About this Presenter

Dr. Stacy W. Smallwood is an Associate Professor of Community Health in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health and an Affiliate Faculty in the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies program at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Smallwood's graduate instruction is in health promotion, education, and behavior, and his specialized training is in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention.

Dr. Smallwood’s research focuses on promoting equity in health and well-being among marginalized communities. He believes that scholarship and activism should work together to promote empowerment. His interests include HIV prevention, sexual health, LGBT health, discrimination and health, and community engagement and organizing within marginalized communities.

In particular, Dr. Smallwood is interested in the effects of psychosocial and structural factors on HIV risk among sexual minority people of color. He also consults with community-based HIV prevention organizations on the evaluation of their evidence-based interventions. He serves as the current Chair of the HIV/AIDS Section for the American Public Health Association, and as the moderator for the Bulloch County Beloved Community, a grassroots organization with the purpose of building connections across lines of social difference in Statesboro, GA and surrounding areas.

About this Presenter

Dr. Williams is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the State University of New York at Buffalo. Her doctorate is in Epidemiology and Community Health. Dr. Wlliams was deeply involved in the Buffalo Lupus Project investigating asthma and autoimmune diseases in minority communities in Buffalo, as well as an ancillary project focused on pre-clinical heart disease, inflammation, and traditional cardiovascular risk factors in the largely African American cohort of women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

Dr. Williams received a joint appointment as a Research Assistant Professor Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the Arnold School of Public Health and the Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities, where she was subsequently appointed Deputy Director, at the University of South Carolina.

Currently, Dr. Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), with a dual appointment in the Division of Rheumatology. She was recently awarded a National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR)/NIH grant to examine whether a new, culturally-tailored, peer mentoring intervention improves disease self-management, indicators of disease activity, and quality of life in African American women with SLE.

About this Presenter

Lori’s professional background includes working with tribal, indigenous, federal, national, state, international entities, public and private foundations and non-profits to support intergenerational healing services to plan and develop initiatives within the matrix of cross-cultural values and diverse governances on cultural sanctity, and addressing the legacy and contemporary expressions of oppression, lateral oppression and trauma through healing and strengthening lifeways practices. Lori’s work is dedicated to the advancement of human rights, the principles of self-determination and cultural expression in the development of viable practices to support indigenous peoples’ wellbeing.

Lori’s professional experience includes National Wellness trainer for Native Wellness Institute (Oregon), ClearWay Foundation Minnesota tribal policy mentorship initiative, BRAVE Women’s conference, Robert Wood Johnson National Tobacco Policy Consultant, U.S. FDA American Indian/Alaskan Native Stakeholders meeting for the Center for Tobacco Products, MT/WY Tribal Leaders Council Prescription Drug Prevention Conference, founding National Spit Tobacco Summit 2009 Advisory Board member, Canadian First Nations Assembly Tobacco Policy Forum, SAMSHA: Academy of Excellence for Native Americans, evaluation advisory group, and Gathering of Native Americans events, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Praxis Project National Advisory Committee on Communities Creating Healthy Environments: Improving Access to Healthy Foods and Safe Places to Play for children in Communities of Color program (2009-2013), SoulCollage certified facilitator, National Indian Gaming Conference, National SAMSHA Youth Suicide Prevention trainer, Blood Nation’s Land Department, UNESCO Brave Festival performance (Wroclaw, Poland), Montana Department of Health-American Indian Women’s Health Coalition, Montana/Wyoming Tribal Leaders Strategic Substance Abuse prevention assessment, Greater Plains Tribal Chairman Health Board, University of San Diego Active Living Research Center/American Indian Physician Conference keynote speaker, Montana State Comprehensive Cancer Division strategic plan update for the Montana American Indian Women’s Health Collective, University of Saskatchewan Faculty Development Programs Aboriginal Programs, MT/WY Tribal Leaders Cancer Summit, Montana State Comprehensive Cancer Division strategic plan update for the Montana American Indian Women’s Health Collective, Blackfeet Tribal Health-Amskapipikuni Strategic Project to address underage drinking on the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana/Wyoming Tribal Leaders Strategic Substance Abuse prevention assessment, Tribal Comprehensive Cancer planning, University of San Diego, the International Union for Health Promotion and Education Indigenous Health Promotion Forum National Native American Cancer Research Center prevention seminar faculty and National Conference on Tobacco or Health 2009 subcommittee Planning Team and Tobacco Leadership Academy.

Lori also has participated in activities with the Montana/Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council Youth Academy, National Indian Gaming Association Commission Certification training, former member of Montana Governor’s Tobacco Advisory Board, Native American Tobacco Coalition of Montana, TPSKINS: Tobacco Policy Sharing Knowledge in Native Societies, Many Voices, One Message: Keep Tobacco Sacred Conference.

About this Presenter

CoCo Villaluz is the Associate Director of Health Equity Programs for ClearWay MinnesotaSM. CoCo is Hidatsa (Three Affiliated Tribes), Assiniboine (Montana), and Chamorro (Guam).

CoCo has over eighteen years of experience in all phases of community development, capacity building and mobilizing. CoCo is one of the founding members of the Native American Tobacco Coalition of Montana (NATCOM) and has partnered with many diverse organizations.

Some of CoCo’s proudest accomplishments include passing the Fort Peck No Smoking Resolution, being selected to present at the Auahi Kore (Smoke-Free) Conference in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and passing the Ohinni Candi Wakandapi/Chani Wakan K/Nusa Commercial Tobacco-Free Ordinance for her home community.

CoCo is the recipient of the National Indian Health Board 2016 Regional Area Impact Award for advancing American Indian and Alaska Native health. Recently, CoCo was selected for Breast Cancer Action Board of Directors.