We are honored to feature Dr. Collette Adamsen as this month’s Brain Health Advisory Group Member Feature.
Collette is originally from Belcourt, North Dakota, and is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Since 2017, Dr. Adamsen has served as the director of the National Resource Center on Native American Aging (NRCNAA) at the Center for Rural Health (CRH) at the University of North Dakota (UND) School Medicine and Health Sciences in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Growing up, Collette shared that the support she received from her grandparents and other elders in the community was extremely important to her. As a result, she dedicated herself to giving back and working with native communities and elders.
Collette reflected on how meaningful it is to listen to and visit elders from many communities, including her own, “being guided by elders allows us the opportunity to learn from their knowledge and wisdom.”
Before joining the Center for Rural Health, Collette received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, a Master of Public Administration with an emphasis in Health Administration, and a Doctorate in Educational Foundations and Research from the University of North Dakota.
We asked her why she joined the IA²’s Brain Health Advisory Group. She shared how rewarding it is working with multiple tribes and organizations that all come together to better the lives of elders in communities. With so much information and education needed,
Collette noted, “helping to be part of a group of trailblazers in finding ways to identify strategies and solutions to help elders, families, and caregivers who are affected by dementia is important and needed.” Check out Collette’s related article titled “The Association of Cultural Participation and Social Engagement with Self-Reported Diagnosis of Memory Problems Among American Indian and Alaska Native Elders.” The article examines the association of cultural participation and social engagement with older American Indians and Alaska Natives with self-reported diagnoses of memory problems.
