Bozho (Hello),
I am Piqua Shawnee and Potawatomi from Michigan. Currently, I am a graduate student at North Dakota State University pursuing my Masters of Public Health and a Ph.D. in Conservation Biology. My passion is my culture and learning how traditional ecological knowledge can be incorporated into current conservation efforts of western science. My current research is looking at the utilization of traditional indigenous foods for managing health disparities in tribal communities, like type II diabetes. The focus of my research is a biochemical analysis of plant-produced secondary metabolites and the role these products play in the human body. We target the inhibition of enzymes via plant-produced metabolites that play a key role in the management of type II diabetes and hypertension. An additional area of research interest for myself is the role of policies and the impact of policies on access to healthy foods. Outside of my research, I am the father of a handsome son who is 16 month-old named Animikii, and a 6-year-old husky/samoyed mix dog named Happy. I am married to the love my life Pearl and we reside in Fargo, North Dakota. We love partaking in our traditional ceremonies, harvests, and traveling the pow-wow trail when we can throughout the year. In addition to my family life, I am an avid hunter and fisherman. From a young age, I would go on fishing trips to remote areas in Canada with my Uncle catching a variety of fish. In addition to fishing adventures, I have been blessed to join my father-in-law on an annual basis to go hunting with him.
