Courses
There are four courses in the Indigenous Healing Perspectives Certificate program. Students will receive their certificate upon satisfactory completion of all four courses and should expect to spend 3 hours per week in class with additional time spent on coursework outside of class. Each course is conducted over an eight-week period, with the entire certificate program designed to be completed in nine months.
Native American Health Perspectives
In this course, students will gain cultural competence through openness to varying perspectives, cultivate cultural humility to nurture listening skills, and increase their capacity for a strength-based worldview of Native American communities.
About the Instructor
Dr. Melodi Wynne is a member of the Spokane Tribe and resides on her ancestral homelands on the upper Columbia Plateau. She holds a doctorate in Community and Cultural Psychology and a graduate certificate in Conflict Resolution from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Melodi speaks on behalf of ancestral plant foods and medicines whenever called to do so, including in middle and high school classrooms, local university programs, indigenous podcasts, coalition meetings, and conferences.
Native American Health Policy, Law, & Advocacy
This course focuses on the history, traditional and current practices, and health implications of the American Indian population. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the federal obligation to tribes and tribal sovereignty, the behavioral response, and resulting health issues. The course will also examine current health practices and current research with the American Indian population.
About the Instructor
Margo Hill, JD, MURP, is a Spokane Tribal member and grew up on the Spokane Indian reservation. She is involved in the NAHS programs Na-ha-shnee STEAM Summer Institute and RISE Summer Academy. She also worked as a Tribal Attorney for the Spokane Tribe of Indians.
Native American Health Trends; Trauma and Mental Health in Indian Country
Throughout this course, students will learn about Native American history and immerse themselves into native mindsets on health, wellness, life, and healing. Students will become familiar with native lifestyles and ways of communicating, increasing their understanding of how native communities view and access Western medicine and their ability to communicate with native communities.
About the Instructor
Jerry Crowshoe is an enrolled member of the Piikani Nation (Blackfoot Confederacy) from Brocket, Alberta, Canada. Mr. Crowshoe grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, WA, and graduated from Mary Walker High School in Springdale, WA.
Traditional Piikani Knowledge as a Pathway to Professional Cultural Safety
This course will apply traditional Piikani knowledge education methods to establish a conceptual framework for cultural safety. Learners will experience the impact of storytelling, observation, and repetition integral to knowledge transmission in Oral culture. This course will highlight the importance of reconciliation to promote culture safety for all.
About the Instructor
Heather Crowshoe is a Piikani Nation member from Brocket, Alberta, Canada and is an accomplished professional in health service delivery and is a Piikani Ceremonialist. As a professional nurse she remains dedicated to address health disparities and promote continuity of care for Indigenous people, their supports and communities. Ms. Crowshoe is part of the stewardship of traditional Piikani knowledge and steward to the snake design tipi. Heather enjoys spending time with family, being outdoors and making couture clothing. She owns/operates Heather Crowshoe Couture and studied the discipline of “couture” as it most closely resembles the traditional Piikani clothing practice.