Meet Our Team

Staff

Myra Parker, JD, MPH, PhD

Myra Parker, JD, MPH, PhD

Director

myrap@uw.edu

Myra Parker, JD, MPH, PhD, is an enrolled member of the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes and serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She is currently the Director of Seven Directions which is housed in the Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors within the Department of Psychiatry.

Full Bio

Dr. Parker serves as the Principal Investigator for several CDC sub-contracts through the National Network of Public Health Institutes, including the Tribal Opioid Overdose Prevention project, Indigenous Social Determinants of Health, the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Death & Injuries (referred to as “STEADI”) project, and Tribal Public Health Capacity building. She is also the PI of a tribal technical assistance HRSA sub-contract through Georgia State University, and Co-Investigator for a RWJF-funded study on tribal systems alignment.

Prior to her work in Seven Directions, Myra served as Co-Investigator on an ETHICS project to culturally adapt a human subjects curriculum for tribal communities; a national epidemiology research study grounded in Community-Based Participatory Research involving 22 Tribal Colleges and Universities to establish alcohol, tobacco, and drug use rates within their respective communities through a mixed methods approach; and, an NIAAA R01 research study investigating the effectiveness of a culturally-adapted version of the “BASICS” (Brief Alcohol Screening & Intervention in College Students) intervention and a policy intervention.

As an enrolled member of the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes, Myra is aware of the historical health practices and misconduct perpetuated on tribes in the United States. Her background in law and policy has informed a broader understanding of the principles of ethics as well as honed her ability to identify methods to address the disparities in research control and access through the use of formalized agreements.

Christina E. Oré, MPH, DrPH

Christina E. Oré, MPH, DrPH

Acting Assistant Professor

core1@uw.edu

Christina works for intergenerational, community health and well-being that comes from a deep connection to place, people, and memory. She is Andean (Huancavelica, Perú) and Irish. Christina has worked for sovereign Native nations and Indigenous communities in the U.S. for over twenty years.

Full Bio

Christina is an acting assistant professor with UW Dept of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and core faculty with Seven Directions, an Indigenous peoples' public health institute. She received her BA from Oberlin College (1991). Her MPH (2002) and DrPH (2018) are from MEZCOPH, University of Arizona (UA).

While working for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Christina completed her dissertation Indigenous health systems: An emergent Yaqui-centered framework for public health practice or a way to be a good guest-relative practitioner, privilege Indigenous knowledge, and strengthen existing healing and health systems.

Dr. Oré leads/ co-leads National Network for Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) public health projects funded through a 5 yr CDC cooperative agreement. These include: Indigenous Social Determinants of Health project, Tribal Public Health Capacity ECHO, Gathering Grounds, and the Indigenous Public Health Leadership program (IPHL). The Seven Directions and American Indian Public Health Resource Center (AIPHRC), at NDSU, teams co develop and facilitate the training with emerging American Indian and Alaska Native public health leaders.

She has joined the Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance (UA) and continues to be part of the U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network, DrPH Coalition, Data Research Alliance, and American Public Health Association.

In Spring 2023, Dr. Oré will launch a National Association for County and City Officials (NACCHO) funded Community Data Story Sharing - Story Telling series with local health departments (LHD) from across the country. She is working with Creative Narrations, Inc. on this multi media story creation/ sharing to achieve health equity project.

Seven Directions and Whakauae Māori Research for Health and Development (Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Hauiti) continue to partner for Coming Together in Indigenous Public Health Praxis, funded by the UW Global Innovations Fund, 2021 - 2023. Through this partnership they are affiliated with the World Federation of Public Health Associations, Indigenous working group, and presenting at the WFPHA World Congress on Public Health May 2023.

Christina is learning Quechua Chanka, after singing huaynos regardless. Her paternal family are originally from Caja Espiritu, Acobamba, Huancavelica, Peru. She is increasingly a contributor to efforts in Perú that elevate Indigeneity, ensure language continuity, and healing. Her connection and commitment to this work is through her family, communities, and long standing relationships within the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Arizona and Sonora.

Maya Magarati, PhD

Maya Magarati, PhD

Acting Assistant Professor

magarati@uw.edu

Maya Magarati, Ph.D. is an Acting Assistant Professor in the UW Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and serves as a core faculty in Seven Directions, A Center for Indigenous Public Health, a part of the Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors in the Department. She serves as the Project Lead on the Tribal Opioid Overdose Prevention project. Maya investigates sexual health, community engagement, global Indigenous environmental and behavioral health specifically tied to ecological trauma, resilience and traditional ecological knowledge, and immigrant and refugee cancer and wellbeing.

