An interview with Dr. Laura Hammitt, CIH Director of Infectious Disease Prevention Can you introduce yourself and your role in the BoostVax project? Dr. Hammitt: I’m Laura Hammitt, a pediatrician and epidemiologist by training. I lead our Infectious Disease Prevention Team and have the honor of co-leading the BoostVax project, which is a collaboration with the Indian […]
Across the country, proposed federal policy changes, which would exclude public health degrees (MPH and DrPH) and nursing from a new definition of professional degree programs, could have far-reaching effects on public health education and the future workforce serving Tribal and rural communities. As the proposed changes remain open for public comment until March 2, 2026, we invited our Co-Director, Dr. Donald Warne, […]
The Elders in Residence (EIR) Program, launched in January 2025, was created to ensure that Indigenous spirituality, cultural teachings, and relational accountability are embedded at the heart of research, practice, education, and training across the Center. Rather than positioning Elders as occasional speakers, the program intentionally honors Elders as cultural anchors and trusted guides whose teachings shape […]
Firearm suicide is a growing and preventable public health crisis for American Indian and Alaska Native youth. Nationally, firearms are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents; Native communities—particularly Navajo youth—are disproportionately affected. Clinicians play an important role in prevention. Access to unsecured firearms is a modifiable risk factor, yet nearly half of American Indian and Alaska Native […]
Story update: January 15, 2026We are tremendously relieved that HHS announced last night that the $2 billion cuts to SAMHSA funds were reversed, including the $2.57M for our grants. Yesterday was challenging for our staff and the families we serve who were affected by this news, and the Center’s teams who threw themselves into fundraising […]
I had the honor of traveling with and spending time alongside Indigenous health legends, Dr. Raymond Reid (Diné) and Dr. Mathuram Santosham, two individuals whose invaluable contributions have strengthened infant health, saved hundreds of Native babies (and beyond), and helped build the foundation for immunization and research innovation for the Navajo Nation. […]
The nation’s first Indigenous-focused Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) and a corresponding Indigenous concentration in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program will open for applications in 2026 at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. These groundbreaking graduate programs, offered through the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, will prepare future leaders to […]
Reflection from Dr. Melissa Walls, Director of the Great Lakes Hub: “As we mark the sixth anniversary of the Great Lakes Hub, we are filled with gratitude for the remarkable journey we have shared together. Our team’s growth has been extraordinary—we have quadrupled both our projects and full-time team members since opening our doors, expanding […]
The Northern Plains American Indian Lung Cancer Intervention Project is a dynamic collaboration between the Center for Indigenous Health’s Great Plains Hub and the Avera Research Walking Forward Clinic. Led by Dr. Donald Warne and Dr. Jordyn Gunville-Pourier, the project is addressing: Lung cancer screening, treatment, and prevention are being promoted through outreach and structured interventions ed by Lakota […]
In Lakota and Dakota cultures, horses – sun’ka wakan, or “holy/mysterious dog” – are sacred relatives. They are connected to the people through a spiritual bond and are believed to be gifts from the Wakíŋyaŋ (Thunder Beings). This deep relationship is at the heart of our current initiative: Equine and Culturally Grounded Treatment for Substance Use […]
This fall, we celebrate the first anniversary of the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health’s Great Plains Hub, a growing force for culturally grounded health initiatives across tribal communities in the region. One of the Hub’s cornerstone programs, Together Overcoming Diabetes (TOD), is transforming how diabetes is addressed in Indigenous communities. The TOD program has been […]
Dear Friends, It is both an honor and a privilege to lead our programming at the Great Plains Hub of the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health. As a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, this work is sacred and it is deeply meaningful to bring that experience home […]
For 19 years and counting, Dr. Novalene Alsenay Goklish has led and nurtured JHCIH’s Celebrating Life program, focused on suicide prevention in the White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona. The profound community impact of this work – 38% decrease in suicide deaths and 53% decrease in suicide attempts during the first 12 years of implementation – cannot […]
