SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

I am of Navajo descent and pursuing a career in healthcare has granted me with the opportunity to serve fellow American Indians. I currently work as an Advanced Practice Clinician in the emergency department at hospitals on the San Carlos Apache and Pine Ridge Oglala Lakota reservations. Consistently, I see poor access to health services which creates a barrier to delivering evidence-based care. Providing holistic and evidence-based care promotes self-reliance and assists patients in maintaining positive health behaviors. Unfortunately, I’ve found that closing the gap between evidence-based care and clinical feasibility on American Indian reservations is quite a challenge.  The Executive Doctorate of Nursing Practice program at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing has provided me with the skills and knowledge to address the health disparities I see on an aggregate level. Additionally, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was gracious enough to select me as a Sackler Scholar to pursue me Public Health Training Certificate in American Indian Health. My passion to serve has only been strengthened by the rigorous study required by these two programs. That passion has motivated me to work harder than I ever have before, and has resulted in being a Dean’s List student and awarded an opportunity to take part in the Executive Nurse Leader Mentorship program at Johns Hopkins University. I am tremendously honored to be named a Jonas Scholar and look forward to learning from my fellow scholars.