IHS National Clinical and Community Workforce Summit

Dr. Jolie Crowder serves as the National Elder Care Consultant for the DCCS at the IHS Headquarters. In this role, she serves as the principal representative responsible for planning, formulating, and implementing national elder care policies and programming focused on early recognition, diagnosis, and management of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Additional responsibilities include representing the DCCS in the elder program forward-facing outreach activities and monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the elder care program. Before joining the IHS, she worked for more than a decade with the International Association for Indigenous Aging as a Senior Director and Director of Research and Evaluation and briefly with the National Council for Urban Indian Health. She served as Principal Investigator for a National Healthy Brain Initiative award and lead evaluator for four tribal Administration for Community Living Alzheimer’s grants. In addition, Dr. Crowder has hands-on experience developing plain language, and culturally relevant resources for use by and for Indian Country. She has published peer-reviewed publications on elder abuse, dementia, and, most recently, social determinants of cancer in American Indian and Alaska Native populations working in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Crowder graduated with a master’s in health systems management and a doctorate in nursing science from the University of Virginia, where her doctoral dissertation focused on elder mistreatment in Native populations.

Ms. Valerie Jones serves as the Elder Health Care Data Coordinator for the DCCS at the IHS Headquarters. She brings over twenty years of public service experience in the health and human services industries. Her background and interests center on improving health outcomes in Native American communities. Prior to joining IHS, Ms. Jones served as the Health Administrator of the Navajo Nation Division of Aging and Long-Term Care Support Program overseeing aging services in 110 communities on the Navajo Nation. She also served as the Tribal Arizona Long-Term Care Administrator with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, overseeing intergovernmental agreements with various Tribes in Arizona. Additionally, she worked with the Department of Commerce on the Decennial Census, providing technical assistance and administrative guidance to the Dallas Regional Census Center. Ms. Jones earned her Master of Public Administration degree from Arizona State University and a Master of Arts in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling degree from the University of Arizona.

Michelle Archuleta, (Paiute-Shoshone, San Juan Pueblo/Tewa) is the National Community Health Representative Lead for the Division of Clinical and Community Services. Ms. Archuleta brings to the Indian Health Service a diversity of experience with athletics, sport, recreation, and community health directing outreach and education programs in supporting healthy lifestyles, prevention and wellness. She joins us from the Bemidji Area Office where she served in dual capacities as the Health Promotion/Disease Prevention and Community Health Representative Consultants. Ms. Archuleta’s work passion includes health coaching, narrative processes and holistic models connecting first person lived experiences with health. She is a contributing chapter author in Living Indigenous Leadership: Native Narratives on Building Strong Communities. She has had many mentors who have guided her along the way, and in taking this position she sees it as both an honor, and a way of giving back to Native communities.

Capt. Cynthia Gunderson, PharmD, is the Vice-Chair of the IHS National Committee on Heroin, Opioids, and Pain Efforts (HOPE) Committee. The HOPE Committee works with tribal stakeholders to promote appropriate and effective pain management, reduce overdose deaths from heroin and prescription opioid misuse, and improve access to culturally appropriate treatment.

Ms. Valerie Jones serves as the Elder Health Care Data Coordinator for the DCCS at the IHS Headquarters. She brings over twenty years of public service experience in the health and human services industries. Her background and interests center on improving health outcomes in Native American communities. Prior to joining IHS, Ms. Jones served as the Health Administrator of the Navajo Nation Division of Aging and Long-Term Care Support Program overseeing aging services in 110 communities on the Navajo Nation. She also served as the Tribal Arizona Long-Term Care Administrator with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, overseeing intergovernmental agreements with various Tribes in Arizona. Additionally, she worked with the Department of Commerce on the Decennial Census, providing technical assistance and administrative guidance to the Dallas Regional Census Center. Ms. Jones earned her Master of Public Administration degree from Arizona State University and a Master of Arts in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling degree from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Jolie Crowder serves as the National Elder Care Consultant for the DCCS at the IHS Headquarters. In this role, she serves as the principal representative responsible for planning, formulating, and implementing national elder care policies and programming focused on early recognition, diagnosis, and management of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Additional responsibilities include representing the DCCS in the elder program forward-facing outreach activities and monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the elder care program. Before joining the IHS, she worked for more than a decade with the International Association for Indigenous Aging as a Senior Director and Director of Research and Evaluation and briefly with the National Council for Urban Indian Health. She served as Principal Investigator for a National Healthy Brain Initiative award and lead evaluator for four tribal Administration for Community Living Alzheimer’s grants. In addition, Dr. Crowder has hands-on experience developing plain language, and culturally relevant resources for use by and for Indian Country. She has published peer-reviewed publications on elder abuse, dementia, and, most recently, social determinants of cancer in American Indian and Alaska Native populations working in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Crowder graduated with a master’s in health systems management and a doctorate in nursing science from the University of Virginia, where her doctoral dissertation focused on elder mistreatment in Native populations.

