Biography
Shannon rejoined the Center for Indigenous Health in October of 2021. She currently works as a Research Associate in Whiteriver, AZ on Project SafeSchools. Shannon provides logistical coordination of the school-based COVID-19 testing portion of the project, working with partner schools on the Fort Apache and Navajo Reservations. As a member of the project’s evaluation team, Shannon aids in data management and project evaluation. She has recently assisted in the development of the +Connection is Medicine/Healing Spirits program which was designed to address the increase in mental health distress within Project SafeSchools communities from stress due to the pandemic.
Prior to rejoining the Center, Shannon worked at the University of Colorado’s Multiple Internal Review Board, where she gained research regulation experience. She was later subcontracted to the Veterans Administration’s Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Centers, where she gained additional skills in intervention design, data management, and implementation science. Shannon worked at the Center prior to leaving in 2016 to earn a master degree. She worked on the administration team and later as a Research Program Supervisor for the Family Spirit Program in Whiteriver, AZ. She credits this previous work with the Center as the driving force behind her passion for public health and her desire to earn her MPH.
Shannon has a BA in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Arizona and an MPH from the University of Colorado. She enjoys being outdoors to camp, hike, kayak, and garden and tries to travel as often as possible.