Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, DrPH
Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, DrPH(Choctaw)
Professor of Medicine
Director
Tvli Jacob, PhD, MPH, BA, AA
Tvli Jacob, PhD, MPH, BA, AA(Choctaw)
Assistant Professor
Director of Dissemination and Implementation
Tori Taniguchi, MPH
Tori Taniguchi, MPH
Epidemiologist
Director of Data and Research

Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, DrPH
Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, DrPH(Choctaw)
Professor of Medicine
Director
Tvli Jacob, PhD, MPH, BA, AA
Tvli Jacob, PhD, MPH, BA, AA(Choctaw)
Assistant Professor
Director of Dissemination and Implementation
Tori Taniguchi, MPH
Tori Taniguchi, MPH
Epidemiologist
Director of Data and Research
Stephanie Plante-Burks, MPH
Stephanie Plante-Burks, MPH
Research Coordinator

Kaylee Clyma, MPH
Kaylee Clyma, MPH(Cherokee)
Research Assistant
Kristina Gabriel, BS
Kristina Gabriel, BS(Cherokee)
Research Assistant
Samantha Crewse, BS
Samantha Crewse, BS
Grants Manager

Susanna Lopez, PhD
Susanna Lopez, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Stephanie Plante-Burks, MPH
Stephanie Plante-Burks, MPH
Research Coordinator
Kaylee Clyma, MPH
Kaylee Clyma, MPH(Cherokee)
Research Assistant
Kristina Gabriel, BS
Kristina Gabriel, BS(Cherokee)
Research Assistant
Samantha Crewse, BS
Samantha Crewse, BS
Grants Manager
Susanna Lopez, PhD
Susanna Lopez, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Affiliated Faculty

Ashley Cole, PhD
Ashley Cole, PhD(Citizen Potawatomi)
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Research Associate
Evan White, PhD
Evan White, PhD(Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma)
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Research Associate

Innovative Research

The Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy was established by Dr. Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan in January 2019. The CIHRP supports health equity for Indigenous people by conducting population health research, implementing culturally-appropriate interventions, developing and launching health sciences training specializing in Indigenous health using culturally-grounded frameworks, and fostering long-term relationships with university and community partners.

Innovative Research

CIHRP supports health equity for Indigenous people by conducting population health research, implementing culturally-appropriate interventions, developing and launching health sciences training specializing in Indigenous health using culturally-grounded frameworks, and fostering long-term relationships with university and community partners.

The Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy (CIHRP) was founded by Dr. Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan in January 2019. CIHRP values relational vs. transactional interactions and bridges.

Native Americans (NA) experience substantial cardiometabolic health disparities: NA adults are 50% more likely to be obese, 30% more likely to have hypertension, and are twice as likely to have diabetes compared to Whites.

The food systems of many NA communities were disrupted when they were forcibly removed from their traditional homelands to reservations. Consequently, many NA communities had to rely on government surplus foods, which are provided by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations and are a staple in the food systems of many NA communities.

Designed to augment a household’s food supply, the program is the primary source of food for 51% of NAs in rural and reservation areas where food insecurity, a lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life, is three times more common than in the general US population.

Native Americans (NA) experience substantial cardiometabolic health disparities: NA adults are 50% more likely to be obese, 30% more likely to have hypertension, and are twice as likely to have diabetes compared to Whites.

The food systems of many NA communities were disrupted when they were forcibly removed from their traditional homelands to reservations. Consequently, many NA communities had to rely on government surplus foods, which are provided by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations and are a staple in the food systems of many NA communities.

Designed to augment a household’s food supply, the program is the primary source of food for 51% of NAs in rural and reservation areas where food insecurity, a lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life, is three times more common than in the general US population.