Marina Van Pelt (she/her) is a member of Pueblo de Cochiti and the Confederate Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation. She recently joined Seven Directions as a Research Coordinator, having previously worked as a graduate research assistant with the team. Marina is currently involved in the Canoe Journeys: Climate Change, Culture, & Healing for Native Youth pilot study and the Healthy Tribal Nations study. She is expected to graduate from UW in summer 2024 with a Master of Public Health, specializing in Health Systems and Policy. Her career goals include promoting the health and sovereignty of tribal communities and advancing indigenous public health research through community-based participatory research. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, and spending time with her dog, Ollie.
About Our Practice
The Seven Sacred Directions
Seven Directions was born from a desire to create greater connectivity across the many tribes, communities and organizations that have the health and wellness of American Indian and Alaska Native people at the heart of what they do. We are guided by the “seven directions” of practice: Integration & Holistic Wellness, Culture & Identity, Families & Communities, Respect for Sovereignty, Service, Indigenous Knowledge, and Tribal Governance.
The Seven Sacred Directions serve as an indigenous framework for presenting the strategic directions for the public health agenda.
