Promoting integrity and excellence in research in an environment
that is collaborative, supportive, and builds capacity.
ABOUT US
​Who We Are
Established in 1997, The Native Research Network, Inc. (NRN) is a leadership community of American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Canadian First Nations promoting integrity and excellence in research.
NRN advocates for high quality research that is collaborative, supportive, and builds capacity. NRN promotes an environment for research that operates on the principles of integrity, respect, trust, ethics, cooperation, and open communication in multi-disciplinary fields.
NRN is a 501(c)3 non-profit professional organization.
​Sample Activities
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Planned/Coordinated the annual Native Research Conference since 2005 with the Indian Health Service.
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Presented a Continuing Education Institute, "Conducting Research in Native Communities" at the APHA Annual Meeting.
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Authored and edited a book on "Conducting Research in Native Communities" (edited by T. Solomon & L. Randall) published by the American Journal of Public Health books division.
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Conducted a literature review and submitted a report to the Indian Health Service on research on Traditional Indian Medicine.
​Our History
The NRN was formed in 1997 by Native researchers at an Indian Health Service (IHS) meeting, to address health and research issues affecting Native communities.
The bylaws were established to create NRN as an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit. Initially, the NRN functioned under the auspices of the Association of American Indian Physicians, Inc. with fiscal support from the Office of Minority Health for development.
​NRN Accomplishments
Since 2005, the Native Health Conference has been held annually, with upwards of 300 attendees. In 2015, the NRN will begin hosting a training summit bi-annually, in rotation with the conference. Over 200 Native students have been sponsored to attend the annual conference and other training opportunities (e.g., the Conducting Research in Native American Communities Continuing Education Institute). The NRN successfully partnered with the IHS to provide IRB training for research within Indigenous communities. A literature review conducted by NRN contributed to a report to IHS on Traditional Indian Medicine. Most excitingly, an NRN Founding Member became the first woman to Direct the Indian Health Service.
During each conference, the NRN solicits funds to support student travel so they could become better engaged with Native researchers and prospective mentors, network with other students and community members, and to become familiar with health-related issues. NRN has supported about 30 students during each of the past conferences.
​Funding
NRN operates on funds through multiple sources including grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, foundations, through funds received from services provided, through membership dues, and from public donations.
​Meetings & Conferences
The Board of Directors hold monthly business conference calls. Membership meetings are held at least once a year.
Regular conferences and mentoring workshops bring the membership together with news of recent projects and events.
​How Can I Get Involved?
There are several ways you can get involved with NRN, including becoming a member, donating, and volunteering on a standing committee.
STANDING COMMITTEES
Standing committees help the Board of Directors accomplish the goals and objectives of NRN’s Strategic Plan. Each Board Member co-directs one or two committees. The Board encourages volunteers to serve—get involved, join a committee! Contact NRN Coordinator at email@nativeresearchnetwork.org for more information about volunteering for one of our standing committees.
Membership
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Guide membership application processing, concerning eligibility and qualifications and shall recommend approval or denial of all applicants as voting or non-voting members. Membership Representatives will serve on the subcommittee.
Governance
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Oversee all governance, planning, policy issues and evaluation in accordance with the By-Laws and corporate affairs and review the By-Laws and recommend amendments as necessary.
Communications
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Oversee all communications, including audio or video, press releases, informational brochures, and all public relations issues to maintain the professional image and public relations of the corporation.
Budget & Finance
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Oversee all of the finances, audits, fund raising and financial operations of the corporation and maintenance of the records of the corporation.
Collaboration, Advocacy, & Legislation
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Oversee all collaborations, advocacy and legislation affecting or impacting the corporation.
Ethics
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Oversee all matters relating to ethics, compliance and standards applicable to research.
Nominations/Elections
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Oversee all matters relating to the election of officers.
Service to NIH
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Current member may participate as a grant reviewer and/or consultant to NIH, on NRN-identified priorities.
Speakers Bureau
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Current member may include name and professional expertise on the NRN Speakers Bureau list.
Service as Mentor
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Current member serve as research mentor to American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/ First Nations.