Full Bio

Dr. Magarati is indigenous Magar from Nepal’s Himalayas. Her lived and professional experiences navigating both the Global North’s and the Global South’s historical, political, socio-economic-cultural landscapes center her research, teaching, and service around equity.

Maya’s scholarship straddles the intersection of sociology, public health, behavioral health and geography in addressing social inequities with an intention of fostering knowledge democracy and achieving holistic wellbeing. She incorporates Western as well as Indigenous, place-based, culture-centered epistemologies and collaborative approaches to understanding and addressing the social, behavioral, cultural, and environmental health determinants which result in disparities in access to and use of services, delivery, and outcomes related to substance use, mental health, STI/HIV, and environmental health.  

Maya attributes her community-based participatory research orientation in research, service, and teaching to her active involvement in the UW’s Indigenous Wellness Research Institute (IWRI) since 2010. These include building partnerships with Tribal Colleges and Universities, and research collaboration with multidisciplinary, cross-institutional global teams investigating health disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native populations, immigrant, refugee and rural populations in the U.S., and among Indigenous communities in Nepal experiencing environmental health issues and climate change. Maya is a current Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Leaders fellow, where she collaborates on a community-engaged climate change, water insecurity, ecological trauma, resilience, and environmental action research project with a tribe in rural Alaska.  

Maya is an affiliate faculty with the UW Department of Sociology, and the Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology as well as a preceptor (Nepal) for IWRI’s NIH-funded LUNA International Indigenous Health Research Training Program.

Maya received her B.S. in Nutrition & Dietetics in Australia, an M.A. in Sociology under the Fulbright program, and then a Ph.D. in Sociology from the UW. Prior to attending graduate school, she worked in Nepal with a local NGO and with UNICEF advancing community nutrition and health. Maya was born and raised in Nepal. She serves on the Board of Directors at Nepal Seattle Society and The Mountaineers. She loves natural landscapes and engaging in outdoor activities.

Danielle Eakins, PhD

Danielle Eakins, PhD

Research Scientist

deakins@uw.edu

Danielle Eakins is a licensed clinical psychologist and a research scientist at Seven Directions. Danielle is dedicated to supporting behavioral wellness through collaborative, strengths-based partnerships with Indigenous communities.

Full Bio

Danielle is a mixed-race woman who had lived in eight states before entering high school. As such, her personal and professional interests have centered on the impact of community, belonging and identity on mental health. Danielle received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Washington. As a graduate student she interned for the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute and received a fellowship from the Indigenous Substance Abuse, Medicines and Addictions Research Training Program to complete her dissertation in conjunction with the Tribal College/University BeWell Study. Danielle completed her clinical psychology internship and post-doctoral fellowship as the Rural Health/Underserved Populations resident at the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System. At VA PIHCS, Danielle focused on in-person outreach and remote telehealth services to Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander veterans located in American Samoa, Guam, Saipan and the neighboring Hawaiian Islands. At Seven Directions, Danielle focuses on incorporating a clinical lens to technical assistance, evaluative assessment and inclusive programming work for the Tribal Opioid Overdose Prevention Project.  

Danielle is grateful to live in Hawaii and loves freediving and learning the environmentally sustainable practice of spearfishing.

Leo Egashira, MBA

Leo Egashira, MBA

Associate Director, Operations

seattleo@uw.edu

Leo N. Egashira, MBA, is a Japanese-American born and raised in Seattle. He is a Research Coordinator at Seven Directions at the University of Washington and has been with the team since 2018. He was also a Research Coordinator and Newsletter Editor at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute from 2009 to 2018, working primarily on research studies on Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU). He is currently coordinating secondary data analysis work from the TCU dataset.

Full Bio

Leo is currently working on several projects, including Opioid Overdose Prevention, Elderly Fall Prevention, and Systems Alignment. He has been the project liaison with TCU partners and has visited communities to facilitate many on-site focus groups. Through these community visits, he has seen health system inequities first-hand, which in turn has informed his passion to Indigenous Public Health.

Leo has a Bachelor’s degree in Japanese & Chinese languages, and a Master’s in Business Administration. He has studied linguistics and four foreign languages, and is a strong advocate for indigenous language retention and revitalization.

On a personal note, he is an outdoor nut, hiking and going on 7-12 day backpacks to remote corners of North America, and snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing in winter locally. A non-car owner for 19 years, he bicycles Seattle’s hilly terrain daily in rain or shine.

Angela Gaffney, MPA

Angela Gaffney, MPA

Senior Research Coordinator

iamgaff@uw.edu

At Seven Directions, Angela is working on piloting the use of an Indigenous Evaluation Framework for public health practitioners, particularly among tribal organizations working to prevent opioid overdoses.

Full Bio

Angela Gaffney joined the Seven Directions team as a Senior Research Coordinator in 2022. Angela specializes in evaluation design and implementation as well as providing technical assistance to program staff and leadership.

