Molita Yazzie M.Sc., M.H.S. (Dine’)
Alzheimer’s and Dementia Project Director
Molita Yazzie is Dine’ from the Western Agency on the Navajo Reservation. She currently serves as the Director of Tribal Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease Projects at International Association for Indigenous Aging (AI2). In this capacity, she is responsible for managing the Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) projects; and serves as the Principal Investigator (PI) for the American Indian and Alaska Native Resource Center for Brain Health funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Molita received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (major), and American Indian Studies (minor) from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona; a Master of Administration in Health Science from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona; a Master of Science in Social Anthropology from University of Oxford in Oxford, England: and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health Management from the University of Washington School of Public Health in Seattle, Washington.
Her work with Indigenous Nations includes building and enhancing public health infrastructure for Native Nations, researching health and social disparity causes in indigenous populations, and educating on the historical traumas that are the result of federal policies. Her expertise includes developing and maintaining relationships with representatives of communities, tribes, governments, and public interest groups; facilitating trainings for higher education institutions and K-12 school districts about Native American Boarding School Policy, history, and generational impact; developing evaluation plans, implementing and monitoring activities, and producing reports; and American Indian Federal Policy.
Molita’s passion is to see Native Nation health issues and disparities recognized and addressed as part of the federal Trust Responsibility, where the United States “has charged itself with moral obligations of the highest responsibility and trust” toward Indian tribes.
