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 so rapidly that we have outgrown our original office space. Our greatest measure of success lies in maintaining trusting partnerships with community-based team members and regional Tribal Nations. These relationships form the foundation of everything we do, reflecting our commitment to authentic collaboration and shared leadership in advancing Indigenous health and well-being throughout the Great Lakes Region.
Our vision at the Great Lakes Hub centers on healing the harms of colonization by supporting the inherent strengths of our communities. We celebrate the remarkable persistence of our roots as Indigenous Peoples, including our maintenance of connection to spiritual helpers, with nature, to one another, and across generations.
We have much to celebrate: the continuation of our now 23-year Healing Pathways longitudinal study, the successful completion of a 5-community trial of the Together Overcoming Diabetes program, innovations in harm reduction including our collaboration with the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe on public health vending machines, and the proud representation of Minnesota-based students within the JHU DrPH and MPH programs, including within the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.
Looking ahead, we are honored to partner with SMSC in their IndigeFit Kids campaign to promote Native youth well-being, expanding our partnerships to support community leadership in food sovereignty, and collaborating on the exciting new Anishinaabe Canoe Migration project to support grassroots, culturally grounded health promotion activities. As we dream of the future, we are eager to garner funding and support for a new Hub location—a space that will include room for community gatherings and serve as a corridor of innovation and strength in Northeast Minnesota.”