3rd Quarter 2013

As a first year student in the UW Master of Social Work Program in 2007, Glenda Breiler saw a sign for the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute and walked toward it. She was excited to know that other Native people were in the Social Work program and wanted to know what IWRI did. This was early…

A large and celebratory assembly of tribal leaders and community members, and University of Washington officials, students, faculty and staff gathered on October 25 to witness the groundbreaking ceremony for Wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ (“Intellectual House” in the Lushootseed language).  Intellectual House, the new longhouse-style facility on the UW campus, will serve as a learning and gathering place…

Polly Olsen, IWRI Director of Community Relations was the recipient of the UW 2013  Vice President for Minority Affairs and Vice Provost for Diversity Award for Community Building. The award recognizes a UW student, staff member, faculty member, or community organization whose efforts toward positive change on campus have resulted in multicultural community building. The…

Traditional Māori ways of childrearing taught that raising children was the responsibility of the entire community. Children were raised with gentleness and love, and encouraged to be children. In their August 20 presentation at the UW, Māori researchers Rihi Te Nana and Leonie Pihama, PhD, called upon the beloved New Zealand flax bush to symbolize…

Cynthia Pearson (Hungarian Jewish ally), PhD, is a research assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the UW.  She received her PhD in Health Services at the UW’s School of Public Health in 2006.  Trained as a sociologist and health services scientist, Dr. Pearson has a strong commitment to making healthcare widely accessible…

International Indigenous Health Research Training Program Application Dr. Karina Walters received a promising score for her National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) International Research Training Grant (T37) application titled “Mahina Project: International Indigenous Health Research Training Program.”  This 5-year training grant, requesting $1,351,600, is designed to develop the Mahina International Indigenous Health…

Bonnie Duran (mixed race Opelousas/Coushatta), Dr.PH, is an associate professor in the Department of Health Services, University of Washington School of Public Health and is also Director of the Center for Indigenous Health Research (CIHR) at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute (IWRI, www.iwri.org). “At CIHR, our goal is to work with Tribes, Native organizations and…