Tribal Health Equity Data Symposium Speakers

William Smith (Valdez Native Tribe), Chairperson and Alask Area Representative, National Indian Health Board

William F. Smith was born in Cordova, Alaska in September of 1952 to Chief Marie Smith-Jones, the last full blooded speaker of the Eyak language. Mr. Smith is an Army veteran of the Vietnam War and he worked for the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company for 36 years. He enjoys his retirement by hunting, fishing, and spending time with his loving family. He is the vice president of the Valdez Native Tribe and serves on the Alaska Native Health Board and the National Indian Health Board as Chairperson of the Board. Chief Bill is one of the local Tribal Veterans Representatives working for his brothers and sisters with their veteran issues.

Meagan Khau, MHA, Director, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of Minority Health, Data Analytics & Research Group (DARG)

Meagan Khau is the Director of the Data Analytics & Research Group (DARG) at CMS Office of Minority Health. DARG conducts research, data collection, and analyses to identify targets to reduce health disparities and improve quality of care, care transitions, access to care, and beneficiary satisfaction for populations at higher risk. DARG is also involved in developing and implementing initiatives and data analyses to support cross-component/cross-agency collaborations to improve data collection, analysis, and reporting of race and ethnicity, primary language, disability, gender, and other characteristics associated with health disparities.

Meagan received her Master of Health Administration from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Irvine.

Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee), MA, Executive Vice President, Seattle Indian Health Board, and Director, Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI)

Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee), MA, is the Executive Vice President of Seattle Indian Health Board and the Director of their data and research division, Urban Indian Health Institute. She serves on the Robert Wood Johnson Public Health Data National Commission, the University of Washington Population Health Initiative External Advisory Board, the Data for Indigenous Justice Board, and many other boards and committees related to data justice and health equity. She also served on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee to create A Framework for Equitable Allocation of Vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus in 2020.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Abigail’s voice has been front and center on a national level, ensuring that the urban Native community is represented in data collection. Seattle Indian Health Board has been a leader in the COVID-19 response directly because of Abigail’s leadership and vision. She has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles including two for the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on COVID-19 among American Indian and Alaska Native people and was lead author on a report about the data genocide of American Indians and Alaska Natives in COVID-19 data.

Abigail has led the way in bringing the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) to the forefront, leading directly to federal, state, and local legislation working to protect Native women. She serves on the Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Taskforce, which she was instrumental in bring to fruition.

Abigail earned her Bachelor of Arts in American Studies with a minor in Human Rights and her Master of Arts in Policy Studies both from the University of Washington. She is a researcher and policy professional specializing in tribal government and urban Indian relations. She successfully leads teams of public health professionals to develop culturally competent and culturally relevant NIH-, CDC-, and HHS-funded health and policy interventions with tribal and urban Indian communities across the country.

Dr. Myra Parker (Mandan-Hidatsa-Cree), JD, MPH, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine

Dr. Myra Parker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes originally from the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. She also serves as Director of the Seven Direction tribal public health institute, overseeing multiple programs designed to support tribal and urban Indian public health capacity development and serving tribes, urban Indian health centers, and tribal epidemiology centers. Her research focuses on cultural adaptation of evidence-based interventions among American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Dr. Michelle Kahn-John (Dine), PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, GNP, Research Associate, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing 

Dr. Kahn-John is a Research Associate at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. As an Indigenous Nurse Scientist, she leads and advocates for culturally safe, respectful and collaborative research partnerships Native American communities.  As an advanced practice nurse, she's been a transformative health systems leader for over 25 years and continues to offer clinical (psychiatric) and administrative support to hospitals and clinics serving the Navajo Nation. Her program of research aims to understand the benefits of the Diné (Navajo) Hózhó wellness philosophy, Native wellness practices and outcomes of Native ceremonial interventions. Her current research collaboration with Dr. Teresa Brockie is focused on Native American Youth suicide prevention in two Great Plains tribal communities.  

