Faculty & Staff

Kristen Jacklin, Ph.D

Executive Director

Kristen Jacklin, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health and the Director of the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team – Health Equity (MK-MDT) at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus. Dr. Jacklin is a medical anthropologist with over 25 years of experience conducting community-based participatory research (CBPR) with Indigenous and rural communities. Her research pursues scientific questions that support health equity and employ methods that disrupt traditional power relations. Her recent work in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias has incorporated translational aspects such as cultural adaptations of clinical tools for use with Indigenous populations and translating ethnographic data into culturally appropriate health promotion materials. Her methodological expertise includes CBPR, Indigenous methodologies, two-eyed seeing, qualitative and ethnographic methods, and highly integrative research designs. Dr. Jacklin currently leads three large multi-site studies on dementia in Indigenous and rural populations:

1. The American Indigenous Cognitive Assessment Project (NIA R01AG074231), which seeks to create the first cognitive assessment designed for Indigenous populations in the US.

2. Indigenous Cultural Understandings of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias-Research and Engagement (NIH-NIA R01AG062307) a multi-site community-based ethnographic research concerning Indigenous experiences and knowledge of dementia.

3. Community Engaged Rural Dementia Research (UMN AIRP) to develop a robust program of dementia research with rural populations in Minnesota.

Dr. Jacklin is the founder and current co-chair of the International Indigenous Dementia Research Network (IIDRN). 

Complete list of publications available in My Bibliography 

Rick J. Smith

Elder in Residence

Rick J. Smith, M.Ed, is the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team Elder in Residence. Elder Smith is a teacher and knowledge keeper who provides guidance, insight, and spiritual understandings to faculty, staff, and students of the MK-MDT. He is currently providing guidance on the formation of an Indigenous Advisory Committee for MK-MDT.

Rick has been the Director of the American Indian Learning Resource Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth for over 30 years. He is a citizen of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He has a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Education degrees from the University of Minnesota. In addition, he has served as an Independent Consultant for the Blandin Foundation for 17 years, as a Cultural Liaison for the Blandin Reservation Community Leadership Program. He has been involved with Indian Education for over 35 years, regionally and nationally.

In Memoriam of Wayne Warry

Founding Faculty of MK-MDT

The academic community mourns the passing of Dr. Wayne Warry, Professor Emeritus, distinguished medical anthropologist, and pioneer in Indigenous and rural health research. Dr. Warry passed away on August 4th, 2026, leaving behind an enduring legacy of community-engaged scholarship, health equity advocacy, and dedicated mentorship across Canada and the United States.

Dr. Warry earned his B.A. (1975) and M.A (1976) from McMaster University before completing his doctoral studies in anthropology at the Australian National University Research School of Pacific Studies (1983), where he spent two years conducting ethnographic fieldwork among the Chuave in Simbu Province, in the Central Highlands of Papua New Guinea. His work was influenced by the founding Faculty at McMaster University, including Professors Ruth Landes, Richard Preston, and Richard Slobodan, and he was mentored there by Professors Matt Cooper, David Counts, Bill Rodman, and at ANU by the late Dr. Marie Reay. His multi-decade career was defined by foundational institutional leadership and applied scholarship:

• McMaster University (1989-2012, Professor Emeritus): Served for many years as a professor and Chair in the Department of Anthropology, where he received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and helped shape a generation of applied anthropologists.
• Laurentian University (2012-2017, Professor Emeritus): Served as Director of the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research (CRaNHR), leading interdisciplinary research programs focused on rural health equity, health delivery, and vulnerable populations in northern Ontario.
• University of Minnesota (2017-2026, Professor Emeritus): Served as Director of Rural Health Initiatives for the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team (MK-MDT) and Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health at the Medical School’s Duluth campus. Here, he led a research program on Community-Engaged Rural Dementia and Alzheimer’s Research (CERDAR).

Throughout his career, Dr. Warry was a steadfast advocate for community-based participatory research and Indigenous rights. He helped fundamentally shift research paradigms—being among the first to advocate for authentic collaborations with Indigenous communities and supporting them as leaders in their own research.

Dr. Warry’s scholarship bridged the gap between anthropological theory, community health, and health policy. In his later career, his research focused heavily on brain health equity, exploring Indigenous and rural experiences with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

His major books remain foundational texts across anthropology and Indigenous studies:

• Unfinished Dreams: Community Healing and the Reality of Aboriginal Self-Government (University of Toronto Press, 1998) – Drawing on extensive field research, Dr. Warry authored a seminal examination of the intersection between health policy, community restoration, and political self-determination, emphasizing that genuine self-governance must be built on a foundation of holistic community wellness and structural reform.
• Ending Denial: Understanding Aboriginal Issues (Broadview Press, 2007) – An influential text addressing systemic racism, dismantling misconceptions of Indigenous people, and fostering meaningful pathways toward reconciliation.

Beyond his publications and research leadership, Dr. Warry was a beloved teacher and mentor. Colleagues and students remember him for his generosity, intellectual rigor, and unwavering commitment to ethical, community-led research.

His work leaves a lasting footprint on how rural and Indigenous health research is conducted across North America—built on respect, reciprocity, and health equity.

Melissa Blind, Ph.D.

Senior Research Scientist and Community Engagement Director

Dr. Blind is Cree from George Gordon’s First Nation in Saskatchewan. She holds a PhD in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona. She is a Senior Research Associate on the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team at the University of Minnesota, Duluth campus and has over 10 years’ experience working with Indigenous communities in the field of Indigenous health and dementia research. Dr. Blind’s work has contributed to the development of culturally safe dementia health promotion materials and assessment tools in Canada. She is also the research coordinator for Indigenous Cultural Understandings of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias – Research and Engagement (ICARE) project and the Addressing Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Disparities: The American Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (AMICA) project.

Genelle R. S. Lamont, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Assistant Professor 

Dr. Lamont is an epidemiologist, public health and health literacy professional. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Duluth Campus and faculty with the MK-MDT. Her research focuses on the intersection between chronic disease, social determinants of health, and Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias in indigenous populations. Other areas of research include health equity, health literacy, cultural humility, and establishing meaningful and accessible health data on American Indians/Alaska Natives using community-based participatory research and building public health surveillance capacity to address native health.

Cliff Whetung, Ph.D., MSW

Assistant Professor 

Dr. Whetung is a social worker and public health researcher. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Duluth Campus and faculty with the MK-MDT. His research focuses on the longitudinal relationships between social determinants of health, structural inequities, and cognitive health among Indigenous older adults in the United States and Canada. He also applies productive aging frameworks to explore the impact of work, volunteering, and social engagement on brain health in later life. His research indicates that Indigenous older adults experience a large burden of structural inequities across the lifespan and that these modifiable risk factors are associated with accelerated cognitive decline in later life. Dr. Whetung is a band member of Curve Lake First Nation and received his PhD from New York University’s Silver School of Social Work.