Donate
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Offer a gift of funds or capitol to the NRN. Donate today!
Ad Hoc Committees
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Student Development Committee
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Conference Planning
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Abstract Review
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Awards
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Leadership Transition
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Fundraising & Development
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Mentoring Workshops
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors meet on a monthly basis, Membership meetings are held at least once a year during the annual Native Research Conference.
Board Member Categories
Co-Chair Elect (2) 1-yr. internship
Co-Chair (2) 1-yr. term
Past Co-Chair (2) 1-yr. term
Treasurer (1) 2-yr. term
Secretary (1) 2-yr. term
Member-at-Large (3) 2-yr. term (1 student)
Current Board of Directors
​Our Logo
The NRN logo is a stylized drawing of the hawk. The hawk circles its environment, continuously studying and observing. Like the hawk, NRN is a vehicle for studying the research environment. The circular pattern of the wings symbolizes the guidance, mentorship and nurturing the network offers its members and constituents.
Denna Wheeler (Cherokee)
Co-Chair
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Denna Wheeler, PhD is Cherokee and was born, raised and currently lives in Muskogee, Oklahoma near the border of the Muscogee and Cherokee reservations. She is a Clinical Professor and the Executive Director of the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Center for Rural Health. She is a statistician and research methodologist and oversees several Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grants including health care workforce and rural hospital and health systems support. You can find more about her published work and research interests at https://scholars.okstate.edu/en/persons/denna-wheeler/.
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EMAIL: denna.wheeler@okstate.edu
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Malcolm King (Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation)
Co-Chair
​Dr.Malcolm King is a member of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and is Professor at the University of Saskatchewan in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology. He serves as researcher and teaches classes on Indigenous health research, with a particular focus on wellness and engagement.
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EMAIL: Malcolm.king@usask.ca
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Damian Chase-Begay (Diné)
Co-Chair Elect
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Damian Chase-Begay, PhD, MS (Mandan/Arikara) is an Associate Professor of Social Epidemiology and Indigenous Health in the University of Montana (UMT) School of Public and Community Health. In July 2024, he received a career development award (NIDA 1K01DA061078) in implementation science from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH/NIDA) to rigorously adapt an evidence-based substance abuse prevention intervention for urban Indigenous young adults in Montana to incorporate traditional cultural and ceremonial practices. He will test the intervention via a hybrid type 2 implementation-effectiveness clinical trial at five Urban Indian Health Centers. He also has a Health Equity Scholars for Action award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to explore the scope, application, and structure of Indigenous Research Methodologies in Western research settings.
Dr. Chase-Begay currently holds two post-doctoral fellowships. He was one of seven scholars nationally accepted into the 2024 cohort of the Center for Dissemination and Implementation at Stanford (C-DIAS) Fellowship in Addiction D&I Science. His C-DIAS fellowship research focuses on exploring Medicaid funding mechanisms for traditional cultural and ceremonial practices in Indigenous health. He was also accepted into the 2024 cohort for the University of Washington Indigenous HIV/AIDS Research Training (IHART3) fellowship program. His IHART3 fellowship research will explore associations between substance abuse and HIV prevention programming in urban Indigenous communities.
Previously, Dr. Chase-Begay was the first Indigenous person to serve as the City-County Health Officer for Missoula, Montana. Before transitioning to that role, he worked in the American Indian/Indigenous health field for more than two decades. He is the former executive director of All Nations Health Center, in Missoula, and the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH), in Washington, D.C. Currently, Dr. Chase-Begay is the Chair-Elect for both the Native Research Network and the American Public Health Association (APHA) Integrative, Complementary, and Traditional Health Practices (ICTHP) Section.
Dr. Chase-Begay received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Montana, where his doctoral research focused on the protective role of Indigenous traditional ceremonial practices in an urban, multi-tribal community. He also has a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership from the University of California, San Francisco.
