Admin
Administration Division
DenYelle Kenyon, PhD CRCAIH Principal Investigator
Dr. Kenyon earned a PhD in Family Studies and Human Development from the University of Arizona. Her research interests lie in adolescent health and development, transition to adulthood, healthy youth development, and applied developmental science approaches, such as prevention, intervention, and evaluation.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Senior Research Specialist
Jessica Heinzmann earned a B.A. in Economics and Social Science from the University of Minnesota, Morris. Her research experience includes working on a childhood obesity prevention grant before joining the CRCAIH team in 2015. Jessica is an enrolled member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe.
Previous Admin/Evaluation Staff:
Amy Elliott, PhD (original CRCAIH principal investigator); Leah Bangston; Christa Friedrich; Emily White Hat; Ann Marie Hess
Learn more about Admin
The Administrative Division provides leadership and guidance as CRCAIH works towards achieving its goals. Admin also manages website development and leads coordination of the annual CRCAIH Summit. Evaluation and the coordination of the CRCAIH Pilot Grants Program also fall under the purview of Admin. Admin oversees CRCAIH subcontracts, works with partners to develop their scopes of work, and maintains communication and reporting systems for CRCAIH activities.
CEID
Community Engagement and Innovation Division
Melissa Buffalo, MS Senior Research Specialist
Melissa is an enrolled member of the Meskwaki Nation in Iowa as well as the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. She earned a M.S. in Human Development with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education from South Dakota State University. Her goal is to provide culturally appropriate education to communities, students and researchers and work with CRCAIH partners to increase community engagement regarding research.
Previous CEID Staff:
Victoria Grey Owl (Core Director); Jennifer Prasek, Roxi Miller, Jessica Heinzmann
Learn more about CEID
The Community Engagement and Innovation Division coordinates activities to bring education, awareness and knowledge regarding research infrastructure and capacity building for CRCAIH Tribal Partners. Engaging with tribal nations, stakeholders and researchers, this division leads community engagement efforts for research. Some of these activities include hosting Inside CRCAIH's video blogs, coordinating Tribal partner's retreats, and supporting discussions within tribal nations on how research can serve as a tool for decision making and planning future research goals. Most recently, CEID alongside RKC, Admin and RST, provided an rETHICS training to research review members in western South Dakota.
CSBC
Culture, Science & Bioethics Core
Yvette Roubideaux, MD, MPH NCAI Policy Research Center Director
Dr. Roubideaux is the Director of the NCAI Policy Research Center, which is a national tribal research and policy center that focuses on data to inform the policy development efforts of tribes and to inform public policy debates. Her prior work includes research, education, health systems administration and policy development in the areas of American Indian and Alaska Native health policy and the quality of diabetes care.
Previous CSBC Staff:
Deana Around Him (NCAI PRC), Gene Thin Elk (Medicine Wheel Inc.)
RKC
Regulatory Knowledge Core
Michaela Seiber, MPH Senior Research Specialist
Michaela has a Master's in Public Health from the University of South Dakota (USD). Her research interests involve health policy, ethics, and health disparities in special populations, such as American Indians and the LGBT community.
Previous RKC Staff:
Jyoti Angal (Core Director); Temana Andalcio
MC
Methodology Core
Jessica Hanson, PhD Director of the Methodology Core
Dr. Hanson earned a PhD in Community and Behavioral Health from the University of Iowa. She is currently the Principal Investigator on NIH-funded research studies that use community-based participatory research with American Indian tribes to develop, implement, and evaluate alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP) interventions. For the past 12 years, Dr. Hanson has directed and evaluated multiple projects within American Indian communities focused on maternal-child health and has published both qualitative and quantitative data related to women's health and wellness, including prevention of alcohol-exposed pregnancies and fetal alcohol syndrome.
Previous MC Staff:
Susan Puumala (Core Director); Chad Birger; Morgan Nelson; Wyatt Pickner; Tess Weber; Jing Zhao