I started the PhD program in the School of Social Work in 2011. As an indigenous person from the Truku Tribal Nation of Taiwan, I am very fortunate to have been mentored by indigenous and allied non-indigenous scholars at the UW. I especially want to thank IWRI faculty, Dr. Tessa Evans-Campbell, Dr. Karina Walters, Dr….

Lucy Smartlowit-Briggs is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes & Bands of the Yakama Nation and of Mexican descent. She is the parent of two offspring, Taos (age 19) & Cordy (age 17), and she has a military spouse. For fun, Lucy enjoys watching true crime shows, petting other people’s dogs, reading graphic novels,…

I RARO I TE ATARAU KAROHIROHI: E WHAKATERE HAERE ANA NGĀ WAKA I TE MOANA-NUI-Ā-KIWA (BY THE SHIMMERING LIGHT OF THE MOON: SEA VESSELS ARE NAVIGATING THE SHARED WATERS AND KNOWLEDGES OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN) Please join us in welcoming the 2017 Mahina cohort. The Mahina International Indigenous Health Research Training Program is a partnership…

Friday, January 27, 2017, the wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House was full of students, faculty, and community members who gathered to celebrate the works and narratives of indigenous women-identifying scholars. “The voice of indigenous women is an important one,” said Casey Wynecoop, the administrative coordinator at the Intellectual House. “Their role in American Indian, Alaska Native, and…

Neftali Salazar (Latino) Hello, my name is Neftali Salazar, I’m from Walla Walla, Washington. I am a Latino, a first-generation college student, and the first in my family to graduate from high school. I am an undergraduate pre-dental student here at the UW. I worked at IWRI as a Research Assistant during the past academic…

The Vr2L 2Spirit project is a culturally grounded, online HIV prevention intervention for Native American men who have sex with men(MSM). The intervention facilitates positive sexual health behaviors and promotes HIV risk harm reduction strategies. We are actively recruiting participants nationally to test the private Vr2L 2Spirit Island within Second Life® (a free, 3D virtual…

Editor’s Note: The stop-work order of the Dakota Access Pipeline in December 2016 may be a “victory,” albeit perhaps a temporary one given the changing political climate. The argument and support IWRI expressed in September 2016 are just as valid and perhaps even more crucial in 2017 and beyond. — Indigenous teachings teach us that…

In late fall 2016, IWRI veteran and Indigenous Substance Abuse, Medicines, and Addictions Research Training (ISMART) Program Director Anastasia Ramey assumed another position with the UW School of Social Work. She is now Program Coordinator with the Northwest Leaders in Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Program. The mantle of ISMART Director has been…

Following graduation in June 2016, Emma Elliott-Groves accepted a position as an assistant research professor at Partnerships for Native Health through Washington State University. Emma will continue her work in the area of Indigenous suicide as she will be working on a strengths-based suicide prevention trial in four tribal nations in the United States. Most…

Victor Cruz (Mexican), Research Coordinator Hi, I’m Victor Cruz and I am the new research coordinator for the Vr2L 2Spirit Project (Virtual Two-Spirit Project), which addresses healthy choices for Native American Gay and Two-Spirit men at risk for contacting HIV. I am originally from Tucson, Arizona, and received my bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University….