm to 2pm

Leading from the Maze – Presentation by Mona Polacca, MSW

Chris Charles — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 23:38:41 +0000

Maori Scholar, Leonie Pihama to work with IWRI as Fulbright Scholar

Chris Charles — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 21:55:46 +0000

Maori Scholar, Leonie Pihama, will begin her Fulbright Scholarship with the University of Washington Indigenous Wellness Research Institute in January of 2011. Below is a short biography of Dr. Pihama,

Dr Pihama is the mother of six children and has had extensive involvement in Māori Education, with involvement in Te Kōhanga Reo, Maori language immersion units and Kura Kaupapa Māori. She is actively involved with Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi Marae. Her Masters thesis examined the Parenting programme ‘Parents as First Teachers’ and the relevance of the programme to Māori whānau, and her Doctoral thesis provided an outline of Mana Wahine, a Maori woman’s theoretical framework based within Kaupapa Maori (Maori philosophical approaches). She has been involved in a wide range of research and evaluation projects including: Evaluating the Framework for Measuring the Effectiveness of Corrections Programmes for Māori for the Department of Corrections; Meeting the Needs of Māori Victims of Crime; Evaluation of Programmes for the Protected of Māori Adult Persons under the Domestic Violence Act 1995. She has completed a number of literature reviews including one on Māori pedagogies for ITPNZ which is being utilised as a framework for exploring Māori e-learning pedagogies and a series of Baseline Data Reviews for Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry of Māori Affairs). Dr Pihama, in collaboration with Megan Tunks, recently completed the Waitākere Site Evaluation for the Family Violence focused ‘It’s Not Ok Campaign’ and was Principal Investiator for the recently completed research report for Te Puni Kōkiri on Sexual Violence and its impact on Whānau Māori. Dr Pihama has been recipient of a number of academic awards including being a recipient of the Vice-Chancellors Development Fund (University of Auckland) and holder of the Hohua Tūtengaehe Post Doctoral Fellowship. Dr Pihama currently Adjunct Professor at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. She was also a Director for Māori Television for four years through its establishment phase, and is currently serving as a member on the Health Research Council (HRC), Māori Health Committee. Her current research involvement includes being Co-Investigator on the following projects: Māori Priorities for Life Stage Research:Hapū Ora’ (Funded by Health Research Council); ‘Māori Whānau Experiences of Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) (Funded by Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga); ‘He Kākano: Māori Views and Experienes of Fertiity, Reproduction and ART (Te Atawhai o Te Ao); Understanding the pedagogy of school-based marae: A culturally responsive learning context in secondary schools. (Funded by Teaching and Learning Research Initiative, NZCER).

Dr Leonie Pihama, Research Director: Māori And Indigenous Analysis Ltd., Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Aotearoa (NZ) : B.A (Education/Māori Studies), M.A. Hons. (Education), PhD (Education)
(Te Ātiawa, Ngā Māhanga ā Tairi, Ngāti Māhanga)

See the New Zealand Fulbright announcement of Dr. Pihama’s scholarship.