Tribal Health the Podcast

The Psychedelic Renaissance focuses on the use of Indigenous plant medicines, preserving tradition and balancing it with modern science. In this episode of the Tribal Health Podcast, Christine Diindisi McCleave discusses using traditional plant medicines in Indigenous communities to address historical trauma and promote healing. She discusses colonization's impact, healing approaches, commodif...

The First Nations Development Institute empowers Californian Native-led initiatives and safeguards Indigenous heritage. In this episode, Sabine Talaugon, program officer for California Tribal Fund’s First Nations Development Institute, discusses the fund's inception in 2020 to support California-based, Native-led nonprofits and Tribal programs focused on safeguarding food systems, water, langu...

Telehealth transformed Indigenous healthcare in Alaskaby, breaking barriers and increasing access.  In this episode, Dr. Supriya Mathur discusses her Indigenous healthcare work in Alaska, connecting remote communities with geographical access barriers to good healthcare through telemedicine. She emphasizes the importance of cultural understanding alongside treatment to address unique health challe...

Allyship and representation are key to bridging the gap between public health and politics. In this episode, Representative Christina Haswood shares her journey into politics, including her work on Indigenous issues and public health from the Kansas House District 10. Christina is passionate about creating change, equity, and inclusion in her role as a state legislator, which is why she hopes to b...

Embracing cultural approaches to mental health treatment can make a real impact on communities. In this episode, Constance Scharff discusses addiction, trauma recovery, and the importance of integrating Indigenous practices in mental health. She also highlights the connection between addiction treatment, cultural trauma, and the value of acceptance, therapy, and storytelling in mental well-being....

Native self-actualization is a path for personal growth and community development. In this episode, author Sidney Brown shares insights into her journey and career, highlights the importance of embracing identity and purpose, and advocates for preserving Indigenous culture and knowledge. She also discusses how her book "Transformation Beyond Greed" explores Indigenous perspectives on sel...

Cultural understanding works hand in hand with Tribal healthcare. In this week's episode, we talked to Dillon Shije about his work as a health advisor to Pueblo nations and his journey towards becoming a medical doctor. Dillion shared a look into how traditional care can incorporates ancestral knowledge from nature, movement, and prayer to foster community strength and wellness. We loved our c...

Native youth are our future - but are they getting the information they need about their sexual and mental health? In the new episode of the Tribal Health Podcast, Celena Ghost Dog talks about empowering Native youth by giving them inclusive care, education, and a platform to share their voice on mental and sexual health issues. She talked to us about her involvement in programs on LGBTQ+ issues a...

This week the Tribal Health Podcast talks to Dr. Meghan O'Connell about her role in providing health services to underserved communities. How can we better use public health data to challenge systemic disparities? Dr. O'Connell explains her approach to community health and shares some of the challenges she encounters in trying to build health equity in disadvantaged areas.  Don't miss...

Meet Sierra Asamoa-Tutu, a generational healing therapist and clinical social worker, who talked to us about her groundbreaking mental health work with the Native community in Gallup, New Mexico. Sierra explains why current systems may not work for people with varied backgrounds, traditions, and beliefs - and why minorities usually have to address their trauma independently. Tune into a great epis...

On the latest episode of The Tribal Health Podcast, we're honored to introduce Brendan McKenna, Vice President of Tribal First, who talked to us about exercising Tribal sovereignty in healthcare. We had a fascinating discussion about delivering care based on each Tribe's needs and the importance of treating behavioral health and substance use disorders on Indigenous lands. Brendan emphasiz...

In this episode of the Tribal Health Podcast, we speak to game-changing Indigenous midwife Nicolle Gonzales (Navajo), BSN, RN, MSN, CNM. As executive director and founder of the Changing Woman Initiative, Nicolle is leading a movement to reincorporate traditional birthing practices into Indigenous communities once more. Native American maternal health is impacted by racial discrimination, food ins...

Every tribe deserves quality public health services. In our new episode, Chris Tall Bear discusses how Indigenous people can best navigate public Tribal health pathways, as well as his work with the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board programs and conferences. He shares the positive changes happening in Tribal care proactiveness and how he's successfully driven higher community engagement. Tun...

