Biography
Claudia, a member of the Diné Nation, is Ma’ii Deeshgiizhinii ‘Áshįįhi (Coyote Pass Jemez/Salt Clan), born for Tábąąhá (Waters Edge Clan). Her maternal grandpa is Hooghan Łání (Many Hogans Clan) and her paternal grandpa is Naakaii Dine’é (Mexican Clan). She joined the center in April of 2024. Claudia works as a Research Associate in Shiprock, NM and is involved in helping with community recruitment and a camp facilitator for the Family Spirit Strengths and Teen Prevention Pregnancy programs. Claudia is motivated to work and give back to the community after living in the Wasatch region for approximately 10 years.
Prior to joining the center, Claudia worked with the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake with a research intervention with the University of Utah College of Nursing hoping to help spread peri- and menopausal symptoms and how to alleviate those symptoms through integrative therapies. Claudia has worked with the Indigenous tribes of Guatemala in Women’s Health through HPV prevention. She has a deep passion to address health disparities and inequities within tribal nations and other Indigenous communities globally.
Claudia also worked on cancer survivorship projects to implement patient-reported outcomes as a standard of care for cancer survivors. Claudia has a BS degree in Biology from Utah Valley University and a Master of Public Health with a Global Health emphasis and Certified in Public Health from the University of Utah. She is interested in pursuing an MD/PhD in the future. Claudia enjoys being outside with her husband, Alexis, and dog Gibby. Claudia loves to either listen to or read books to and from work or travel.