Rachael DeMarce (Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians), Analytics Engagement Manager, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

Rachael DeMarce is a member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians and descendent of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. Her Blackfeet name is Mis tahks ah ki, meaning Mountain Woman. Rachael is the Analytics Engagement Manager at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC). As part of ANTHC’s Data & Analytics Team, she leads key statewide meetings and collaborates with Tribal Health partners to foster a data-driven culture. In 2022, she accepted an Indian Health Service Team Director Award for a statewide project to correctly identify American Indian and Alaska Native patients in data sets. Over the past thirteen years, she has managed state and federal grants, evaluated health and education grants, and secured over 22.5 million in funding for Alaska Native and American Indian programs. Rachael holds a Master of Public Health and Public Administration from Columbia University.

Ben Han, Lead Analytics Architect, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

Ben Han designs and implements data platforms to support Tribal Health partners in Alaska in his role as a Lead Analytics Architect within Analytics Engagement at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC). Prior to joining ANTHC, Ben co-founded a small company (Alpine Consulting Partners) in Washington, DC devoted to developing data modeling, reporting, integration, warehousing, forecasting, and analytics solutions for government, non-profit, and commercial organizations. Ben lives in Anchorage with his partner Cayley and their dog Fern. He enjoys cooking with friends, skiing in the backcountry, and making acoustic and electronic music.

Denise Scholfield, Executive Director, Data Strategy, Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute

Denise Schofield is an Executive Director at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute, responsible for leading Market Development.

In her role, Denise analyzes and recommends market growth opportunities and strategies in support of the Institute’s mission to create business solutions to solve for social determinants of health. Denise also oversees program analytics and finance, manages governance for the Institute, and provides operational leadership and support for transportation services.

Prior to joining the Office of Clinical Affairs, Denise led the Program, Planning and Development (PPD) group at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. In her role leading PPD, she was responsible for managing and growing the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) system’s international licensing program, developing strategic partnerships and programs in support of BCBS’s strategic imperatives, and launched an Innovation Practice, collaborating with BCBS Plans to accelerate innovation across the BCBS system.

Prior to joining BCSBA in 2003, Denise spent 15 years serving in a variety of business and product development roles with several national payers and providers, including Oxford Health Plans, Prudential Health Plans, Platinum Health Care, and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She began her career in finance and management consulting, developing strategies for payers and providers. Denise is a graduate of Stanford University, where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Human Biology.

Nancy Scherden, Managing Director of Brand Insights, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Nancy Scherden has over 20 years of experience working in Strategic Marketing and Brand Insights leadership roles not only within healthcare, but across several industries from Automotive to IoT.  As a Strategic Marketing Insight Leader, Nancy has worked for an array of B2B and B2C industries, Globally, supporting business functions such as Marketing, Engineering, Data Analytics, Consumer Experience and Industrial Design as well as Business Development and Strategy for C-Suite executives.  In her roles, she has supported several organizational transformation activities from defining market spaces and opportunities a company can win, play, compete or invest to supporting several Global Joint Ventures and Acquisitions. She is a passionate advocate for leveraging market research and consumer insights to inform critical business decisions and opportunities for the companies she serves including Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.  

Rochelle Ruffer, Ph.D., Tribal Health Data Project Director, National Indian Health Board

Rochelle Ruffer, Ph.D. is the Tribal Health Data Project Director at the National Indian Health Board (NIHB). She serves many functions at NIHB including managing the data around insurance enrollment for American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Rochelle earned her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin. Prior to joining NIHB in January 2022, Rochelle served as a faculty member for a total of 26 years at Ithaca College, Youngstown State University, and Nazareth College in Rochester, NY where she was the Associate Dean of the School of Business and Leadership before relocating to the Washington, DC area.

Sujata Joshi, MSPH, Project Director/Epidemiologist, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB)

Sujata Joshi (she/her) has served as the director of the Improving Data & Enhancing Access – Northwest (IDEA-NW) project at the Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center for over 10 years. Her work is focused on increasing the quality and accessibility of data for Tribes in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. She received her MSPH with a focus in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the Rollins School of Public Health. Prior to joining the Northwest TEC, she served as an environmental epidemiologist for the State of Oregon and as an epidemiologist at the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona TEC.

