California Native Vaccine Confidence Collaborative (CNVCC)
In collaboration with the California Rural Indian Health Board, this project is funded by the California State Department of Public Health. Guided by an American Indian Community Advisory Committee, the aims of the project are to:
  1. Investigate what factors influence COVID-19 vaccine decision-making among California American Indian (also referred to as Native American/Indigenous) youth and their parents; and
  2. Develop tailored health education messaging about the COVID-19 vaccine.
CONNECT/CONECTADOS:
Social Networks and Health among Californians
In collaboration with the University of California (UC) San Francisco and UC Santa Cruz, this project is funded by the University of California Office of the President. Guided by an Indigenous Community Advisory Committee, the primary aim of this research is to examine the role of one's social network (e.g., family, friends, work colleagues) and how this network influences COVID-19 health-related decision-making among California adults. The project will also focus on experiences of California adults identifying as Indigenous (also referred to as American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native American), a population that has faced long-standing health inequities and been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
The Impact of COVID-19 on American Indian Youth Well-Being
This project is funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. In collaboration with American Indian organizations, this research examines social and cultural factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine decision-making among American Indian adults both before and during vaccine availability. These projects are in collaboration with the Share, Trust, Organize, and Partner (STOP) COVID-19 CA: The COVID-19 California Alliance, health researchers at UC Los Angeles, and the California Rural Indian Health Board.
Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Among American Indian communities
The UC Merced Nicotine and Cannabis Policy Center (NCPC), funded by the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, focuses on tobacco and cannabis-related behaviors and perceptions about health and policy among Californians living in the San Joaquin Valley. As part of the Center, my team aims to examine cultural and social factors associated with tobacco related behaviors and perceptions about health risk, with the ultimate aim of developing tailored tobacco prevention messaging for underrepresented communities (e.g., American Indian/Alaska Native, Latinx, rural). For more information, please visit the NCPC website at ncpc.ucmerced.edu