PI's and Advisory Committee
Teisha Simmons
RAMP Co-Principal Investigator and Dean of the College of Indigenous Studies
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Dean Simmons, whose Denaakk'e name is Naggakk'o, is from the communities of Galena, Koyukuk, and Huslia. She holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology and a master鈥檚 degree in clinical-community psychology. With a career spanning over 20 years, Simmons has demonstrated leadership in a variety of senior management roles. Previously overseeing the 乐虎直播 Interior 乐虎直播 Campus, she worked as an assistant professor in the human services program, and directed projects within the psychology department.
Dr. Ellen Chenoweth PhD
RAMP Co-Principal Investigator, PI and director of the Rural 乐虎直播 Students in One
Health Research , Faculty at the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
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Dr. Chenoweth collaborates with the Southeast 乐虎直播 Tribal Ocean Research Network, tribal governments, and communities to support research and academic opportunities for rural high school students rooted in their home communities and cultures. She is also a member of the University of 乐虎直播 Southeast Whale Lab. Ellen grew up in East Lansing, Michigan and has a bachelor's degree in Biology from Kalamazoo College. She got her start working with humpback whales in Glacier Bay National Park summers during college. After graduation, Ellen moved to Sitka in 2009 to work in Jan Straley's Cetacean-Human Interaction Lab. She earned her Ph.D in Fisheries from the 乐虎直播, which she completed while studying in Sitka and Juneau. Her dissertation focuses on the bioenergetic and economic impacts of humpback whales feeding on juvenile salmon at hatchery release sites.
Dr. Christine Kindler PhD
RAMP Co-Investigator, Assistant Professor of Psychology
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Christine Kindler is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of 乐虎直播 Fairbanks. She holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Howard University and a master鈥檚 degree in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University. She is committed to increasing access to community-based mental health interventions that are evidence-based, culturally responsive, and restorative in nature. Dr. Kindler鈥檚 work also examines the broader social and contextual factors that shape well-being, with a particular interest in creating supportive environments that promote student development and equipping faculty with trauma-informed, culturally responsive approaches to teaching and mentoring.
RAMP Advisory Committee
Dr. Jocelyn Cuthbert
Assistant Professor of Biology
Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO
Dr. Cuthbert joins the RAMP AC from Fort Lewis College in Durango Colorado. Her areas of expertise are epigenetics, early development, reproduction and molecular genetics. Dr. Cuthbert's broad area of research is epigenetics, a field of genetics that examines changes in gene expression (RNA and protein levels) without change to the base DNA sequence itself. Her focus within epigenetics is the specific signals that can reprogram differentiated cells into stem cells, allowing for these cells to shift identity and behavior. Early development is an especially interesting area as two differentiated, adult cells are reprogrammed into one pluripotent embryonic cell. Cell to cell communication is vital during this period, where epigenetic signals must be established correctly for appropriate set up of the body鈥檚 physiological systems. If these pathways are inappropriately re-activated in the body outside of reproduction and development, we can see malignant cells and cancer develop as a result.
Her lab studies these epigenetic reprogramming pathways, and the process by which environmental exposures can inappropriately activate them in adult tissues and she is especially interested in how reproductive hormones can modulate the epigenetic response to environmental exposures, and how that may play a role in disease predisposition. Dr. Cuthbert holds a Ph.D. in Reproduction and Development from Utah State University and a B.S. in Equine Science from Colorado State University.
Elaine Drew PhD
Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology
乐虎直播 鈥 Troth Yeddha鈥 Campus
Dr. Elaine Drew is the Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the 乐虎直播. A medical and cultural anthropologist, her research examines illness, care, and health inequities, particularly in Indigenous, immigrant, and underserved communities. She has extensive experience mentoring undergraduate, master鈥檚, and doctoral students, as well as junior faculty, supporting them as they develop research projects, navigate academic and professional pathways, and grow as independent scholars. In her current leadership role, she works across disciplines to support faculty and student research, graduate education, professional development, and collaboration. She is especially interested in mentorship that helps people build confidence, navigate the less-visible aspects of academic life, and develop the skills, relationships, and opportunities they need to pursue their own goals.
Cornelia "Connie" Jessen, MA
Health Researcher II
乐虎直播 Native Tribal Health Consortium
Cornelia 鈥淐onnie鈥 Jessen, MA, is a health researcher at the 乐虎直播 Native Tribal Health Consortium. She has worked in the 乐虎直播 Tribal Health System to address health disparities among 乐虎直播 Native and American Indian people for over 18 years. Ms. Jessen has been involved in several community-based participatory research and programmatic projects ranging from sexual and reproductive health, adolescent health, vaccine confidence, HIV stigma and discrimination, 2SLGBTQAI+ health to harm reduction, substance misuse and intergenerational trauma. Her research focuses on understanding the intersections between culture and health, the role of resilience and protective factors and translating cultural knowledge and practice into interventions that promote health and wellness. She also oversees cross-cultural research education and training efforts to decolonize health research and promote culturally responsive and respectful research. Ms. Jessen holds a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Anthropology with a focus on medical anthropology and public health from the University of 乐虎直播 Anchorage. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies at the 乐虎直播.
Wendy K鈥檃h Sk谩ahluwaa Todd, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor Natural Sciences and President Xaadas Kil Kuyaas Foundation
University of 乐虎直播 Southeast - Juneau
Dr. Wendy K鈥檃h Sk谩ahluwaa Todd (Haida), Assistant Professor of Geoscience at the UAS and Lead for Cultural Understanding through Relational Research, Environmental Navigation, Traditional Knowledge & Science (CURRENTS), Occupational Endorsement. Her work advances bridging Indigenous Knowledge systems and Western science through culturally grounded curriculum, community-based research, and workforce development pathways for 乐虎直播 Native students. She leads regional and national initiatives that center Indigenous Science Concepts in K鈥16 education.
A former AAAS ST&P Fellow at the National Science Foundation, she has contributed to national policy and advisory efforts focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion in the geosciences. She currently serves on multiple advisory boards, including the National Academies of Sciences Ocean Studies Board on DEI. She is President of the X谩adas K铆l Kuyaas Foundation, that supports Xaad K铆l language revitalization through education, curriculum development, and community programming. She collaborates with the Indian Health Service and advises on Indigenous health and wellness initiatives, supporting community-informed approaches that integrate cultural knowledge with health and environmental systems.
Her work is rooted in place-based learning, relationality, and Indigenous governance, with a focus on environmental guardianship in SE 乐虎直播, including coastal ecosystems, forest systems, and climate impacts. Through her teaching, research, and leadership, Dr. Todd works to transform science education by centering culture, language, and community as foundational to scientific knowledge and practice.