Many Native American communities are in food deserts, leading to imbalanced relationships with food. In this episode, Denee Bex, a Navajo registered dietitian, founder, and owner of Tumbleweed Nutrition LLC, talks about helping Indigenous communities understand and upgrade their relationship with nutrition. Denee also discusses how healthcare professionals can work more effectively with Indigenous...

Why do health inequity issues exist in some communities? Sometimes process and policy plays a role. In this episode, DeRonn Kidd, senior manager at Aetna, CVS Health, talks about his journey to increase health equity and question existing policies that affect it. He explains why working with these communities requires a different approach to establish self-sustaining processes - and why existing p...

This week we're honored to host two incredible guests from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. As a nonprofit organization, NABS provides advocacy and healing to boarding school survivors in Indian Country. Creative Director Kenrick Escalanti and Director of Research and Education Deidre Whiteman explain how we are now reckoning with the true harm of boarding schools in...

Meet Jenny Slagle, a Tribal relations expert who's helping the Spokane community build a collective voice to achieve equity. Jenny spoke with us about her work and activism for equitable representation in education and health for indigenous people. Her career has focused on educating people, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, on Native American identity. Jenny discussed her work with organizations and...

Native Communities are a solution, not a problem to be fixed. That's the premise of today's episode, featuring the incredible Sasha Houston Brown. Sasha (Santee Sioux) is a Senior Communications and Advocacy Consultant for Blue Cross Blue Shield Center for Prevention in Minnesota. She shares some of her initiatives at Blue Cross Blue Shield, many of which center around diversity and inclusion of d...

This episode, we welcome Serene Thin Elk, Chief Behavioral Health Officer at South Dakota Urban Indian Health! Cultural Health is one of the main pillars of the SDUIH, whose mission is to integrate clinical care with Native traditions and knowledge. The cultural health department includes Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota lifeways and teachings, yet the space for spiritual and cultural sharing is open fo...

How can we increase the number of Native American physicians across the nation? That's the question answered by our guest today, Dr. Mary Owen (Tlingit), associate dean of Native American Health at the University of Minnesota’s Medical School. Dr. Owen is also the director of the Center of American Indian Minority Health.   Dr. Owen talks about the lack of Native nurses and physicians, her pr...

Please welcome this episode's guest, Heather Sauyaq Jean Gordon from the Iñupiat community in Alaska! As a research scientist, Heather plays a significant role in providing cold hard data to policy teams to drive meaningful change for Indigenous communities. She shared with us the impact on historical trauma on daily interactions in Native life, insights on the Alaskan healthcare system, and the p...

What does it mean for Tribal nations when health meets philanthropy? Edgar Villanueva, this episode's guest, is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a tribe that includes the descendants of the Trail of Tears survivors. Originally involved in health marketing, Edgar developed a passion for philanthropy and began creating programs to empower Native communities. Today Edgar has helped man...

Meet Trey Adcock from Cherokee Nation. Trey launched the American-Indian Indigenous program at University of North Carolina in Asheville to build Native representation in academia. Trey explains the origins of the program and why Indigenous students succeed when their cultural identity is recognized. Tune in to this episode to hear a fascinating discussion of Tribal identity in UNC classrooms.

Mental health can still be a taboo topic in some Tribal nations. Today’s guest knows all about that from her work to destigmatize mental health issues: Dr. Billie Jo Kipp! She talked to us about her experiences in behavioral healthcare, explaining the role of historical trauma in addiction, violence, and mental illness. She also shared why a communal approach is more effective in behavioral care t...

Today we talk to Lt. Governor Monica Antone of the Gila River Indian Community. Known as The River People for their 2000 win of a settlement about water rights, the Gila River community is comprised of two tribes: the Akimel O'odham (Pima) and the Pee-Posh (Maricopa). Lt. Governor Antone shares her dreams for Gila River's 23,000 tribal members, the devastating impact of the pandemic, and they pers...