Center for Community Health and Engaged Research

Join us next Thursday from 9-10am MST-AZ for a C-NACHE webinar:

"Legacy Mining & Kidney Cancer: Environmental Exposures as a Social Determinant of Health" with Tasha Nez, M.S. (Diné).

Tasha is from Tónizhoní Valley on Black Mesa and is guided by Diné Blessing and Protection Ways. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to environmental justice and health equity for Navajo communities facing cancer disparities. Tasha holds a B.S. in Environmental Sustainability with a minor in Biology and an M.S. in Environmental Science (Policy emphasis) from NAU, plus an A.S. in Public Health from Diné College. Tasha believes research must honor our traditions and healing ways to build trust and create meaningful change.

In this presentation, Tasha will share how legacy mining and environmental exposures continue to impact Native communities and contribute to kidney cancer and other health disparities. This webinar will explore environmental exposures as a social determinant of health, while highlighting the lasting effects on Indigenous communities, current research efforts, and the importance of culturally grounded approaches to cancer health equity.

Register for the webinar: https://rb.gy/oo0kqa

GIVING DAY IS HERE!

It's your chance to directly impact our efforts to enhance community research, support students, and find solutions to health disparities throughout northern Arizona. As we navigate the future of public health funding support, one thing is clear: We need your help.

We need regular folks like you to chip in $5, $10, or $50 today so that we can keep building the foundations that improve community health through creative, evidence-based solutions. We need you now more than ever!

Donate today: https://givingday.foundationnau.org/a/gday/106502/CHER

Together, we can help advance discovery, strengthen research opportunities, and expand the knowledge that shapes our future.

Welcome to another Fairness First Friday!

Are there any OTs in the house?! 🎉 Celebrate Occupational Therapy Month with us by reading our latest blog featuring CCPS partners Jess Salyers and Emily Rich. They teach us that rethinking care means listening differently. 🔗

Read the full blog here: https://legacy.nau.edu/sherc/fairness-first-blog/jess-salyers-emily-rich/

If this work resonates with you, below are opportunities to listen, learn, and be part of ongoing change:

-Register for Jess and Emily’s Final Session available to AZ residents (May 16, virtual + free) https://www.otemily.com/communitypartnership
-Check out Emily’s Instagram instagram.com/emilyrichot
-Stanford Disability in Medicine Conference (April 25, free + virtual for students) https://smadie.stanford.edu/conference/

Next month is EDS awareness month! Donate to the EDS Society: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/may-awareness/

Give. Show. CHER. Make a gift to your favorite Community Health Research Center, show your , and share your NAU story. Spread the word on NAU’s seventh annual on May 1!

Get started: https://givingday.foundationnau.org/a/gday/106502/CHER

Today, CHER is cohosting the Annual Arizona Biomedical Research Centre Arizona Dept of Health Services Yuma community forum. This forum highlights Arizona’s efforts to improve healthcare access and outcomes for border communities. This binational forum offers the ability for researchers, healthcare providers, medical experts, and community members to share their ideas and progress for their communities in the U.S. and Mexico.

This event is part of CHER and ABRC’s longtime partnership in expanding healthcare education across the state through hands-on workshops and forums.

📣 Launch your future in public health, just two weeks left to apply!! 📣

Program Details:
🗓 Dates: May 26 - July 31, 2026
⏰ Application Deadline: April 17, 2026

Application Requirements:
✔️Complete the online student application
✔️Arrange for two (2) recommendations from instructors/faculty

SREP 2026 Application Link (student completes): https://forms.office.com/r/XgirX9gnYf

SREP 2026 Recommendation Form (faculty completes): https://forms.office.com/r/zqxSvzzbLe

📣 Please share this opportunity with undergraduate students who may be interested in this opportunity! 📣

Diné College
Center for Community Health and Engaged Research