Learn more about the Great Beginnings for Healthy Native Smiles project in our February 2021 newsletter:
Kristan Elwell
Researchers at NAU join with Hopi and Crow tribes to tackle early childhood tooth decay
Early childhood caries (ECC), or tooth decay, has been linked to serious chronic health conditions like premature or low birth weight in infants, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and stroke, according to the Arizona Healthy Smiles, Healthy Bodies Survey conducted by the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Researchers from Northern Arizona University’s Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) and other institutions are working to… Read more
Faculty Spotlight: Kristan Elwell
Since Kristan Elwell began her work, she has dedicated her life to health equity. She joined NAU’s Center for Health Equity Research four years ago after earning her doctorate in sociocultural anthropology from Michigan State University.
Elwell also has a master’s degree in applied cultural anthropology from Northern Arizona University and a… Read more
Recently Funded Project, Great Beginnings for Healthy Native Smiles
Great Beginnings for Healthy Native Smiles: An Early Childhood Caries Prevention Program
American Indian children are four times more likely to suffer from untreated dental caries when compared to white children.1 High rates of Early Childhood Caries (ECC; one or more decayed, missing, or filled teeth in a child less than 6 years of age)2 in American Indian children impact the wellbeing of their families and communities because of the associated problems that result from untreated ECC such as infection,… Read more
Pediatric surgery center opens at Queen Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi
CHER Assistant Research Professor, Dr. Kristan Elwell has been involved in establishing a new and much-needed pediatric surgery wing at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. It is the first center of its kind in the country. The Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care will help the hospital double the number of surgeries performed on children each year and provides a four-bed intensive care unit. It will also become a training center of excellence… Read more