Carolee Dodge Francis (Environmental and Occupational Health) and M. Crystal Lee (Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies) made a presentation at the 16th session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at the United Nations this month. The presentation, “The Impact of National and International Policies on Indigenous Health and Well-Being” addressed national policies in relation to the DRIP, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. They incorporated tribal, national, and international perspectives in order to convey diverse aspects of health, such as the quality of health care services, health disparity, and best practices of prevention, diagnosis, and continuum of treatment. The best practice of research in the scope of indigenizing academia, environmental health and the link to land and water rights, sexual and reproductive health, infectious and chronic diseases, and the integration of culture to improve health and well-being will be discussed. Addressing these issues, the pair highlighted important topics, such as the difference of health perspectives across different global indigenous groups, how these populations view well-being, and the varying health ideals among youth and aging adults. The presentation attempted to highlight these different angles to give a pluralized idea of what can be viewed as indigenous health and well-being in the context of modern states and health policies. Lee, '08 Master of Public Health and '15 Ph.D. Public Health, also is a UNLV alum.
