Doctoral student Christina E. Oré received the 2016 Louise F. Marshall Foundation Dissertation Fellowship of $10,700 and a tuition scholarship from the UA Graduate College for both spring and fall 2016 semesters.

Christina is a doctoral candidate in public health policy and management at the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Her interest is in support of Indigenous peoples and the public health systems within their communities. The Fellowship will support her research of the Yaqui public health system from the perspective of the tribe’s traditional and lay health providers. The findings will be used to develop a culturally grounded and salient conceptual framework of the system.

Christina is working under Traditional Authority approval with communities in Rio Yaqui, Sonora, Mexico. This dissertation study has explored the use of an Indigenous centered methodology to develop a conceptual framework for tribal specific public health practice.

After graduation Christina hopes to use this framework to develop a tribal specific community health assessment plan, present it to the Yaqui Traditional Authorities for support and obtain funding to put it into action.

“Very few global health systems strengthening efforts are using conceptual frameworks that are centered on Indigenous peoples worldview, beliefs, values, experiences and practices. It’s important that these communities have a voice and can take action to improve the health and wellbeing of their people.”

“It is time for health development ‘by and for’ Indigenous people, in order to give voice and action for self determination efforts. This is a small step toward that goal. The study findings have implications for public health research and practice with the many Indigenous communities not only in Mexico but globally,” she said.