Delight Satter (Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde), MPH, Senior Health Scientist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Delight E. Satter, MPH, is a Senior Health Scientist in the CDC’s National Center for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce (NPHIC). Satter’s primary job functions include providing counsel to the director on issues related to complex research, science, and program integration assignments that reflect the priorities, policies, interests, and initiatives of the agency. She also advises the director on the implementation of cultural and diversity assessments while ensuring responsiveness to tribal and partner recommendations pertaining to the data and information needed to accomplish this mission. Her current portfolio includes public health infrastructure and workforce, including co-leading the Tribal data modernization initiative, providing subject matter expertise to the Hear Her Campaign; serving on the principal authorship team for the CDC’s Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication; and serving as co-author and implementation working group member for the White House Indigenous Knowledge Guidance.

Specific to public health data, she has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and policy documents focused on improving data capacity for American Indian/Alaska Native and other populations. She has provided subject matter expertise on numerous intragovernmental, international, state, tribal/urban Indian organization public health and policy and efforts. She co-chaired the data efforts for both Operation Lady Justice and the Not Invisible Act Commission focused on murdered or missing and human trafficked AIAN. Her recent external partnership efforts include federal subject matter expert to NativeDATA, a data sharing resource for Native Peoples and organizations at NPIHB, supporting multiple state-based epidemiologic studies ensuring disaggregated data for local action, and the RWJF Expert Panel: Transforming Public Health Data Systems to Advance Health Equity, composed of intergenerational indigenous data experts.

Prior to joining CDC, she directed the American Indian Research Program at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research for 15 years. Satter has partnered with over 150 tribes and urban Indian communities primarily in North America on research, public service and public health practice efforts. Her expert areas include racial and ethnic data and community-based participatory research and approaches. She is a founding key staff member and advisor to The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the nation's largest state health survey.

Satter received her master's degree in public health from the University of Minnesota and bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Washington. She is a tribal member and Elder of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Oregon.

Carrie Field, MPH, Policy Analyst, National Indian Health Board

Carrie Field joined the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) as a Policy Analyst in the Federal Relations Department in 2021. She specializes in public health policy and leads NIHB’s Tribal health equity project, bringing together hundreds of health leaders in Indian Country to examine health equity issues from a Tribal perspective. In March 2023, Ms. Field was the lead author on the first comprehensive national report on Tribal health equity, including recommendations for federal agencies to advance health equity for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Prior to coming to NIHB, Ms. Field served as the Public Information Officer and Regional Community Health Assessment Coordinator for a rural district health department in Michigan. Previously, Ms. Field worked as a graduate student intern with the Public Health Law Program within the Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ms. Field completed her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Public Health Policy from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. She also holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Calvin University.

Dr. Donald Warne (Oglala Lakota), MD, MPH, Co-Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health

Donald Warne, MD, MPH, is the Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health. He is an acclaimed physician, one of the world’s preeminent scholars in Indigenous health, health education, policy and equity as well as a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Dr. Warne also serves as Johns Hopkins University’s new Provost Fellow for Indigenous Health Policy.

Warne comes from a long line of traditional healers and medicine men, and is a celebrated researcher of chronic health inequities. He is also an educational leader who created the first Indigenous health-focused Master of Public Health and PhD programs in the U.S. or Canada at the North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota, respectively. Warne previously served at the University of North Dakota as professor of Family and Community Medicine and associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as director of the Indians Into Medicine and Public Health programs at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Warne received a Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University, Doctor of Medicine degree from Stanford University’s School of Medicine, and a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Krystal Schramm (Little River Band of Ottawa Indians), MS, Senior Technical Business Analyst, Michigan Health Information Network

Krystal Schramm is one of the nation’s leading authorities in the field of interoperability within tribal healthcare systems. As a Native American herself, Schramm has dedicated her career to leveraging technology and data-driven strategies to transform the health care delivery system for Michigan’s indigenous communities. Schramm currently serves as the Director of Native American Engagement  and Senior Technical Business Analyst for the Michigan Health Information Network (MiHIN). In this role, she leads a team in meeting with tribes one-on-one across the state of Michigan to learn about each tribe’s respective patient populations, cultural needs, tribal clinics, and clinical workflows. With over 20 years of experience, her expertise in cultivating relationships built on trust, transparency and cultural awareness has proven invaluable to bridging the knowledge gap and helping improve clinical care for tribal communities throughout Michigan.

