Research

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Migration has always fascinated me, specifically its impacts on Indigenous communities. Consequently, my main research areas focus on migration, health, and race/ethnicity. I am particularly concerned with understanding how patterns of colonization have impacted Indigenous identities, and how colonialism has, and continues to affect Indigenous people’s physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. 

Dissertation Research
My dissertation used a semi-decolonized, mixed methods approach to understand the relationships between mental health, Native American/Indigenous identity, and the politics of recognition (tribal membership) in parts of the Great Lakes region. Building on descriptive statistics from the American Community Survey (ACS), US Census, and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to shed light on Indigenous identity and mental health outcomes of the American Indian/Alaskan Native (AIAN) population in the region, I analyzed 42 interviews conducted with self-identified Indigenous/AIAN people living in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin on how tribal enrollment (or lack there-of) affects identity and mental health.

Past Research
I worked as a research assistant for Dr. Danielle Gartner (Epidemiology) and Dr. Heather Howard-Bobiwash (Anthropology) on a pilot study, “Indigenous Approaches to Postpartum Mental Health: Assessing Opportunities for Community-based Growth and Solutions.” This project was in collaboration with the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc. (ITC), a consortium of Michigan’s federally recognized tribes.