Jamie Olsen is a Management Analyst for the DCCS at the Indian Health Service (IHS). Prior to DCCS, Mrs. Olsen served 22 years at the Red Lake IHS Service Unit. From 2000 to 2011, she was a Staff Radiologic Technologist who focused on installing the Hospital’s first in-house mammography unit. Mrs. Olsen was the first mammographer on staff and was responsible for the mammography compliance and regulation program. In 2011, she was promoted to Radiology Supervisor at Red Lake IHS. During this time, she managed IHS Staff and Radiology Contracting Staff. Her primary duty consisted of managing significant contracts at the COR II level. She was responsible for the Radiology budget and was involved in the revenue enhancement committee. Mrs. Olsen also served as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for many Area Wide Radiology projects. She has earned her Diagnostic Radiologic Technology degree through the St. Cloud Hospital School of X-Ray.

Dion Reid, is the Community Health Aide (CHA) Specialist for the DCCS at IHS. Mr. Reid serves as the technical expert over the CHA Workforce and provides advisement and technical assistance on matters relating to the improvement of community health services. He graduated with a degree in Healthcare Administration/Population Health from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Preceding his federal career, Mr. Reid served ten years on Active Duty in the United States Air Force, where he began his career as an EMT and evolved into roles as an Operations Manager and Program Analyst throughout the Colorado Military Health Market. He brings to IHS broad experience regarding the application of public health strategies that align towards improved access, quality, and patient-centered care. Mr. Reid is a passionate advocate for health equity, disease prevention, and policy research.

Ms. Valerie Jones serves as the Elder Health Care Data Coordinator for the DCCS at the IHS Headquarters. She brings over twenty years of public service experience in the health and human services industries. Her background and interests center on improving health outcomes in Native American communities. Prior to joining IHS, Ms. Jones served as the Health Administrator of the Navajo Nation Division of Aging and Long-Term Care Support Program overseeing aging services in 110 communities on the Navajo Nation. She also served as the Tribal Arizona Long-Term Care Administrator with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, overseeing intergovernmental agreements with various Tribes in Arizona. Additionally, she worked with the Department of Commerce on the Decennial Census, providing technical assistance and administrative guidance to the Dallas Regional Census Center. Ms. Jones earned her Master of Public Administration degree from Arizona State University and a Master of Arts in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling degree from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Jolie Crowder serves as the National Elder Care Consultant for the DCCS at the IHS Headquarters. In this role, she serves as the principal representative responsible for planning, formulating, and implementing national elder care policies and programming focused on early recognition, diagnosis, and management of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Additional responsibilities include representing the DCCS in the elder program forward-facing outreach activities and monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the elder care program. Before joining the IHS, she worked for more than a decade with the International Association for Indigenous Aging as a Senior Director and Director of Research and Evaluation and briefly with the National Council for Urban Indian Health. She served as Principal Investigator for a National Healthy Brain Initiative award and lead evaluator for four tribal Administration for Community Living Alzheimer’s grants. In addition, Dr. Crowder has hands-on experience developing plain language, and culturally relevant resources for use by and for Indian Country. She has published peer-reviewed publications on elder abuse, dementia, and, most recently, social determinants of cancer in American Indian and Alaska Native populations working in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Crowder graduated with a master’s in health systems management and a doctorate in nursing science from the University of Virginia, where her doctoral dissertation focused on elder mistreatment in Native populations.

