My name is Cole Allick and I am a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. As an Indigenous scholar, I am passionate about working with Indigenous communities utilizing my skills and knowledge to optimize how research can be used as a tool for addressing health equity. I was recently promoted to a Research Assistant Professor position at the Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) which is part of Washington State University and located in Seattle, Washington. I have been employed at IREACH since 2019, with three of those years being spent as both a full-time employee and full-time PhD student in the Indigenous Health program at the University of North Dakota. This program is the first of its kind in the world and I was honored to be among the first graduates of this historic program in Spring 2023. My professional and academic experiences have shaped my long-terms goals of becoming an independent researcher and national leader in developing innovative, sustainable, behavioral health intervention to reduce health disparities among Indigenous peoples. My current work at IREACH, including my dissertation, focuses on Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) among Indigenous Elders. Since 2022, I have served as the Recruitment and Engagement Core (REC) Lead for the Natives Engaged in Alzheimer’s Research (NEAR) which has allowed me to work with Indigenous communities in hosting and facilitating 20 “Brain Health Events” with over 1,500 Indigenous Elders engaged. I am eager to continue building a track record of community engagement on ADRD among Indigenous Elders in any ways that I can.