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Marla Pardilla (Diné)
Volunteer Treasurer
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Marla Pardilla, MPH, MSW is Diné and a Founding Member of NRN. She has been working
with the NA populations in the SE and SW regions of the U.S., as a social worker, health planner, program evaluator and researcher for over 25 years. She is currently consulting with the UNM Prevention Research Center in Albuquerque, NM. She also works with Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, under the Department of International Health, working with Dr. Joel Gittelsohn as Co-P.I. on obesity and diabetes prevention projects with Wisconsin and, Michigan tribes and some SW tribes. She has worked for the State of New Mexico on mental health and substance abuse prevention projects coordinating field studies for the UNM ECHO project with Dr. Sanjeev Arora and Dr. Dan Duhigg. She helped to develop the NRN bylaws and contributed to the Strategic Planning process over the years. She is a member of the North American Indian Women’s Association working on cultural preservation agenda.
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EMAIL: Mpardilla@aol.com
Shaun Hains (Métis)
Volunteer Secretary/Member at Large
Dr. Shaun Hains, recognized by the Women's Office of the APA as an Inspiring Woman of Colour, and by the Society for Community Research and Action of the American Psychology Association for distinguished contributions to community psychology and community health, has shared her work with SSHRC and CIHR. Her definitions have grown from the community's successes. Dr. Hains, an elder and a member of the Aboriginal Ethics Working Group that created the Aboriginal Ethical Guidelines for CIHR. Dr. Hains, elder, whose work received priority in SSHRC's Dialogue on Research and Aboriginal Peoples: Appendix B - Aboriginal Knowledge and Indigenous Methodologies. The lifetime of work has now led Dr. Hains to place this wisdom within the Psychology Coalition at the UN and the International Psychology Council, and the validation of the eagle and eagle feathers. Dr. Hains, the 2013 Canadian Teachers' Federation Aboriginal Teacher of the Year, has Métis roots from various locations such as Hudson's Bay, York Factory, Moose Factory, and Eastmain James Bay. Shaun is a mentor with AIHEC.
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Testimonial
The Native Research Network looks beyond to now including Canada. For many years, a hard-working Indigenous organization and as I joined, a spotted eagle and a golden eagle flew gently in the skies from north to south. A statement of validity and reliability with integrity for I do not doubt the love of land and language and commitment. As a Lifetime Member I share the opportunity and responsibility in research now as the eagles flew with such grace. As the Native Research Network works diligently in research, the Indigenous voice that an eagle feather represents is a part of a fluency of life that represents that voice. I am thrilled to be able to work within the Native Research Network as a Canadian. Placing the eagle feather within research alongside the Native Research Network is a joy!
EMAIL: Shaunhains16@gmail.com
Lillian Tom-Orme (Diné)
Past Co-Chair
Lillian Tom-Orme, PhD, MPH, RN. FAAN is Diné and member of the Navajo Nation. She has graduate degrees in transcultural nursing and public health. She serves as adjunct professor in the Dept of Pediatrics, University of Utah.
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Dr. Tom-Orme currently serves as emeritus board and lifetime member of the National Alaska Native American Indian Nurses Association (NANAINA), board member of the American Indian Alaska Native Native Hawaiian Caucus (AIANNH Caucus) of the American Public Health Association, board member of the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations (NCEMNA), and as lifetime member and current Co-Chair of the Native Research Network (NRN). She is a Founding member and four-time Co-Chair of the NRN.
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Throughout her career Dr. Tom-Orme served in numerous national capacities to represent indigenous communities health and research concerns including the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute, National Library of Medicine, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Women’s Health, and the Network for American Indian Alaska Native Cancer Researchers through the Mayo Clinic.
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Her awards include the Living Legend Award by the Navajoland Nurses United for Research, Service and Education; National Impact Award by the National Indian Health Board; University of Utah Young Alumni Par Excellence; American Diabetes Association Reaching People Award; and the Frank Dukepoo Researcher Award by the NRN.
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Locally, she served on the University of Utah Health Science Office of Health Equity and Inclusion, the College of Nursing Outreach and Inclusion Committee as well as serve as Diversity Coordinator, the School of Medicine Admissions Committee, and the Utah State Office of Education Title VI American Indian Education Committee.
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Throughout her career, she mentored students through the NRN, AIANNH Caucus and the University of Utah Native American Research Internship program.