Jamie Olsen is a Management Analyst for the DCCS at the Indian Health Service (IHS). Prior to DCCS, Mrs. Olsen served 22 years at the Red Lake IHS Service Unit. From 2000 to 2011, she was a Staff Radiologic Technologist who focused on installing the Hospital’s first in-house mammography unit. Mrs. Olsen was the first mammographer on staff and was responsible for the mammography compliance and regulation program. In 2011, she was promoted to Radiology Supervisor at Red Lake IHS. During this time, she managed IHS Staff and Radiology Contracting Staff. Her primary duty consisted of managing significant contracts at the COR II level. She was responsible for the Radiology budget and was involved in the revenue enhancement committee. Mrs. Olsen also served as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for many Area Wide Radiology projects. She has earned her Diagnostic Radiologic Technology degree through the St. Cloud Hospital School of X-Ray.

Alberta Becenti is an enrolled member of the Navajo Tribe and currently serves as the Public Health Advisor for the Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Program and Acting Consultant for the Health Education Program with the IHS DCCS. Ms. Becenti has over twenty-five years of experience working in Native American communities to promote health and wellness. She is responsible for working with IHS Area HP/DP Coordinators and Health Educators to provide leadership and direction to plan, implement, and monitor prevention activities to support wellness. She earned her Master of Public Health from the University of Oklahoma and her Bachelor's degree from the University of Utah.

Rick Haverkate is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (Michigan) and grew up in the land of his ancestors along Lake Superior's shores. In 1993 he earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Hawai'i. His public health work has been focused almost entirely on American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations. Mr. Haverkate has assumed various roles, including Community Health Educator, Public Information Officer, Public Health Advisor, Principal Investigator, Project Officer, Director of Public Health, Senior Program Analyst, and Deputy Director at the local, state, tribal, and national levels. He has specialized in operational management in the fields of HIV/AIDS, Maternal and Child Health, Commercial Tobacco Use Prevention, Health Promotion/Disease Prevention, and Community Capacity Building. He currently works for the IHS as the Branch Chief of the National HIV/HCV/STI Branch.

Mr. William Czajkowski is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna. William began working at IHS as a Pathways Student in 2016 in the Division of Behavioral Health (DBH), under the Office of Clinical and Preventive Services. He graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2018. After graduating college, Mr. Czajkowski worked as a Staff Analyst in the DCCS. He recently began his new position as the Management Analyst for the HIV/HCV/STI Program within DCCS.

Dr. Bethany Johnson is a member of the Cherokee Nation and currently resides in Yukon, Oklahoma. She recently joined the National HIV/HCV/STI Program at IHS Headquarters as the Program’s Pharmacy Consultant. Dr. Johnson earned her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Cell and Molecular Biology from Oklahoma State University and her Doctor of Pharmacy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. From there, she worked as a staff pharmacist at the El Reno Indian Health Center in Oklahoma, growing the clinical pharmacy program by providing diabetes care, tobacco cessation assistance, anticoagulation monitoring, and leading antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Most recently, her role transitioned to initiating and conducting a program focused on HIV, Hepatitis C, and STI treatment and prevention. This new role is where she found her passion, leading her to pursue joining the IHS National HIV/HCV/STI team. In her IHS Headquarters position, Dr. Johnson provides pharmacy technical expertise to assist with case management, prevention, and treatment of Native people. Collaboration with many IHS, tribal, and urban Indian organizations is paramount to her, and she’s available to assist with screening events, educating healthcare workers and patients alike, and helping link patients to care.

Mr. Andrew Yu is joining the IHS and the DCCS at Headquarters, as a public health advisor and National HIV/HCV/STI Clinical Coordinator. His responsibilities include planning and coordinating HIV/HCV/STI programs and community-related projects, as well as providing technical guidance, developing reports on program trends, and assisting in the development of spending plans. Mr. Yu has 12 years of clinical experience as a registered nurse working with people living with HIV/AIDS, previously working as a nurse clinician and supervisor at New York Presbyterian Hospital’s infectious disease clinic in New York City. His clinical experience also includes working with people receiving HIV pre and post-exposure prophylaxis, STI testing and treatment, as well as creating enterprise-wide nursing policies and overseeing quality initiatives to improve patient access to care. Mr. Yu obtained his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Georgetown University and his Master of Science in Community and Public Health Nursing from Hunter College - CUNY. He is also certified as an AIDS Care Registered Nurse and an active member of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care’s rural nursing committee.

