*New* Indigenous Food Ways & Mental Health: Emma Elliott and Michael Spencer (11/13/25)
Posted: 11/6/2025 (Local Events)
Please join the UW Consortium for Global Mental Health and the Population Health Initiative for on Thursday, November 13 from 10 – 11 am PST for Indigenous Food Ways & Mental Health—a conversation between CSDE Affiliate Michael Spencer (Ballmer Endowed Dean and Professor) Social Work, and Dr. Emma Elliott. They will discuss their research and what they’ve learned about the interconnection of indigenous food ways and total wellbeing, within an indigenous knowledge and theoretical framework that holds profound promise for public health. This is a hybrid event, please register, however you plan to attend.
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Dr. Emma Elliott (Cowichan Tribes) is an assistant professor in the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development in the College of Education at the University of Washington. She holds both a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and a Master of Social Work in Children, Youth, and Families. The interdisciplinary intersections of her research include culture, learning, and human development; land-based and Indigenous methodologies; and trauma, prevention, and recovery among Indigenous children and youth. By employing a strengths-based approach to healing, Dr. Elliott rigorously engages youth, families, and communities in the development of integrated educational and behavioral health interventions to address social issues. Her research centers ethical frameworks generated by Indigenous and land-based knowledges and practices to create process-centered approaches that illuminate Indigenous pathways toward collective livelihood. Dr. Elliott is currently partnering with members of the Cowichan Tribes to design programming to strengthen the physical, mental, intellectual, and cultural health of the community.
Dr. Emma Elliott (Cowichan Tribes) is an assistant professor in the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development in the College of Education at the University of Washington. She holds both a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and a Master of Social Work in Children, Youth, and Families. The interdisciplinary intersections of her research include culture, learning, and human development; land-based and Indigenous methodologies; and trauma, prevention, and recovery among Indigenous children and youth. By employing a strengths-based approach to healing, Dr. Elliott rigorously engages youth, families, and communities in the development of integrated educational and behavioral health interventions to address social issues. Her research centers ethical frameworks generated by Indigenous and land-based knowledges and practices to create process-centered approaches that illuminate Indigenous pathways toward collective livelihood. Dr. Elliott is currently partnering with members of the Cowichan Tribes to design programming to strengthen the physical, mental, intellectual, and cultural health of the community.
Dr. Michael Spencer, is the first Native Hawaiian Dean at the School of Social Work. Spencer is an elected member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, and has served as the co-chair for the Grand Challenges for Social Work in both Close the Health Gap and Eliminate Racism. In 2023, he co-authored Social Work and the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism, a compilation of perspectives from leading researchers on various forms of racism and its impact on racial groups. His research examines health and wellness among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, focusing on interventions that promote health among Native Hawaiians through Indigenous practices and values. His research examines the added benefit of integrating Native Hawaiian traditional healing into primary care in Waimānalo, O’ahu. He also works with colleagues at the University of Hawai’i to promote food security and well-being using backyard aquaponics systems among Native Hawaiians.