Over the past six years, the Diné Household Water Survey (DHWS) team has travelled countless miles down unpaved roads and spoken with thousands of community members to arrive at this essential static: approximately one in four households on Navajo Nation does not have running water in the study population. The time and labor-intensive need to haul water for daily […]
We are incredibly proud to share the news that Dr. Novalene Goklish is the recipient of the 2025–2026 Bloomberg School of Public Health Faculty Award for Excellence in U.S. Public Health Practice — the school’s sole award recognizing outstanding impact in public health service across the United States. Dr. Goklish, belovedly known as Novalene, is a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe and […]
Surrounded by “first family” – the pines, fir, spruce and aspen trees of the Great Lakes region – members of the Ojibwe People are participating in a study that centers the Gii’igoshimong life course ceremony. Dr. Miigis Gonzalez, a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Nation and an Assistant Scientist with JHCIH’s Great Lakes Hub, is leading the effort to build an evidence base that substantiates a long-held truth in many Indigenous communities: when people reconnect with […]
The Awééts’áál (Cradleboard) Project docu-film premiere brought life and energy into an otherwise quiet auditorium. Filled with laughter, side conversations, and warm introductions, the evening marked the beginning of a growing community. Held at the Phil Thomas Performing Arts Center in Shiprock, NM, the event drew community members from surrounding towns, all arriving with a shared […]
One of the most unexpected and meaningful outcomes of the international SPIRIT work has been the relationships formed across homelands and oceans. Over time, collaborators became relatives, connected not only through the work, but through shared values, culture, language and kinship. These relationships ultimately inspired the children’s book When You See the World, written by our own Crystal […]
The Family Spirit program, developed by the Center for Indigenous Health nearly 27 years ago, now has over 190 community-based affiliates across the United States. Through this locally-run model, affiliate programs receive training, curriculum, and ongoing programmatic support, while remaining rooted in the unique strengths and needs of their own communities. In Oakland, California, Angelina Swayne (Hawaiian, Navajo) is now Program Manager for Native American Health Center’s home visiting program (Strong Families). […]
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 […]
