Brain Health Leadership
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Brain Health Advisory Council Feature – Atheda Fletcher
Atheda W. Fletcher–
I grew up in the rural countryside of Seminole, Oklahoma in a very loving family that was always adamant about higher education. Each of my six siblings attended Indian Boarding Schools because that was the only available educational route for them. I was fortunate in that I only spent one-year at the Pawnee Indian Boarding School and then was allowed to attend a public school.
Both my Mother and Father only finished school through the eighth grade, but were wise in their guidance. My Mother and Father always pushed education and my Father, in particular, was adamant in his urgings that we seek any additional education after high school—no matter what it was. He was well aware of what it would take for each of us to be successful in the future. Instilling that drive to seek higher education was learned from a very young age, and all but one sought to achieve higher education. My family is proud to have a PhD, a BA, Nutritionist, Aeronautical Engineer, Welder, Certified Administrator and a stay-at-home mom.
This drive to learn more, seek more and help others along the way is one reason why I was eager to join the Brain Health Advisory Council. The other reason, having a better understanding about dementia and seeing the whole picture drives me to help in any way to bring more awareness and call to action the need for more attention to living a healthier lifestyle. I strongly believe it is so important to bring this awareness to our youth and even to older adults as it is never too late.
Previously, I didn’t have a full understanding of dementia and its effect on the individual and the family. I now know that my Mother experienced dementia and so did my oldest sister. Until I joined the Absentee Shawnee Tribal Health System to work on the Alzheimer’s Disease Program Initiative grant, I truly did not have a full understanding of how dementia affected individuals and families. I wish that I had this knowledge at the time that my Mom and Sister were experiencing dementia. What a difference it would have made in so many areas of our lives.
Being a partner with all the knowledgeable individuals on this advisory council is such an honor. I have a genuine interest in helping bring more awareness to our Native American populations about living a healthy lifestyle. And, dear to my heart, awareness of dementia and how it impacts the brain and each and every one of us. It is my chance to contribute to making a real impact, to share my knowledge and ideas. Health is today, not tomorrow!
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Brain Health Advisory Council Feature – Chandra Wilson
Chandra Wilson
Project Manager – Bold NW Tribal Elder Project – Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB)
I started my work in AI/AN public health services over two decades ago without knowing or having any understanding of the healthcare delivery systems.
My interests and work are committed to developing programs and policies that will support tribal communities and address the persistent health disparities that tribal communities experience. I was born into a reservation community that views life through a Native lens which is a particular way of living; my vision has remained the same, to live out the ways I was raised by my grandparents, and that is to live in the footsteps of our ancestors, and to be guided by purpose and a good life. To me, this looks like to nurture, teach, protect, promote, provide, and advocate for the well-being of tribal communities, families, youth, and elders. This includes promoting traditional wellness, for long, healthy lives for our people. I want to help our tribal communities, our tribal programs, and families learn about dementia by understanding more about Alzheimer’s and how to recognize the early signs of memory loss.
I am interested in serving on the national brain health advisory group for several reasons. I care about people. I care about elders, I care about the health of our brain. I care about traditional-wellness practices.
I didn’t think twice about taking care of my brain until I experienced a traumatic brain injury. During my time serving on the advisory group, I hope to, build connections and expertise in dementia and brain health – bringing my knowledge, energy, and experience to the table and building relationships with other folks who care about people, elders, and brain health.
Chandra Wilson serves as the program manager for BOLD and the NW Tribal Elder’s Project at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board located in Portland, Oregon. In her role as the program manager, she manages and is responsible for supporting the goals and objectives for the BOLD grant and oversees and manages the overall work for the BOLD and NTEP projects and is responsible for assisting the member tribes of Idaho, Oregon and Washington with capacity building to address Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
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Brain Health Advisory Council Feature – Collette Adamsen
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Brain Health Advisory Council Feature – Eva Jackson
Written by: Eva Jackson
My grandparents and great-grandparents have played a significant role in my life. I would beg my mom to take me to visit my great-grandparents after school growing up and moved into a rural community to care for my grandmother after finishing high school. I recently moved back to my hometown in order to be near my other grandmother, my parents, and my other family. Having worked as a professional care provider, in a skilled nursing home, and for an Area Agency on Aging, I see the gaps in the systems and the need to provide better care for those who cared for us and our community. Now, as an Associate Director with the Healthy Brain Initiative at the Alzheimer’s Association, I am honored to work on the Road Map for Indian Country. IA2 helped to write the Road Map for Indian Country and continues to develop valuable Brain Health resources for tribal communities. As this initiative moves forward, I am excited to see the leadership and collaboration around supporting Brain Health in tribal communities continue to grow and be strengthened by the collective knowledge and experiences leading the conversation.
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Brain Health Advisory Council Feature – Joseph Ray
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Brain Health Advisory Council Feature – Kyle Wark
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Brain Health Advisory Council Feature – Leslie Best, BSW
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Brain Health Advisory Council Feature – Talyah Sands, MPH
Written by: Talyah Sands, MPH
My passion for promoting health sparked in college. During my freshman writing seminar on the theme “writing and social responsibility,” I read Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder about the late Dr. Paul Farmer. There was a moment in the book that struck me and has stuck with me ever since—after a long trek to provide medical care to people in a remote area of Haiti, Dr. Farmer had a conversation with one of the local people he was serving. The local person remarked that if their community had learned to read and write, maybe they would not be encountering the health challenges they were experiencing.
The importance of having information to make decisions at the individual level and within a community is what drew me to public health and eventually to dementia. With a family history of dementia, I wish my family had more information about the signs of cognitive decline and what to do about it when we needed it most. Having witnessed the experience of cognitive decline within a family and hearing so many similar stories from others, I am inspired to work as part of the public health movement to improve outcomes and equity. I recognize that the information we need on a personal level to navigate our daily lives is also influenced by the systems and structures of our society that impact our education, economics, and exposures to name a few.
I am honored to serve on IA²’s Brain Health Advisory Council as one way I can contribute to the public health movement to address dementia. It aligns with my value of equity and justice, and desire to improve equitable outcomes in brain health for American Indians and Alaska Natives. I have learned so much from the IA² team over the years. It is a privilege to continue learning from their work and that of the partners on the Advisory Council. I hope to continue learning from the IA² team and the Advisory Council partners about how we, as a public health community, can best meet the needs of American Indian and Alaska Native people living with dementia and their caregivers.
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Brain Health Advisory Council Feature – Tiffany Robb
Tiffany Robb, MHS
Idaho’s ADRD Program Manager
I had the great honor of being very close to my grandparents and great-grandparents as a child. Working in the garden, cooking, fishing, or even providing emotional support while Grandpa worked on his truck are some of the activities I enjoyed while being with my grandparents. When one of my grandfathers became ill, and it led to a state of dementia, I wanted to be there at his bedside. I tried to stand as his advocate and honor him the best I could.
I guess you could say the experience I had with my grandfather’s death and my connection with my elders is what drew me to working in the field of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). I previously worked to support family caregivers at Boise State University’s Center for the Study of Aging when my current position was created. I knew I needed to become the Program Manager for the state’s new ADRD Public Health Program. This was an opportunity to continue my work supporting caregivers while also serving others like my grandfather.
My interest in serving on the National Brain Health Advisory Group was guided by the belief that we do
not know everything and as we develop our statewide ADRD Program, we need to place ourselves in
positions of learning. I hope to gain relationships, an understanding of how I can become more culturally
competent, and how our ADRD Program can best serve all of those who live within the boundaries of
Idaho.
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Brain Health Advisory Council Feature – Wes Martin
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