Pharah D. Morgan, MS, MPH, Lead Epidemiologist, Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, Tribal Epidemiology Center (RMTLC TEC)

Pharah D. Morgan, MS, MPH is Lead Epidemiologist with the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, Epidemiology Center (RMTLC TEC) in Billings, MT. Pharah have over eight years’ experience working with American Indian Tribal populations addressing cancer prevention, cancer epidemiology, and commercial tobacco control.

Jessica Imotichey, MLS, MPH, (Chickasaw), Health Policy & Legislative Analyst, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health

Jessica Imotichey currently serves as the Health Policy and Legislative Analyst for the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health. She is an enrolled tribal citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. Ms. Imotichey received 2 graduate degrees from the University of Oklahoma, an MLS in Indigenous People’s Law from the OU College of Law and an MPH in Health Administration & Policy from the OU Health Sciences Center. She has worked in a variety of positions throughout Indian Country for over 2o+ years. She now resides within the Chickasaw Nation reservation in Oklahoma.  

Nickolaus Lewis (Lummi Nation), NIHB Vice Chairperson and Portland Area Representative Chairperson, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board

Nickolaus Lewis (Jutskadim) is an enrolled tribal member of the Lummi Nation in Washington State, a proud veteran serving eight honorable years in the U.S. Navy (2000 – 2008), and the father of three children (Ethan Lewis, Nickolaus Lewis III, and Tyray Lewis). Mr. Lewis is the grandson of the late Chief Sa-hum-kun (Donald Lewis) of the Lummi Nation, and believes that as his grandson he must honor his people by serving his people as his grandfather did before him. This belief has driven his work, with focuses on health care and the judiciary. He is personally and passionately involved in addressing homelessness as a health disparity for our native people. Mr. Lewis currently serves as a Councilmember of the Lummi Indian Business Council, Chairman of the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, and Vice Chairman of the Indian Policy Advisory Committee (Washington State). He is also very active with local health policy as well as judicial policy for the Lummi Nation in Whatcom County.

Darby Galligher (Miami Tribe of Oklahoma), MPH, Communications Coordinator, National Indian Health Board

Darby Galligher, a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, is a Communications Coordinator for the National Indian Health Board, focused primarily on social media. Before that, she worked on projects aimed at increasing COVID-19 Vaccine confidence within Tribal communities. Prior to working with NIHB, Ms. Galligher worked for the Urban Indigenous Collective, a nonprofit located in New York City, as a Project Manager focused on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). Ms. Galligher received her BS in Public Health from Miami University in 2019 and received her MPH from New York University in 2021. 

Jeannie Le, MPH, Data Visualization Analyst, National Indian Health Board

Jeannie Le (she/her) is a Data Visualization Analyst for the National Indian Health Board (NIHB). Her current work focuses on collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data on a variety of health topics impacting American Indian/Alaska Natives. Most recently, this involves data relating to Medicaid and unwinding of the continuous enrollment provision.

Prior to her position at NIHB, she served as an Epidemiologist for the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center (GLITEC), a program of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council (GLITC).

Jeannie is a 2021 graduate of the Brown University Master of Public Health in Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics program. She attended Brown University for her undergraduate degree, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health in 2020.  

Brett Weber, MPA, Environmental Health Programs Director, National Indian Health Board

Brett Weber serves as the Director of Environmental Health Programs in the Public Health Department at NIHB.  Prior to NIHB, Mr. Weber worked at the United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs as a Policy Fellow where he worked on health, environmental, energy, and other issues for then Vice Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT).  He has also worked as an intern at the White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.  Mr. Weber completed his master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!).   He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.

