Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan
Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, MPH, DrPH, is a postdoctoral fellow of Communication Journalism and Research Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of New Mexico. Valarie's work focuses on community-based participatory research, including photovoice and participatory filmmaking, to reduce health disparities within the Native American population. She founded the Diabetes Community Action Project in San Jose, CA, a grass-roots Native American community organizing group to fight diabetes among Indians.
Valarie is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. She received her doctorate in public health from the University of California, Berkeley.
Project Title:
Changing Patterns in Health Behaviors and Risk Factors related to Chronic Diseases among Native Americans: 1996-2006.
Project database:
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/
Recent and Pending Publications:
Jernigan V, Duran B, Ahn D and Winkleby M. (2010). "Changing Patterns in Health Behaviors and Risk Factors Related to Cardiovascular Disease Among American Indians and Alaska Natives." American Journal of Public Health, 100(4): 677-683.