Biography

Dr. Lee is Dine’ and from the Navajo Nation. Her tribal clans are: Tachii’nii, Tabaaha, Tsenjikini and Kin L ichii’nii. She completed her undergraduate degree(s) from Arizona State University, MPH and PhD in Public Health degree(s) at University of Nevada-Las Vegas, MLS in Indigenous Peoples Law at University of Oklahoma, College of Law. She completed her Predoctoral Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health focused on Indigenous Health and her Postdoctoral Fellowship at UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine focused on infectious disease preventative medicine. She serves on the United Nations North American Caucus, Global Indigenous Women's Caucus and Gender Equality Task Force. She is Founder/CEO of United Natives, a non-profit organization that serves Indian Country. She also serves as the Vice Chair for the Clark County, NV Democratic Party Native Caucus, Advisor for the Nevada Office of Minority Health and Equity and a Board of Director for the Las Vegas Indian Center. She served as a Tribal Health Advisor to the Obama Administration.

Areas of Specialty

  • Native American health, Indigenous health
  • Health policy, health disparities

Achievements & Awards

Dr. Lee was honored by President Bill Clinton for her work with Indigenous communities at the Clinton Global Initiative.

Key Publications

  • Lee C, Thompson-Robinson M, Dodge-Francis C. (2018). Feasibility and acceptability of an adapted HIV prevention intervention for Native American adolescents. AIDS Education and Prevention, 30(1), 72-84.
  • Leston J, Crisp C, Lee C, Rink E, Reiley B, Mera J, Rink E. (2019). An interview project with Native American people: A community-based to identify actionable steps to reduce health disparities. Public Health, 12, 1-10.

Research

Dr. Lee conducts infectious disease biomedical prevention research with a focus on Native American health and examines Indigenous health policies at a tribal, state, federal and international level(s). Dr. Lee is Principal Investigator on four different research projects; 1) Identifying perceptions of COVID-19 media campaigns and levels of adherence to public health strategies to reduce COVID-19 among the Navajo Nation; 2) A global profile of Indigenous adolescent and young person’s health; 3) Examining health and social indicators among Native American cisgender and transgender women who engage in sex work in an urban environment; and 4) Examining sociocultural influences, knowledge and acceptability of HIV biomedical prevention methods: Native American college students.

Courses Taught

  • American Indian Health Policy
  • Global Indigenous Health