I am a Professor at UW Medicine University of Washington and a member of the Neurosciences Institute in the Department of Neurosurgical Surgery at the University of Washington. Formerly, I was the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health, one of the largest research organizations in the nation devoted to the health and healthcare of Native and rural peoples. My work encompassed 150+ partners and dozens of scientists in diverse disciplines and considers health at the level of the individual, the community, and the health system, using quantitative and qualitative methods. I have been Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator of more than 80 projects funded by NIH, including 15 multi-site, center-type grants, private foundations, and other major organizations. I have extensive experience in community-engaged methods and training and education efforts. For 10 years, I have been the co-leader of the Native Research and Resource Core/Satellite Core and have been a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on 22 dementia-related grants. I developed both the Brain Train Events and the build an Alzheimer’s disease research registry of more than 700 participants. My other work has feature training, education, and mentoring. On achievement I am proud of is mentoring junior faculty members, primarily from minority groups underrepresented in health research. Since 1998, I have directed the Native Investigator Development Program, the nation’s most successful career-training program for Native junior faculty. The 53 Native Investigators who have completed the program have garnered $300+ million in federal and other funding and published 500+ peer-reviewed publications. I also have served on many other federally funded training programs. I am also the founding Director of the Northwest Health Education Research Outcomes Network, a practice-based research and education network of 200+ primary care practices primarily in rural areas throughout Washington State. I also have a broad background in public health and primary care, with emphasizing on culturally competent care.