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Her research has focused on various aspects of indigenous health including women’s health, diabetes, cancer, chronic conditions, research ethics and public health. As Research Advisor and Native American Liaison with the NCI, Dr. Tom-Orme was instrumental in identifying the need to improve cancer data among AIAN in the Northwest, Oklahoma, Southwest and the Northern Plains.
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EMAIL: lillian.tomorme@gmail.com
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Ronny Bell, PhD, MS (Lumbee)
Past Co-Chair
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Ronny Bell, PhD, MS is the Fred Eshelman Professor and Chair of the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Bell received his undergraduate degree in Public Health Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health (1985) and his Master’s (1988) and Doctorate (1993) in Foods and Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dr. Bell completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Gerontology and completed a Master’s in Epidemiology (1996) from the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
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Dr. Bell is a native of Pembroke, NC and is an enrolled member of the Lumbee tribe of eastern North Carolina. He currently serves a Chair of the North Carolina American Indian Health Board. He is a member of the North Carolina Advisory Committee on Cancer Coordination and Control (NC ACCCC) and co-chairs the NC ACCCC Prevention Subcommittee. He co-leads the Southeastern American Indian Cancer Health Equity Partnership (SAICEP), a collaboration between the Community Outreach and Engagement programs at the three NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in North Carolina. In 2019, he was appointed as Scientific Co-Editor for the North Carolina Medical Journal. He previously served as Co-Chair of the Healthy North Carolina 2030 Task Force.
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EMAIL: bellr@unc.edu
Kristie Kappa (Native Hawaiian)
Member-at-Large/Student Representative​
Kristi Kaʻapu, DSW, LCSW, is a Native Hawaiian clinical social worker, researcher, and behavioral health provider whose work centers on advancing Indigenous wellness, resilience, and health equity. She currently serves as a Behavioral Health Provider at Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center, delivering trauma-informed and culturally grounded mental health care for children, families, and adults across Hawaiʻi Island.
Dr. KaÊ»apu earned her Doctor of Social Work degree from Tulane University in 2024. Prior to transitioning into community-based clinical practice, she served as Program Manager for the NIH-funded clinical trial Chukka Auchaffi’ Natana (The Weaving Healthy Families Program), an Indigenous-centered, family-based prevention intervention focused on reducing alcohol misuse, strengthening resilience, and promoting holistic wellness in partnership with tribal communities.
Her research focuses on Indigenous populations, mental health disparities, resilience, and issues related to gender, sexuality, and intergenerational wellbeing. She also serves on the governing boards of ITSWEA, the Native Research Network, and NAMI Hawaiʻi, where she advocates for Indigenous self-determination, culturally responsive care, and systemic change.
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Kristi Kaʻapu, DSW, LCSW, is a Native Hawaiian scholar-practitioner, licensed clinical social worker, and behavioral health provider committed to strengthening mental health, resilience, and community wellbeing among Indigenous peoples. She currently provides trauma-informed, culturally responsive behavioral health services at Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center, where her clinical practice integrates Indigenous knowledge, land-based healing, and evidence-informed interventions to support children, adolescents, adults, and families.
Dr. KaÊ»apu received her Doctor of Social Work (DSW) degree from Tulane University in 2024. Before transitioning to community clinical work, she served as Program Manager for the NIH-funded clinical trial Chukka Auchaffi’ Natana—The Weaving Healthy Families Program, to promote wellness and resilience and prevent alcohol and other drug abuse and violence. In this role, she supported the coordination, implementation, and dissemination of a culturally grounded, community-led intervention designed in partnership with tribal nations to strengthen family wellness, reduce alcohol misuse, and enhance interconnected resilience across generations.
Her scholarly work focuses on Indigenous mental health, gendered and structural inequities, resilience, trauma, and culturally grounded interventions, with multiple peer-reviewed publications on Indigenous experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, self-care, social determinants of health, and culturally informed practice. She contributes to several ongoing manuscripts on intimate partner violence, youth wellness, and Indigenous-centered clinical approaches.
