Native American Health Trends; Trauma and Mental Health in Indian Country
Throughout this course, students will learn about Native American history and immerse themselves in Native mindsets on health, wellness, life, and healing. Students will become familiar with Native lifestyles and ways of communicating, increasing their understanding of how Native communities view and access Western medicine, and their ability to communicate with Native communities.
Course Start Date: August 24, 2026
About the Instructor: Jerry Crowshoe
Jerry Crowshoe is an enrolled member of the Piikani Nation (Blackfoot Confederacy) from Brocket, Alberta, Canada. Mr. Crowshoe grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, WA, and graduated from Mary Walker High School in Springdale, WA.
Indigenous Perspectives on Health and Wellness: Culture, Community, and Tribal Systems from Policy History to Present Practice.
The course examines the foundations of Indigenous health through cultural traditions, community values, and tribal systems of care. The course explores how historical and contemporary government policies have shaped and often disrupted tribal health, wellness practices, and community structures. Participants will also engage with how Indigenous communities navigate, adapt, and revitalize these systems today, emphasizing resilience, sovereignty, and culturally grounded approaches to health and wellness.
Course Start Date: October 26, 2026
About the Instructor: Ricki Peone
Ricki Peone is from the Spokane Tribe of Indians and the Sinixt band. Ricki carries her cultural roots with pride, weaving them into her leadership, her advocacy, and the way she shows up for the people she serves. Ricki holds Bachelor’s in Developmental Psychology, a Bachelor’s in Education, a Minor in Indian Studies, a Master’s in Advanced Generalist Social Work, and her LMSW. She is also an ICGC‑II (International Certified Gambling Counselor‑II) and a BACC (Board Approved Clinical Consultant), making her a trusted expert in multiple specialized fields. Over the course of her career, Ricki has worked across a wide range of programs, including Indian Child Welfare, Mental Health, Substance Use, Prevention, Domestic Violence, Health Care and Responsible Gambling services.
Native American Health Perspectives
In this course, students will gain cultural competence through openness to varying perspectives, cultivate cultural humility to nurture listening skills, and increase their capacity for a strength-based worldview of Native American communities.
Course Start Date: January 11, 2027
About the Instructor: Dr. Melodi Wynne
Dr. Melodi Wynne is a member of the Spokane Tribe and resides on her ancestral homelands on the upper Columbia Plateau. She holds a doctorate in Community and Cultural Psychology and a graduate certificate in Conflict Resolution from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Melodi speaks on behalf of ancestral plant foods and medicines whenever called to do so, including in middle and high school classrooms, local university programs, Indigenous podcasts, coalition meetings, and conferences.
Traditional Piikani Knowledge as a Pathway to Professional Cultural Safety
This course will apply traditional Piikani knowledge education methods to establish a conceptual framework for cultural safety. Learners will experience the impact of storytelling, observation, and repetition integral to knowledge transmission in Oral culture. This course will highlight the importance of reconciliation to promote cultural safety for all.
Course Start Date: March 15, 2027
About the Instructor: Heather Crowshoe
Heather Crowshoe is a Piikani Nation member from Brocket, Alberta, Canada, an accomplished professional in health service delivery and a Piikani Ceremonialist. As a professional nurse, she remains dedicated to addressing health disparities and promoting continuity of care for Indigenous people, their supporters, and communities. Ms. Crowshoe is part of the stewardship of traditional Piikani knowledge and steward to the snake design tipi. Heather enjoys spending time with family, being outdoors, and making couture clothing. She owns and operates Heather Crowshoe Couture and studied the discipline of “couture” as it most closely resembles the traditional Piikani clothing practice.
Program Accreditation
The Indigenous Health Perspectives Certificate has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1TM credit(s), ACPE Credits, and ANCC Credits. Specifically:
The Washington State University (WSU) Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine designates this enduring content for a maximum of 128 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Participants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
Pharmacist and technician continuing education credits (128 contact hour(s), certificate program, ACPE Activity Number: 0071-0000-26-016-H99-P, 0071-0000-26-016-H99-T, 0071-26-002-CP) are available for this activity.
Washington State University College of Nursing is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by Montana Nurses Association, an accredited approver with distinction by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. This activity is eligible for 128 contact hours.