Biography
Courtney Claussen, PhD, MPH, Cheyenne River Lakota (an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe), is a Research Associate for the Great Plains Together Overcoming Diabetes project. She joined the Center in April of 2024. Her passions include the interconnectedness of Indigenous health from a holistic and strengths-based lens, at the community, national and international levels.
She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science at Black Hills State University, Master of Public Health with an emphasis in American Indian Public Health at North Dakota State University, and her PhD in Indigenous Health at the University of North Dakota. Her purpose is to carry herself as a community-centered, relational scholar who advocates for the optimal health of Indigenous Peoples.
Courtney is based in Mní Luzáhan (Rapid City, South Dakota).