S-keg Tash! My name is Heather Medicine Bear, I am an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, Akimel O’odham. I am currently serving as the program manager for the National Native Network Commercial Tobacco and Cancer Control and Prevention Program. I graduated with my MPH from Hawaii Pacific University and I am finishing my Ph.D. in Indigenous Health at the University of North Dakota. 

As an Indigenous Health scholar and public health advocate, I am dedicated toward assisting in initiatives to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous populations by building on the strengths of individuals and communities. My special interests include American Indian health policy, chronic disease prevention, culturally safe research methods, urban American Indian and Alaska Native health, Indigenous data sovereignty, and tribal self-determination. 

I also love to spend time with my husband Sky (Sicanju, Lakota/Diné) and our three beautiful little boys. We enjoy hiking, swimming, and love attending cultural celebrations together.