Experiences and Perspectives on Research and Mentorship in North American Indigenous Populations
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| Jerreed Ivanich, Ph.D. | Nancy Rumbaugh Whitesell, Ph.D. |
Jerreed Ivanich, PhD. As a member of Alaska’s Metlakatla Indian Community (Tsimshian), Dr. Jerreed D. Ivanich is dedicated to health research for North American Indigenous (Alaska Native, American Indian, First Nations, Native Hawaiian) populations. Dr. Ivanich is an Assistant Professor at the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health. His work meets at the intersections of prevention science, social network analysis, and adolescent health. Through community-based participatory research, Dr. Ivanich aims to take the knowledge and strengths of AIAN communities and put them in dialogue with the broader research field to improve public health and advance scientific methods.
Nancy Rumbaugh Whitesell, Ph.D., is a Professor at the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Through community-university partnerships, Dr. Whitesell uses developmental and prevention science to understand risks and promote positive outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native children and families. She led development of the Thiwáhe Gluwáš’akapi substance use prevention program for American youth, now being tested in a randomized controlled trial; she leads the Multi-site Implementation Evaluation of Tribal Home Visiting (MUSE); she is Director of Research and Measurement for the Tribal Early Childhood Research Center (www.tribalearlychildhod.org); and she co-directs both the Native Children’s Research Exchange (www.ncreconnect.org) and its early career mentoring program, NCRE Scholars (www.ncrescholars.org).
Drs. Ivanich and Whitesell will share reflections of the influence of their social identities and positionalities on their research in North American Indigenous populations. Dr. Ivanich will discuss strategies for successfully navigating a career in academia as an Alaska Native scholar. He will also discuss the importance of academic mentorship (from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous mentors) and community support for early career scholars from underrepresented backgrounds to flourish in academia. Dr. Whitesell will discuss her longstanding commitment to supporting North American Indigenous scholars and other scholars of color. She will also discuss her experiences and perspectives with cross-difference (e.g. cross-cultural, cross-generational) mentoring relationships.
The aims of the DNC presentation series are to highlight research on prevention science and public health that is led by researchers from underrepresented groups and primarily conduct research with groups that are understudied (e.g., racial/ethnic minorities, individuals who identify as a sexual minority, individuals with disabilities). The presentation series will also aim to create a forum for the guest speaker(s) to share career/professional reflections as a researcher from an underrepresented group(s) and to promote discussions of diversity and inclusion in professions related to prevention science and public health.