Jacob Fong-Gurzinsky, MS

Jacob Fong-Gurzinsky, MS

Research Coordinator

jefg@uw.edu

Jacob received an MS degree in the UW School of Public Health's Epidemiology Department. He is interested in research on the social determinants of health, as well as the human gut microbiome.

Full Bio

Jacob has done research in evolutionary biology and public health. He is excited to be working with Seven Directions and increasing his skillset. Jacob is primarily involved with the research study Indigenous Healing + Health Systems: Revitalizing Inherent Alignment.

Caelin Marum, MA

Caelin Marum, MA

Research Coordinator

Caelin Marum is a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan/Hidatsa) and Woodland Cree. She holds a Masters in sociology with a background in political science and Native American studies. She began at Seven Directions in summer of 2022 and focuses primarily on opioid misuse prevention.

Full Bio

Caelin is broadly interested in the ways that Indigenous community work, including practices such as harm reduction and peacemaking, can bolster Indigenous sovereignty. Outside of work, she enjoys road tripping home to Montana, beading and (hopefully!) teaching her cat, Toby, to hike.

Tsering Wangmo, MPH

Tsering Wangmo, MPH

Research Coordinator

wangmo@uw.edu

Tsering Wangmo, MPH, grew up in a Dho-Tarap, Dolpa, Nepal, one of the highest permanent settlements in the world (13,500 feet) inhibited by a small indigenous group of Dolpo people. She worked as a clinical and travel nurse, schoolteacher, and healthcare trainer with various organizations serving different indigenous communities in mountain Nepal for over a decade. She received her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Washington. Her interest has always been to contribute to improving access to quality health care that is relevant, affordable, and sustainable for communities that are underserved, underrepresented, and indigenous.

Full Bio

As a graduate student, she interned for the La Familia Medical Center’s Healthcare for Homeless Clinic in Santa Fe. For her thesis, she explored the influences of socio-cultural beliefs and values in childbirth decision-making among the women of Upper Dolpa, Nepal. She continues working to improve healthcare access to her beloved people in the high Himalayas in different capacities. She serves as Co-director of Upaya’s Nomads Clinic that serves people living in the remote Himalayas of Nepal. At Seven Directions, Wangmo (given name, the “w” is silent) will be working primarily on the Opioid Overdose Prevention project.

Jamie Lan

Jamie Lan

Research Coordinator

jamvlan@uw.edu

Jamie Lan (she/her) joined Seven Directions as a Research Coordinator after working with the team as a student intern. She is a recent graduate of the University of Washington, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Public Health. At Seven Directions, Jamie works on the Tribal Opioid Overdose Prevention Project, as well as on substance use data and general communications.

Full Bio

Jamie is Chinese and Taiwanese American and was born and raised in the Seattle area. In a few years, she intends to pursue an MPH with interests in epidemiology, community health, and implementation science. Outside of work, she enjoys being outside in the sun, learning to crochet, and spending time with family and friends.

Robyn Long, MSW, MA

Robyn Long, MSW, MA

Research Coordinator

rblong2@uw.edu

Robyn Long, MSW, MA (she/her) joined Seven Directions in October 2022, after having completed a practicum with the organization during her Master of Social Work (MSW) program. Robyn supports research and projects related to environmental and climate justice and the Tribal Opioid Overdose Prevention Project.

Full Bio

Robyn recently finished her MSW at the University of Washington with a focus on Administration and Policy Practice. As part of her MSW program, she was a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellow through the UW Canadian Studies Center and interned with the Inuit Circumpolar Council. Prior to pursuing her MSW, Robyn worked on well-being programs and evaluation in the UW Department of Psychology. She has a background in international development and social change and has lived in the Middle East, India, Canada, and Botswana while working on community health, environmental and human rights programs. Robyn enjoys hiking, Nordic skiing, and canoeing with her son and partner.

Darwyn Largo, MPH

Darwyn Largo, MPH

Research Coordinator

dclargo@uw.edu

Darwyn Largo is a member of the Navajo tribe. Darwyn was born and raised in Crownpoint, New Mexico. Darwyn attended Haskell Indian Nations University. In May, Darwyn graduated from the University of Arizona, obtaining a Master of Public Health degree in Health Behavior/Health Promotion. Darwyn is enticed to the field of public health because concepts of health and wellness are innate to the ancestral practices and cultural teachings of many American Indians and Alaskan Native villages.

