2019 Student Scholars
Savannah Lee Smith (Dine’) is an MPH student at North Dakota State University specializing in American Indian Public Health and plans to complete her degree in Spring 2020. In addition to being a full-time student, she also works as a research assistant at the Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health and has assisted with various projects including surveys on diabetes and chronic disease in urban AIAN populations, Tribal injury prevention, and data quality assurance for Alaska Native substance use and recovery services. She is a recipient of several awards including the National Indian Health Board’s Local Impact Award for her work organizing a health event for the Denver Native community to promote healthy living and hypertension awareness. She is currently involved in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) policy development project with the Caucus.
Reflections: Nearly two weeks after attending my first APHA Annual Meeting, and I am still reflecting on my experience. As a Master of Public Health student specializing in the American Indian Public Health, I was able to see tools and frameworks that I have learned and read about in class being applied to real-world research projects. For example, a few of the presentations I attended included a trauma-informed approach on the Crow Reservation, utilization of community-based participatory research for a men’s cancer screening project on the Hopi Reservation, and a teen youth intervention program rooted in Diné cultural practices. As a souvenir, I even kept a handout of a First Nations Two-Spirit sexual health infographic that illustrated an example of both an academic and a community tailored resource tool as a reference on how to create audience-appropriate materials.
The Wisdom of the Elders Session was especially insightful as it is not every day that one has the opportunity to ask for advice and expertise from Indigenous older adults from diverse backgrounds. I also attended the facilitation of the Missing and Murdered Diné Relatives presentation and working group. I am especially excited to continue to assist with the caucus’s policy efforts to better address this epidemic that is affecting many of our Native communities. The AIANNH track offered me a space where I was able to learn about a vast number of topics, but they all had the connection of centering Indigenous values and methodologies. With my time at APHA, I also attended presentations and poster boards on subjects related to my interests in maternal and child health as well as nutrition and food systems.
I was able to connect with current professors and mentors as well as create new relationships with other Indigenous scholars, professionals, and possible research funders. This conference gave me the motivation to finish my MPH degree strong and gave me the inspiration to write my master’s paper on traditional Indigenous foods as a protective factor for healthy birth outcomes in AI/AN women. I look forward to attending future APHA meetings, being involved in the AIANNH Caucus, and giving back to younger students just as the Margo Kerrigan Travel Scholarship allowed me to have this wonderful experience. Ahéhee' for the opportunity!
Sara Kelikoaelakauaikekai Suzuki
Native Hawaiian
Sara Kelikoaelakauaikekai Suzuki is Native Hawaiian, originally from the Island of Maui. She is currently an undergraduate neuroscience student at the University of Nevada-Reno. Sara has participated in summer internships with the Departments of Native Hawaiian Health and Hawai’i Pacific Health. She is a member of the Women in Science and Engineering at her university. She is trained in crisis intervention and sexual assault advocacy. Her long term goal is to give back to her Native Hawaiian community by becoming a physician who advocates for them on a broader scale through public health policy as well as direct medical care.
I’m honored to have received the 2019 Margo D. Kerrigan Scholar Award to attend my first APHA conference. Attending the 2019 American Public Health Association (APHA) Conference held in Philadelphia, PA was an invaluable experience that gave me mana’o (knowledge) and resources unlike any other conference I had previously attended. The workshops expanded my knowledge of public health in Native populations around the world and gave me insight into the challenges of improving healthcare in indigenous communities.
The first workshop I attended, Maternal Health: Obstetric Care and Complications was one of my favorite sessions because it featured a panel of five individuals who shared their research on maternal health in rural areas outside of the United States. Dr.Wallace’s presentation evaluated pregnancy complications that were managed at Casa Maternas, a rural birth center in Guatemala. The main takeaway from her talk was being aware of social dynamics in rural settings, because something so simple and understated can impact patient health outcomes. An example she shared was the matriarchy dynamic in Guatemalan culture and how the influences of the mother’s and mother-in laws can sway the decisions of being transported to a hospital or being cared for at the Casa Materna during a complication. This talk helped me to better understand social challenges in public health and how to investigate interventions to improve patient quality of care.
The most inspiring presentation I attended was the Wisdom of the Elders session. It was a privilege to be able to ask the American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian elder panel questions about their experiences and contributions in Native public health. Dr. Daniel’s perspective on how to approach the current issue of caring for the aging Native Hawaiian population was very profound to me. Prior to attending this session, I had not previously pondered the implications of lack of resources and quality of care for our Kupuna (Hawaiian elders). She expressed concern that in the old days, [we] just use to take care of our parents and grandparents without being asked, now there are a lot of elders who aren’t being cared for by the younger generation. This raises an important public health issue that I hope to investigate more when I return to my community on Maui. The greatest takeaway from this session was the feeling of being brought to the head of the table to learn what current public health issues Native populations are facing and how the younger generation can intervene and solve these problems over time.
