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Yale Alumni Service Corps (YASC) and Navajo Nation

Join us for a robust conversation with Dr. Patricia Nez Henderson '94 MPH, '00 MD, and Karen Green '78 from YASC to learn more about the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation has approximately 417,671 members and is the most populous tribe in the United States. Although approximately 173,637 members reside in Diné Bikéyah or Navajoland, a more than equal number of members reside in bordering towns, as well as urban and other areas around the U.S. Consisting of  more than 27,000 square miles in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado, the Navajo Nation land base is the largest Native American reservation in the U.S.  It's land base is greater than the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont combined and larger than 10 states. 

During this session, Dr. Henderson, who was the first American Indian woman to graduate from Yale School of Medicine, will discuss health policy and advocacy, the impact these health policies are having on the Navajo Nation, and the role traditional healers are playing in the development of these health policies. We will also discuss the potential to organize a YASC service program in the future, which builds on the visit by the YASC Advisory Board to the Navajo Nation in June 2023. Karen will moderate the discussion.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about the Navajo Nation, ask questions, and get involved.

This event will be recorded.

Speaker

Dr. Patricia Nez Henderson '94 MPH, '00 MD

Dr. Patricia Nez Henderson '94 MPH, '00 MD

Dr. Patricia Nez Henderson, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is a senior scientist for the Black Hills Center for American Indian Health, a health organization located in Rapid City, South Dakota. Dr. Nez Henderson received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Arizona and earned her Doctor of Medicine  (2000) and Master of Public Health degrees (1994) from Yale University. As an Indigenous scientist, Dr. Nez Henderson’s work has focused on incorporating Tribal values and customs (e.g., living in harmony as it pertains to smoke-free environment and the use of ceremonial tobacco) with Western knowledge (e.g., evidence-based protocols, technology, and science). With these unique skill sets, she has demonstrated a record of accomplished and productive research projects. 

Moderator

Karen Green ’78

Karen Green '87

Karen Green was the Trip Producer of the 2024 Intercultural Program with the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, which took place March 9-16. She is the former Co-Chair of Yale Day of Service and has been both a volunteer and site coordinator for Day of Service activities since its inception. She is a YAA delegate and a member of the Yale Alumni Service Corps (YASC) advisory board (currently serving as Vice-Chair) since 2018, having been on several YASC trips. She is also a presenter at high school college fairs for Yale. Karen is an attorney, business affairs and business development executive with a depth and breadth of experience in the development, production, marketing and protection of intellectual property assets, with an emphasis on media. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University and J.D. degree from Stanford University Law School.

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