Larry Campbell to speak on Indigenous health indicators April 28

Larry Campbell, Tribal Historical Preservation Officer for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, will discuss the development of Indigenous health indicators as part of the WWU Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 28 in Communications Facility 110 on the Western Washington University campus.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

In his Speaker Series talk titled “Why Developing Indigenous-specific Indicators of Health Matters,” Larry will discuss the community health work he has long collaborated on with Dr. Jamie Donatuto, Environmental Community Health Analyst for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Over the past 15 years, Campbell and Donatuto have worked together to develop and pilot-test health indicators that are responsive to Indigenous health. Campbell’s talk will describe the evolution of this work, including methods, initial results, and current iterations. He will also explain why local natural resources that are not reflected in conventional health assessments should be included in order to more accurately assess Coast Salish community health.

As a distinguished Swinomish tribal elder, Campbell has been involved for more than 30 years in Swinomish Indian Tribal Community governmental committees, intergovernmental affairs, public relations, community development, spiritual traditions and cultural activities. In addition to Historical Preservation Officer, he also serves as Community Health Specialist in the recently formed Swinomish Community Health Program.

Campbell and Donatuto will also be speaking at Northwest Indian College as part of the Salish Sea Speaker Series earlier in the day on April 28. Their NWIC presentation is scheduled for noon to 2 pm in the NWIC log building. Both campuses are offering free parking for these events. For more information on the NWIC event, please visit the NWIC news page.

The presentation will include a question-and-answer period. Anyone interested in the topic is encouraged to attend and participate.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at 360-650-2554 or Jen.VanderWeyden@wwu.edu.