Hot Chocolate Social Success!

Thank you to everyone who attended the CNAH Hot Chocolate Social last week-December 13.  CNAH opened the doors to the Dr. Ervin Lewis Native American Student Center to provide information on CNAH and the resources provided to students.  The hot chocolate was delicious, the holiday music was vibrant, the give-a-ways were fun and the people were great!  

The event was a success as we had over 40 people attend and we were very excited to have the students from Native American Community Academy (NACA) stop by.  The main goal for this event was to provide an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to gather and engage.  Our goal was met, as CNAH was very happy to see familiar faces and was excited make new connections.  

The Dr. Ervin Lewis Native American Student Center located in HSSB 104 and is an academic space designated for HSC students.  If you need to gain access to the student center, please contact Mary Hubbell-Ansera.  Also make sure to also visit the CNAH website to become familiar with resources provided to support student success here at UNM HSC.  

Thank you again for attending and we hope to see you at our next event!

Pecos reflects on 100 Years of Federal Policy and our Indigenous Core Values

ALBUQUERQUE, NM--On December 12, 2011, Chief of Staff of the New Mexico Legislature and Cochiti Pueblo native, Regis Pecos reflected on what he describes as "perhaps the most important discussion that Indian people must continue to engage in." His lecture on "100 years of Federal Policy and the Impact to Indigenous Nations and our Core Values" was the second in the Fall lecture series sponsored by the Indians into Medicine (INMED) grant at the UNM HSC Center for Native American Health.

Mr. Regis Pecos was born and raised in Cochiti Pueblo and is a lifetime member of the Traditional Tribal Council since 1978. He has served terms as the Governor of the Pueblo as well as Lt. Governor. In 1996, Mr. Pecos became the first American Indian to be appointed as a member of the Board of Trustees for Princeton University. And in 1999, he received NM's highest honor, as he was named New Mexico's Distinguished Public Servant.

Mr. Pecos received a B.A. in History and Political Science from Princeton University and is currently a Ph. D. candidate at the University of California Berkeley. He is the Director and co-founder of the New Mexico Leadership Institute at the Santa Fe Indian School and is devoted to bringing Native people of New Mexico together in forums to discuss issues challenging Indigenous nations.

To view Mr. Pecos' lecture online please visit the following link--the lecture starts at about 12:00 minutes.

For more information about CNAH and our future events, please visit our website.

Message from the CNAH Director

In my new role as Director of the Center for Native American Health I will continue to embrace the principles of Indigenous Planning (IP; Robin, 1995) that rest on a foundation of long-term learning, the empowerment of community voice, and the advocacy of culture and tradition (Jojola, 2000). The 5 IP principles are that:

1. People thrive in community;
2. Ordinary people have all the answers;
3. People have a basic right to determine their own future;
4. Oppression continues to be a force that devastates people; and
5. The people are beautiful, already.

These principles and their foundation form a set of core values and beliefs that, when translated into collaborative health actions, decision making, and policy, can promote positive social determinants of health, eliminate persistent health disparities, and achieve health equity across all Native American communities.

I look forward to 2012 as a year of Native American student achievements; strong, respectful, and productive collaborations with Native American communities and campus partners; the continued professional development and thriving of CNAH staff; and as a time of measurable improvements in the health and prosperity of New Mexico and its citizens.

-Tassy Parker, PhD, RN

CNAH Associate Director is the new President of Blackfeet Community College

We are proud to announce that our Associate Director for Education and Training, Dr. Billie Jo Kipp (Blackfeet) will be the new President of the Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Montana. Congratulations and Best Wishes also to Dr. Kipp!

Dr. Kipp is Blackfeet and has a PhD in Psychology from the University of Montana-Missoula. She is a previous Ford Foundation Minority Fellow and an American Psychology Association Minority Fellow. She has many years of clinical experience working in tribal communities in New Mexico and across the country.

Read an article by Dr. Kipp "Indian Country needs Native psychologists"

CNAH Director and Founder is the new Navajo Nation Surgeon General

We are proud to announce that our founding Director, Dr. Gayle Dine' Chacon, has accepted a position as the Chief Medical Officer and Surgeon General of the Navajo Nation. Dr. Chacon will be taking sabbatical from CNAH and the University of New Mexico to assume her new position.

Dr. Chacon is Navajo originally from Chinle, Arizona. She completed medical school and a residency in Family Medicine at UNM. She is board certified in Family Medicine and has worked on the Navajo and Pueblo reservations. She is an Associate Professor in the UNM Department of Family & Community Medicine.

In Dr. Chacon's absence, CNAH will be led by Dr. Tassy Parker (Seneca).

Read an article from the Navajo Times about Dr. Chacon's new position.