Aliza Bolling, CDC Public Health Associate Program Associate, CDC

Aliza Bolling is the Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) assigned to the Environmental Health team from CDC. She is a Washington, DC Native and received her Bachelors of Science degree in Public Health Sciences from Xavier University of Louisiana. She has been with the CDC and NIHB for a year and advises on environmental health programs and projects alongside Brett Weber.

Mitchell Thornbrugh, (Muscogee Creek Nation), Chief Information Officer and Director for the Office of Information Technology, Indian Health Service (IHS) 

Mitchell Thornbrugh is the chief information officer and the director for the Office of Information for the Indian Health Service. The IHS, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the principal federal health care advocate and provider for American Indians and Alaska Natives. He is an enrolled member of the Muscogee Creek Nation.

Thornbrugh is responsible for advising senior IHS leadership on all aspects of information resource management and technology and ensures IHS compliance with information technology laws, regulations, and policies. Under his leadership, OIT designs, develops, implements, and maintains policies, budgets, standards, architecture, and systems for IHS information technology, including the IHS information technology security program that protects IHS resources. OIT also participates in cross-government initiatives and collaborates with federal, tribal, state, and other partners to serve American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Thornbrugh previously served as the chief operations officer for the Cherokee Nation Hastings Hospital since 2009. While there he streamlined administrative services, improved inventory management, and led the implementation of a commercial electronic health record. He also managed the transition and organizational change to a centralized revenue cycle team. Thornbrugh also served as the chief information officer for Cherokee Nation Hastings Hospital from 2005 to 2009, and has been a long-time member of the IHS Information Systems Advisory Committee. He received the IT Eagle Award for his contribution to Georgia-Pacific during his tenure in their information technology group. In 2018 he was awarded the Executive Directors Financial Pillar Award from Cherokee Nation Health Services.

Thornbrugh has an Associate in Science from Connors State College and a Bachelor of Science in business and health care management from Western Governors University.

Aila Hoss, JD, Associate Professor of Law, Indiana University McKinney School of Law

Aila Hoss is an Associate Professor at Indiana University McKinney School of Law where she teaches and researches at the intersection of health law and federal Indian law. Professor Hoss practiced public health law as a staff attorney with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Law Program, where she provided legal technical assistance to state, Tribal, local, and territorial governments. Her work at CDC included supporting the agency’s Ebola Emergency Operations Center and serving as a faculty member for the agency’s Working Effectively with Tribal Governments course. She was previously an Assistant Professor and faculty advisor at the University of Tulsa College of Law’s Native American Law Center. Her scholarship has been published in notable legal and public health venues including the Wisconsin Law Review, Nevada Law Journal, Public Health Reports, and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Her advocacy work includes lending her expertise and offering trainings to health departments, nonprofit organizations, and policymakers. Professor Hoss began her academic career at IU McKinney as a visiting professor for three years with the Hall Center for Law and Health. She completed her BA at Emory University and her JD at the University of Oregon. She is an active member of the Indiana bar and a proud Iranian-American.

Dr. Meghan Curry O’Connell, (Cherokee), MD, MPH, Chief Public Health Officer, Great Plains Tribal Leaders' Health Board

Meghan Curry O’Connell is the Chief Public Health Officer for the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board (GPTLHB). The GPTLHB represents 18 tribal communities throughout a four-state region of Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center (GPTEC) is a core component of the GPTCHB, providing leadership, technical assistance, support and advocacy for the tribal communities throughout the region. Dr. O’Connell received her undergraduate degree at Grinnell College and her medical and public health training at the University of Washington. After completing residency in family medicine at North Colorado Family Medicine Residency, Dr. O’Connell practiced primary care – including full-scope family medicine – in tribal and underserved communities.

Chris Alibrandi O’Connor, JD, Deputy Director, Mid-States Region, Network for Public Health Law

Chris(tine) Alibrandi O’Connor, JD, is a Deputy Director at The Network for Public Health Law whose work focuses on legal issues related to the collection, maintenance, use, and storage of data for public health purposes. She provides legal technical assistance and training related to issues around data, with expertise in health data privacy matters. One focus of her work is providing legal support to Tribal Epidemiology Centers and Tribes to access health data from federal, state, and local public health agencies. Chris received her Juris Doctorate from Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, MA, and her undergraduate degrees in marketing and sociology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts, Georgia, and New Hampshire. She is bilingual (Spanish), has served on several non-profit boards, and actively volunteers in her community, with a focus on supporting recent immigrants, herself the granddaughter of four immigrants.

