UNMC’s Regina Idoate and Aislinn Rookwood will lead a discussion on April 18 at 5:30 p.m. as part of the Nebraska Science Festival. They will present “Indigenous Cancer Research Education for Environmental Justice” in a virtual science cafe.

The cafe will focus on how a National Cancer Institute-funded research education program utilizes Indigenous STEM pedagogy, practices, and resources to advance cancer education within an environmental justice framework.

Regina Idoate, PhD, is an associate professor of health promotion in the UNMC College of Public Health and a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. With expertise in Indigenous research methods, Dr. Idoate collaborates across disciplines, colleges, and cultures to promote health and wellness through partnerships with public schools, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, communities, and tribes.

Aislinn Rookwood is an assistant professor in the UNMC Department of Health Promotion and a public health specialist who grew up in Polson, Montana, and Phoenix, Arizona. She is also the director of programs for CityMatCH and serves as the program manager for a research pathways program for underrepresented students in the UNMC College of Public Health. Her research interests focus on addressing children’s environmental exposures throughout the lifespan through community-engaged research and workforce development in primary care.

To join the virtual science cafe led by Regina Idoate and Aislinn Rookwood, use the following Zoom link: https://unmc.zoom.us/j/98063364607?pwd=TXZFZXFWbncwZlgxc2p6SmZEcUdCQT09