Michelle Johnson-Jennings
“As a Choctaw scientist, scholar, psychologist and mother, I am persistently guided by my teachings to act not only for the current generation but for those seven generations to come… just as my ancestors have done for me. In the face of climate change, we must move forward recognizing that we are not separate from our lands, but only exist due to our connection to mother earth. Therein lies our ability to be well and our responsibility to take action for the collective- past, present, and future.”
Michelle Johnson-Jennings, PhD, Ed.M., (Choctaw Nation) Full Professor University of Washington School of Social Work and Public Health, Director of Indigenous Environmental Health and Land-based Healing Division, co-Director Indigenous Wellness Research Institute/IWRI, License eligible Clinical Health Psychologist. Dr. Johnson-Jennings specializes in Indigenous community engaged, water and land-based healing interventions that seek to lower chronic disease prevention (e.g., diabetes and cancer), addictions (i.e., food addiction and substance use), and address environmental health disparities. She currently serves as PI or coinvestigator on federally funded Indigenous health project and trainings grants in the US, Canada, and New Zealand. Dr. Johnson-Jennings has been selected as a UofS global ambassador fellow, Fulbright fellow, health leader by Harvard University Leadership Institute, UW-Madison Health Equity Leadership Institute and the National Institute of Health (NIH), American Indian Network Committee, NIH National Institute for Diabetes Digestive and Kidney/National Congress of American Indians Diabetes Fellow. She is, most importantly, the mother to four outstanding Indigenous children.
Profile: https://socialwork.uw.edu/faculty/professors/michelle-johnson-jennings
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-johnson-jennings-a149b0231