Participation of Tribal Communities within ECHO​ – “Research With, Not On”​

Key Takeaways:

The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate how Tribal communities contribute critical knowledge and perspectives to ECHO research while maintaining their rights as sovereign nations. Participation of the Navajo Nation and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in the ECHO Cohort illustrates how culturally-responsive partnerships, Tribal oversight, and data protections strengthen both the research and the communities involved.

Christine Hockett, PhD

Director of Community Research

Avera Research Institute

Biography:

Dr. Christine Hockett is a life course epidemiologist whose research examines how modifiable factors shape chronic disease risk, particularly cardiometabolic conditions and mental health, from early life through adulthood. For more than 15 years, she has partnered with rural, Indigenous, and underserved communities to address maternal and child health, health disparities, access to care, nutrition, and chronic disease management through community-engaged observational and intervention-based research. As Director of Community Research at Avera Research Institute and leader of its Data Management, Analysis, and Evaluation Core, she advances rigorous data systems, statistical analysis, and program evaluation to generate evidence that improves individual and community health outcomes.

Debra MacKenzie, PhD

Research Associate Professor

College of Pharmacy

University of New Mexico

Biography:

Dr. MacKenzie is MPI of the Navajo Birth Cohort Study with Dr. Johnnye Lewis.  She is a Research Associate Professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of New Mexico and is co-director of the Community Environmental Health Program.  She has a background in molecular biology, immunology and environmental toxicology.  She has worked in partnership with tribal communities to both understand and mitigate health impacts related to environmental exposures for over 10 years.

Rae O’Leary, MPH

Assistant Director of Missouri Breaks

Avera Research Institute

Biography:

Rae O’Leary is the Assistant Director of Missouri Breaks and an Indigenous research nurse dedicated to advancing public health and research on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. She leads community-based health initiatives and conducts research focused on improving health outcomes in Tribal communities. Since ECHO Cycle II, Rae has served as the site Principal Investigator and coordinator for the Cheyenne River Tribal Cohort under Avera Research Institute’s Award 110.

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