Dr. Oskian Kouzouian joined the Division of Clinical and Community Services at the IHS in August 2022 as a public health advisor for the HIV/HCV/STI Initiatives. In this role, he leads efforts to plan and coordinate HIV/HCV/STI programs and enhance, integrate, and extend the use of data to address and improve health outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Natives impacted by HIV, HCV, and STIs. Prior to joining IHS, Dr. Kouzouian worked with the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy since 2011. He served as the Deputy Director of HIV.gov and, since the launch of the Ending the HIV Initiative in the U.S. initiative in 2019, he led the development of the America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard (AHEAD). The AHEAD dashboard is an online resource that will enable jurisdictions, communities, and stakeholders to monitor progress in implementing the EHE initiative. Previously, he led the White House HIV Resource Allocation Modeling Pilot (HIV RAMP) project to further evaluate an HIV prevention resource allocation model. He holds a J. D. from the Washington University School of Law and a B.A. from Drew University.

Luci (Lucianna) Kanson is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe from Kyle, SD. Mrs. Kanson graduated with an undergraduate degree in Business Communication from Stevenson University. She is currently working on her Master's degree in Healthcare Management at UMGC. Mrs. Kanson joined IHS in February 2018 as a Staff Analyst with the Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention at Headquarters. In August 2020, she joined the DCCS Team as a Management Analyst.

Dr. Loretta Christensen, MBA, MSJ, FACS, an enrolled member of the Navajo Tribe, serves as the chief medical officer of the Indian Health Service. The IHS, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the principal federal health care provider for American Indians and Alaska Natives. As the chief medical officer, Dr. Christensen is IHS’ lead expert on medical and public health topics, giving technical consultation and guidance to the IHS Office of the Director and IHS staff throughout the country on American Indian and Alaska Native health care policies and issues. She provides national leadership for clinical and community-based health programs of the agency, and serves as the primary liaison and advocate for IHS health professionals.

Abigail Echo-Hawk is an enrolled citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma. She is currently the Executive Vice President at Seattle Indian Health Board and the Director of Urban Indian Health Institute. Currently, Abigail is part of multiple committees, Boards, and workgroups including the Best Starts for Kids Board, the March of Dimes Health Equity Workgroup, the Tribal Collaboration Working Group with the NIH All of Us Research Program, the Advisory Committee for Health Equity Research at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the NIDA American Indian and Alaska Native Collaborative Research Engagement Workgroup, and the Board of Data for Indigenous Justice.

Alberta Becenti is an enrolled member of the Navajo Tribe and currently serves as the Public Health Advisor for the Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Program and Acting Consultant for the Health Education Program with the IHS DCCS. Ms. Becenti has over twenty-five years of experience working in Native American communities to promote health and wellness. She is responsible for working with IHS Area HP/DP Coordinators and Health Educators to provide leadership and direction to plan, implement, and monitor prevention activities to support wellness. She earned her Master of Public Health from the University of Oklahoma and her Bachelor's degree from the University of Utah.

Dr. Marcy Ronyak is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Nespelem, Washington. Dr. Ronyak, is the Director for the Division of Clinical & Community Services, Indian Health Service (IHS), Headquarters. She is responsible for providing leadership and direction to programs and activities designed to improve the health services to approximately 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) through a system of IHS, Tribal, and Urban (I/T/U) operated facilities and programs. Previously, she served at IHS as the Deputy Director for the Division of Behavioral Health. Prior to re-joining IHS, she was the Director of the Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) and served as the IHS Alcohol and Substance Abuse Lead. Preceding her federal career, she worked for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation as the Tribal Psychologist and an independent contractor providing clinical services to children and families within the community. She is currently working on her second doctoral degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Liberty University.

Luci (Lucianna) Kanson is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe from Kyle, SD. Mrs. Kanson graduated with an undergraduate degree in Business Communication from Stevenson University. She is currently working on her Master's degree in Healthcare Management at UMGC. Mrs. Kanson joined IHS in February 2018 as a Staff Analyst with the Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention at Headquarters. In August 2020, she joined the DCCS Team as a Management Analyst.

Donald Warne, MD, MPH (Oglala Lakota) serves as the Co-Director of the Center for Indigenous Health and as a tenured, Full-Professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD where he also serves as the Provost Fellow for Indigenous Health Policy. Dr. Warne is also the Senior Policy Advisor to the Great Plains Tribal Leader’s Health Board in Rapid City, SD. Dr. Warne is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe from Pine Ridge, SD and comes from a long line of traditional healers and medicine men.