Dr. Amanda Lam, MD, MPH, Informatics and Data Services, Epidemiologist, Pima County Health Department

Amanda Lam, MD, MPH, is a data and informatics epidemiologist at the Pima County Health Department in Tucson, AZ. Through the county’s partnership with a tribal health jurisdiction, Dr. Lam created a tool to extract tribal health data from county health surveillance data. Prior to public health, Dr. Lam spent seven years helping healthcare organizations with the technical implementation of patient portals and other digital patient engagement tools, and with their integration with electronic health record systems. Dr. Lam received their Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley, a Medical Degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and a Bachelor of Arts in Information Science from Cornell University.

Tyler Baccam, MS, Epidemiology Intelligence Unit (EIU) Surveillance Epidemiologist, Pima County Health Department 

Tyler Baccam, MS, is a Surveillance Epidemiologist for the Pima County Health Department (PCHD) in Pima County, Arizona. As a Surveillance Epidemiologist, Mr. Baccam works in surveillance and reporting of infectious diseases for PCHD to better understand the trends and risk factors affecting the population of Pima County. Prior to Mr. Baccam’s work for PCHD, he worked in an epidemiological research lab studying zoonotic diseases, where he learned how to develop data entry and analysis systems specific for infectious disease epidemiology. Mr. Baccam completed his Master of Science in Epidemiology with a concentration in Emerging and Infectious Diseases from the University of Iowa. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a Minor in Microbiology from the University of Iowa.

Anamalia Suʻesuʻe, MA, PhD student, Department of Psychology, Graduate Research Assistant, Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Anamalia (Ana) Suʻesuʻe is a doctoral student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the Department of Psychology working with Dr. Ashley Maynard in the Community and Cultural Psychology area. She earned her Master's in Psychology in May 2023. Ana's research interests include culturally responsive policies and programs for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in health and education. Ana has worked as a graduate research assistant with Dr. Lorinda Riley in the Office of Public Health Studies since September 2021 where she has helped with projects focused on Native Hawaiian historical trauma and alternative incarceration models. This summer Ana completed a Public Health Law Fellowship with the CDC and ChangeLab Solutions where she worked with Dr. Meghan O’Connell at the Great Plains Tribal Leaders’ Health Board on issues related to tribal health data access policies. Ana’s family is from the villages of Utulei, Fagatogo, and Fitiuta, American Samoa. Ana grew up in Kaʻaʻawa on Oʻahu and Keaʻau on Hawaiʻi Island. She currently lives in Hauʻula with her husband and two children, her mother, and younger sister.

Dawn Hunter, JD, MPH, Director, Health Equity, Network for Public Health Law

Dawn Hunter, J.D., M.P.H., serves as Director, Health Equity. Dawn is an experienced state health department policymaker and legislative analyst whose work focuses on research, analysis, implementation, and capacity building related to the use of law and policy to improve health outcomes and advance racial equity. She is particularly interested in the development of racial equity action plans and implementation strategies at the state and local level and leads an ongoing assessment of declarations of racism as a public health crisis and related efforts to address health inequities. In the past year, she has been collaborating with partners in the Collaborative for Anti-Racism and Equity. Dawn also focuses on strategies to improve health outcomes through civic engagement and served as the lead author of the Health & Democracy Index. She also conducts training on equity in public health messaging through the Becoming Better Messengers initiative. Prior to joining the Network, Dawn served in a number of roles focused on public health, policy, and health equity, including serving as deputy state health official at the New Mexico Department of Health, where some of her core responsibilities included managing the Department’s legislative agenda and policy activities as well as strategic planning, performance management, and public health accreditation.

Dawn received her A.B. in English Literature from Princeton University, her B.S. in Microbiology and her M.P.H. in Global Communicable Disease from the University of South Florida, and her J.D. from Stetson University.