Full Bio

Darwyn Largo is a member of the Navajo tribe. Darwyn was born and raised on an American Indian reservation in northwestern New Mexico. Darwyn is a recent graduate from the University of Arizona, obtaining a Master of Public Health degree in Health Behavior Health Promotion. Darwyn was enticed to the field of public health because concepts of wellness and healing are innate to the ancestral practices and cultural teachings of many American Indians and Alaska Native villages. Darwyn’s research focuses on mental health, social determinants of health, and health disparities. Darwyn is passionate about achieving health equity for tribal populations using Indigenous methods and methodologies. For the past two years, Darwyn has been a research assistant with Seven Directions. Darwyn’s work supports the development of a webpage and health training on topics of social determinants of health.

Tia 'Tee' Benally, MPH

Tia 'Tee' Benally, MPH

Research Coordinator

tbenally@uw.edu

Tia “Tee” Benally (she/her), MPH, is Diné (Navajo) and White Mountain Apache originally from New Mexico (NM). Tee graduated from the University of Washington (UW) in June 2022 with her Master’s in Public Health from the Community – Oriented Public Health Practice program. She is currently a Research Coordinator with Seven Directions and works collaboratively with others on various projects but focuses on the Indigenous Public Health Leaders training program and another project related to Indigenous Social Determinants of Health.

Full Bio

Prior to moving to Seattle, Tee worked in areas specific to diabetes prevention and commercial tobacco control and prevention. She has worked with the 19 Pueblos, Apache tribes and Navajo Nation in NM by providing trainings, presentations, content specific tool kits, health education curriculum, and policy development and advocacy.

As a graduate student, Tee completed her Capstone / thesis project with the Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health at Washington State University. Her project included working alongside her previous mentor and advisor Ka’imi Sinclair, PhD, MPH, to conduct a secondary data analysis for the Strong Men, Strong Communities research study. This analysis focused on various body composition factors attributed to the increase risk for type 2 diabetes, including the consideration for other variables such as, historical trauma, tribal crit theory, socioeconomic status, behavioral health, and the inclusion of protective factors. The product for this project included, a final report comprised of an executive summary, evidence – based findings, and recommendations for change and future research.

Growing up in a strong matriarchal home Tee was taught to honor her ancestors, respect her culture, and value her community. She continues to implement these values by ensuring healthy equity for tribal communities is achieved through a data sovereignty lens. This includes data being representative, collected, and cared for by fellow Native researchers. As well as the woven connection between data analysis and lived experiences to support future program and policy development and advocacy.

Tee continues to work with her community by serving as a Co-Chair for the New Mexico Allied Council on Tobacco, a statewide coalition. As well as other research project partnerships between UW and Navajo Nation. During her free time, Tee enjoys spending time with her family and friends, cooking, traveling, beading, exploring Seattle’s coffee shops, and sports. #GoDawgs

Students

Adam Adelstein

Adam Adelstein

Student Intern

afa9jj@uw.edu

Adam (He/Him) is a first-year graduate student at the University of Virginia, pursuing an MPH. Adam is from the Washington D.C area. Adam predominantly works to maintain and update the Seven Directions website, organizing its layout and improving the end-user experience.

Full Bio

Adam is currently pursuing an MPH degree and then attend medical school to help expand medical access in rural communities. Adam enjoys fly fishing, skiing, playing the bass guitar, and spending time with his dog, Axel.



Shino Someya

Shino Someya

Student Intern

ssomeya@uw.edu

Shino is a graduate student at The University of Washington, studying in the School Psychology Ph.D program.

Full Bio

Shino likes to play soccer and bake in her free time.

Marqué Moody

Marqué Moody

Practicum Student

mmoody2@uw.edu

Marqué (she/her) is a second-year graduate student at the University of Washington School of Social Work. At Seven Directions, Marqué is primarily assisting in the tribal opioid prevention work within diverse groups.

Full Bio

Marqué has over five years of experience working in case management and program coordination within mental health and nonprofit organizations. Her professional interests include mental wellness, social equity, and Indigenous sovereignty. In her free time, Marqué enjoys reading, watching movies with her husband, and cuddling her dog.

Anevay Skenandore

Anevay Skenandore

Capstone Student

anevaysk@uw.edu

Anevay Skenandore, BA/BS (Oneida/Lakota) joined Seven Directions in 2022 as a second-year MPH student with the University of Washington and is currently conducting a capstone project with the Indigenous Social Determinants of Health project.

Full Bio

Anevay Skenandore (Oneida/Oglala Lakota) graduated from The Evergreen State College in 2019 with a BA/BS specializing in biology and Indigenous studies. Upon graduation, she worked as a homelessness outreach specialist for the Seattle Indian Health Board, focusing on connecting unhoused Indigenous people in the Seattle area with resources and advocating for Housing First policy. She is now a second-year MPH student at the University of Washington in the Community-Oriented Public Health Practice program, conducting her capstone project with the Indigenous Social Determinants of Health project.