Native Americans born today have a life expectancy that is five and a half years less than the rest of the U.S. population. There has long been a disparity between the health status of Native Americans and the rest of the population. The array of factors contributing to this are complex and require unique perspectives to find novel solutions.

This is the problem that Shelby Koch, a University of Oklahoma Native American Studies graduate hopes her own perspective can help solve.

A member of the Choctaw Nation, Koch first acquired an interest in Native health through the Māhina Program with the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute at the University of Washington. Here, she traveled to New Zealand for two months to learn about indiginous research methodologies and working alongside organizations working to apply an indiginous worldview to their health care practices.

From there, Koch set her sights on medical school, but a desire to better understand Native culture lead her to OU.

“In med school you learn the techniques and skills,” she explains, “but I think that my Native American Studies degree is going to give me a strong interpersonal foundation – understanding the complex dynamics of native tribes –for treating health conditions of native patients.”

The Department of Native American Studies at OU leads the nation  in its commitment to using distinctly Native American perspectives that place the sovereignty of Native nations and the cultures of Native peoples at the center of academic study. It is from this perspective that Shelby hopes to improve health care for Native Americans.

“My mind was pretty much blown by the research methodology,” Koch said, reflecting on her experience at OU so far.