NDSU’s American Indian Public Health Resource Center has been honored as the North Dakota Public Health Team of the Year. The award was presented at the 2017 Dakota Conference on Rural and Public Health annual banquet June 14 in Minot, North Dakota.

The award honors a team that works collaboratively on unique, creative or outstanding public health efforts, programs or goals.

Melanie Nadeau, center operational director and assistant professor of practice, nominated the team for the award. “We take a team-based approach, that’s how we run our center,” she said. “Everyone has their fingers in all the projects that we do with all of our stakeholders from across the state.”

Center team members include:

Dr. Donald Warne, center director

Melanie Nadeau, operational director

Vanessa Tibbitts, public health education project manager

Gretchen Dobervich, public health policy manager

Ryan Eagle, research project manager

Pearl Walker-Swaney, IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) project manager

Karla Checo, Centers for Disease Control public health associate

The Dakota Conference is a joint effort by Altru Health System of Grand Forks, North Dakota; North Dakota Public Health Association; North Dakota Rural Health Association; the University of North Dakota College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines; and the Center for Rural Health at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

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