I felt swept up in the energy and captivated by the amount of knowledge that flowed through the conference center. This conference taught me how I can improve the wellbeing of my community in Hawaii by following the footsteps of other Native researchers who found effective intervention models for their community. Furthermore, this learning experience would not have been possible if not for the generous travel scholarship from the AI/AN/NH Caucus in honor of Margo D. Kerrigan. I hope to honor Ms. Kerrigan’s memory by following in her footsteps as a dedicated leader and advocate for American Indian, Native Alaska, and Native Hawaiian people. Mahalo nui (thank you) for allowing me this opportunity to learn and grow at my first of many APHA conferences.
Elisha Sneddy (Dine’) completed her undergraduate degree in Native American Studies and Psychology from the University of New Mexico in Spring 2019 and is currently applying to MPH programs. Her long-term goal is to become a physician to apply health policy in her work to address health inequities. She has participated in Columbia University’s summer public health scholars program and the University of Utah’s summer Native American Research Internship. She currently is employed as Program Assistant in a SAMHSA-funded project on community wellness at the Albuquerque Indian Health Board.
Reflections: I am writing to express my appreciation for receiving a scholarship from the American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Caucus to attend the 2019 American Public Health Association conference in Philadelphia, PA. I am truly honored and grateful to have been selected as the recipient of the Margo D. Kerrigan Scholar Award.
Growing up on the reservation, I am very fortunate to be where I am today because it is not common to pursue higher education in my family or in my community due to many factors. I am the oldest of 8 siblings and I feel it is my duty to be the role model for them and encourage them to pursue a higher education. So being able to travel far and make connections with other Indigenous scholars, professionals, and leaders has been the most incredible experience. I recently graduated from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s degree in Native American Studies and Psychology in May of 2019. It was only last summer that I got into the field of public health research and I am still learning more about the different career opportunities in Public Health. I never thought it was possible to attend universities outside of New Mexico and I recently finished a summer public health program at Columbia University this past summer. My confidence has continued to grow over the years and I have never been more motivated to aim high for my educational goals, so that I am able to bring all my knowledge back to my community. I am passionate about focusing on Native health because I truly believe Native people can heal their own people. Our traditional and cultural ways have been guiding us throughout many generations and has helped many live in peace and harmony. I am motivated to return back to my home community and honor the past, current, and future generations by dedicating my life to giving back to those who made me who I am today. I am currently in the process of gaining work and research experience before applying to a graduate program next fall of 2020. I hope to be enrolled into a graduate program by fall of 2021 so being able to attend this conference has helped my academic, social, and personal journey.
This was my first year attending the APHA conference and I left feeling inspired, motivated, confident, and grounded. My first impression of the whole conference was overwhelming since there were so many attendees and sessions. I was more comfortable when we got the list of AI/AN/NH theme-related sessions. Attending the different sessions with Native speakers was the highlight of my trip because I aspire to develop and conduct my own research that will contribute in creating solutions to the many disparities that impact Native communities. I got to witness the amazing work that is being done in Indian country and learned about the different ways to address Native health disparities. I also enjoyed attending the expo and poster session because I was able to walk around to see the different schools or organizations for public health. Attending the expo opened by eyes to the different programs that I can apply to and helped me understand what each program can offer me. I learned that it is very important to learn more about a program in detailed especially being Native American because it is important to feel and be supported in higher education. The most memorable part of my trip was being honored at the AIANNH Caucus social in front of everybody because I felt so proud standing up there representing the scholarship in the name of Margo D. Kerrigan. When I was up there introducing myself, all of the challenges and struggle were worth it because I know I was not only representing myself but my family as well.
Being able to attend this conference has helped me gain a deeper understanding of what I would like to focus on for my career in Public Health. I am inspired to return to my reservation and create community-driven and culturally driven public health programs that promote health, prevention, social justice, and reduce health inequities. I will be dedicated to empowering the upcoming generation of Native scholars because we are highly underrepresented in many fields, especially the public health field. Participating in this conference will help me reach my goals because it has provided me with a community that supports me. This experience has refueled my drive to keep going and to continue having big dreams. My educational and career goals would not be possible without your generous support. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to connect with other Indigenous leaders and enhancing my knowledge in the field of public health. I will be dedicated to use my experience to encourage other Native students to get involved and to get out of their comfort zone to pursue different opportunities. Sincerely, Elisha Sneddy