Currently I'm writing a couple of different book chapters on the topic of adolescent rites of passage and would like to write another, more comprehensive book on this topic. I’m also working on the resubmission of a grant proposal to examine Native-based spirituality and religiosity as protective mechanisms in alcohol use of American Indian adolescents.
American Indian adolescents; identity formation within social and cultural contexts; indigenous stage theories; rites of passage; the roles of rituals as mechanisms of positive youth development.
Cherokee
Colorado State University
Kimberly.Miller@colostate.edu
Projects
Drug use among young Indians: Epidemiology and Prediction. Health Care Literacy for Head Start Families. PROJECT HOME: Healthcare Options Made Easy
Research Interests
Strength based psychology and resiliency, culturally sensitive measurement development, positive youth development, psychological well-being, and the epidemiology and treatment of substance use and eating disorders in ethnic minorities.
Mitchell, Christina, PhD
Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health (CAIANH), Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH), University of Colorado Denver (UCD)
Research Interests
Adolescent development, problem and positive behaviors among American Indian youth, longitudinal data analysis
Montano, Muskadee, MSW
Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe
University of Minnesota Duluth
Mousseau, Alicia, MS
Oglala Lakota
University of Wyoming Department of Psychology
Projects
Examining a number of social-cognitive concept including 1) Value Priorities 2) Self-Theories of Intelligence 3) Goals and 4) Self-Efficacy to Depressive Symptoms in American Indian Youth.
Research Interests
American Indian Youth Risk and Resiliency
Newman, Denise, PhD
Ojibwe/Metis
Tulane University
Nixon, Dawn, PsyD
Red Cliff Project LAUNCH (Wisconsin)
Novins, Douglas, MD
Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health (CAIANH), Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH), University of Colorado Denver (UCD)
Pence, Alan, PhD
School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria
Price, Derek, PhD
Wheaton College
Romero-Little, Eunice, PhD
Cochiti Pueblo
Associate Professor, School of Transformation/American Indian Studies,Arizona State University
Projects
Becoming Jemez: The Early Childhood Experiences of Jemez Children
Photovoice Project Project Mashchamtam Project - A Native American Early
Childhood Education Teacher Training Project.
Research Interests
Child language socialization, early childhood of Indigenous
children, Indigenous language maintenance and revitalisation, language
acquisition, alternative educational assessment, bi- and multi-lingual
education.
Rosenkoetter, Sharon, PhD
Oregon State University
Sam, Michele, MSW, HBSW, BA-Indigenous Learning and English
Ktunaxa
Researcher (part time) PhD - Interdisciplinary Studies, Human Early Learning
Partnership-University of British Columbia
michele.sam@ubc.ca
Projects
Utilizing Early Development
Instrument data collected over 10 years, and contextualizing specific to
Ktunaxa Nation traditional land use territories. Indigenous Methodologies for
restoration of peoplehood in the early years Conceptualizing Aboriginal SocioEconomic
Index.
Research Interests
Indigenous Methodologies and influence of Indigenous cosmologies
and ontologies as context for mixed methods, cross cultural research
restoration of Indigenous Peoples knowledge relationships Appreciating
Indigenous peoples experiences of early years that challenge "early
childhood Development frameworks" 2nd and 3rd generation experiences of
FASD as neurobiological complex disorders and misdiagnoses Indigenous
sovereignty and cognitive justice for life long learning, health and wellbeing.

Michelle Sarche, PhD
Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health (CAIANH), Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH), University of Colorado Denver (UCD)
Scott, Walter
wscott@uwyo.edu
Shaw, Jennifer, PhD Candidate
Projects
Role of subsistence culture in perceived well-being and aspirations of Alaska Native youth (dissertation); community-level protective factors for suicide prevention in three Alaska Native communities.
Research Interests
Social and cultural dimensions of youth health and well-being; positive youth development; youth suicide prevention; participatory research; childhood studies
Siemon, Mark, RN, MPH, MSN, PhDc
University of New Mexico College of Nursing
msiemon@salud.unm.edu
Projects
Board member with New Mexico Alliance for School-Based Health Care
working to increase comprehensive school-based health programs in Native
American communities in New Mexico.
Research Interests
Policies and programs related to school health services for AI/AN
children and youth. Primary prevention of childhood obesity among AI/AN
children.
Click here to view CV
Silburn, Sven, BSc (Psychology), BSc (Hons), MSc (Clinical Psychology)
Director, Centre for Child Developtment and Education; Darwin, Australia
sven.silburn@menzies.edu.au
Projects
Early developmental
pathways linking health, disability, education, welfare and justice, 2010-2015;
NHMRC 572742 Development and evaluation of a program for Aboriginal parents to
build strong families and give children a healthy start, 2005-2011: NHMRC
323242 Transforming Indigenous Education Research and Evaluation Partnership
(Menzies & NT DET)
Research Interests
My current research is
focused on developing evidence-based policy and practice in child and youth
health, family and parenting interventions, education and child protection
services in the Northern Territory. My background is in the implementation,
analysis and reporting of a number of large-scale epidemiological studies
including the WA Child health Survey, the WA Aboriginal Child Health Survey and
the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC).