Dr. Kaʻapu is also an active leader in national Indigenous health and social work networks. She serves on the Governing Council of the Indigenous and Tribal Social Work Educators Association (ITSWEA) and sits on the NAMI Hawaiʻi State Board. Across these roles, she champions Indigenous self-determination, intergenerational healing, and systems change within behavioral health, research, and education.​
EMAIL: kkaapu@gmail.com
Harrison Platero (Diné)
Member-at-Large
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Harrison Platero is Diné from the Canoncito Band of Navajo Indians, the reservation is located about 35 miles west of the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. He has been a member of the Native Research Network, Inc. since 1997; he has volunteered to assist at NRN research conferences over many years. He is currently serving as ABQ Area Indian Health Board member representing his community of To Hajiilee. He is an employee of the University of New Mexico in the sports and athletics department for seasonal administrative support. He has over 25 years of field behavioral health experience working with Native populations in the SW assisting professional researchers with Diné language and cultural translation with prevention research projects. With his unique skills, he is often called upon to serve as research consultant on prevention research projects for UNM and Johns Hopkins University. He has studied nutrition in college and is often hired as interventionist for the
nutrition and physical activity component of various diabetes and obesity studies. Prior to getting
involved in prevention research studies, he has worked with 5-star hotels in foods and kitchen management.
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EMAIL: haplate@yahoo.com
Native Research Network Elders Advisory Council
Dr. Joe Dan Coulter (Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma)
WISDOM KEEPER
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Dr. Joe Dan Coulter, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Iowa. Dr. Coulter received his PhD in biological psychology and did a Post-doc work in neurophysiology in Texas, Italy and Scotland. Prior to his appointment in the College of Public Health as Associate Dean for Diversity (2004), Dr. Coulter served as Head of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, as Director, Neuroscience Graduate Program, and as the Associate Provost for Diversity and Director, Opportunity at Iowa, The University of Iowa. Dr. Coulter’s professional service has included Associate Program Director, Behavioral and Neurosciences Division, National Science Foundation; Chair, Council of Academic Societies, Association of American Medical Colleges; and President, Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs. Joe Dan, as he is known to AIAN, he worked extensively in AIAN education programs in Montana, Northern Plains and Iowa. He has served on numerous federal review/advisory committees and given talks on research methods and health disparities. Joe Dan remains active in teaching, conducting research and community service in human rights and American Indian/Alaska Native health.
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Dr. C. June Strickland (Cherokee)
WISDOM KEEPER
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C. June Strickland, PhD, RN, Professor Emerita, Department of Psychosocial and Community Health Nursing in the University Of Washington School Of Nursing, for over 25 years, she retired in 2018 as a full professor. Since that time, she has continued to provide guest lectures for the Ph.D. program on grounded theory research methodology, provides an orientation each year for undergraduate nursing students who go into a clinical rotation in two Washington state tribes with the University of Washington School of Nursing. She has collaborated with these two tribes to establish clinical rotation sites with the University of Washington School of Nursing in1997. Additionally, she serves as a member of the University Of Washington Office Of Minority Affairs and Diversity advisory committee, serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Transcultural Nursing, and serves as a member of the Northwest Area Indian Health Board NARCH advisory committee. In 2012, Dr. Strickland was awarded the prestigious Dr. Frank Dukepoo award by the Native Research Network.
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Dr. Yvette Roubideaux (Rosebud Sioux)
WISDOM KEEPER
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Yvette Roubideaux, MH, MPH, is the Vice President for Research and Director of the Policy Research Center at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Her previous work includes serving in the Obama Administration as a Senior Advisor to the HHS Secretary for American Indians and Alaska Natives and as the Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS). She is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Systems, Management, and Policy in the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado. Previous academic appointments include Clinical Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity, Inclusion and Leadership at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University, and Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and Zuckerman College of Public Health. Dr. Roubideaux is former Co-Chair and a founding member of the Native Research Network; additionally, she served as President of the Association of American Indian Physicians. Dr Roubideaux received her undergraduate, medical, and public health degrees at Harvard, is the author of several peer-reviewed research publications and co-edited the 2001 book Promises to Keep: Public Health Policy for American Indians and Alaska Natives.