Soto, Claradina, MPH
University of Southern California
toya@usc.edu
Projects
Examining psychosocial cultural risk and protective factors to
smoking among American Indian youth in urban and rural areas of California.
Research Interests
Designing culturally appropriate and effective interventions for
the prevention of recreational smoking among American Indian populations, while
preserving traditional tobacco use for ceremonial purposes
Spicer, Paul, PhD
Center for American Indian Lifecourse Studies; University of Oklahoma
paul.spicer@ou.edu
Projects
Multiple projects in intervention development in infancy and preschool
Research Interests
Early childhood development and intervention; Addiction and obesity
Click here to view CV
Spillane, Nichea, Clinical Psychology, PhD
Maliseet
Brown University
Stolle, Darrell, EdD
University of Montana College of Education & Human Sciences
darrell.stolle@umontana.edu
Projects
-AGILE: Assessment Guided Instruction in Learning Environments -Trauma, Native Children and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Research Interests
Interventions for Child Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Grief in Native American communities Schools as a therapeutic context
Thomas, Lisa, PhD
Tlingit
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington
Projects
PI, Native Pathways to Sobriety, NIDA (1R01DA029002-01); PI, Native Healing and Wellness Conference NCMHD (2R13MD002247-02); Co-I, Healing of the Canoe NCMHD (5R24MD001764-05)
Research Interests
Health Research with Native and Tribal Communities using Community Based and Tribally Based Participatory Research approaches
Click here to view CV
Thompson, Nicole, PhD
Menomonee/Mohican
College of Education, Mississippi State University
nt65@colled.msstate.edu
Research Interests
American Indian and Alaska Native Early Childhood Education; American Indian and Alaska Native Teacher Preparation; Professional Development for Teachers of American Indian and Alaska Native Young Children; Middle Level Education; Middle Level Teacher Preparation; Middle Level Preservice Teachers and their Understandings of Diverse Issues; and for both American Indian and Alaska Native Students and Middle Level Students--The Formation of Relationships with their Teachers.
Click here to view CV
Tsethlikai, Monica, PhD
Zuni Pueblo
Department of Psychology, University of Utah
Projects
Cognitive mechanisms of self-regulation and memory in children.
Research Interests
Constructive memory processes and social cognition; individual differences; cultural aspects of cognitive development.
Click here to view CV
Twemlow, Stuart, MD
Maori
Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine
Vraniak, Damian, PhD
Ojibwe/Cree/Assiniboin/Hochunk/Huron
maaingan@centurytel.net
Projects
123Mystery for Teachers; Upper St. Croix River Watershed Environmental (USWE) Charter School Initiative
Research Interests
Currently I am working with teachers in the local public and tribal schools at the primary and elementary school levels, in terms of "dualizing" classroom teaching methods, using my 123Mystery process and materials. The relevant core constructs in this approach I have termed 'paired-learning', 'paired-cognition', 'dyadic intelligence' and 'entangled cognition', all embedded in a "pairing-into-partnering" process of forming highly efficient small learning groups within classrooms by pairing students and shifting who is paired with whom over time. We have field-tested training materials for teachers and materials for students over the past several years at increasingly earlier grade levels.
Click here to view CV
Walkup, John, MD
Center for American Indian Health, Johns Hopkins
Walls, Melissa, PhD, MA
Couchiching First Nation, Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe
Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Medical School-Duluth
alls@d.umn.edu
Research Interests
Indigenous Health, Mental Health & Translational Community-Based Participatory Research
Click here to view CV
Watson, Malcolm, PhD
Phychology Department, Brandeis University
West, Amy, PhD
Southern Cheyenne
University of Illinois at Chicago
awest@psych.uic.edu
Projects
1. Psychosocial Treatment for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder, funded by a K23 from NIMH: a randomized clinical trial of a family-based psychosocial intervention for children with bipolar disorder. 2. American Indian Center of Chicago Circles of Care, funded by SAMHSA: an infrastructure development grant to support the development of a community-based, culturally-relevant model system of mental health service delivery for Native youth and families in Chicago
Research Interests
The prevention and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders in children, culturally-based intervention development, suicide prevention.
Wexler, Lisa, PhD
University of Massachusetts Amherst
lwexler@schoolph.umass.edu
Projects
NSF: Collaborative Research: Investigating Indigenous Circumpolar Pathways into Adulthood Suicide Prevention with Alaska Native Communities in Northwest Alaska
Research Interests
Cultural identity and wellbeing/resilience Qualitative research-Community Based Participatory Suicide Prevention in Tribal Communities
Whitbeck, Leslie
lwhitbeck2@unlnotes.unl.edu
Whitesell, Nancy Rumbaugh, PhD
Centers for American Indian and Alaska Native Health (CAIANH), Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH), University of Colorado Denver (UCD)
nancy.whitesell@ucdenver.edu
Research Interests
Early
adolescent substance use prevention, early childhood prevention in the context
of tribal home visiting and Head Start/Early Head Start programs, culture and
development (especially identity development), effects of stress and
trauma on development
Click here to view my CV
Whitmore, Corrie, PhD
Health Program Analyst, Southcentral Foundation
cwhitmore@scf.cc
Wimsatt, Maureen, MSW
University of Maryland
wimsattm@umd.edu