BOARD CHAIR
GEOFFREY ROTH

Geoffrey Roth (Lakota – Standing Rock), is a Native American leader and advocate. He currently serves as the Board Chair of the Indigenous Determinants of Health Alliance and Expert Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, focusing on Indigenous Health, Indigenous Food Systems restoration, and meaningful Indigenous representation throughout the UN system and beyond. Additionally, Mr. Roth serves as the Chairman of the Coquille Indian Tribe’s Executive Health Board; the Board Chair for Capital Native Nations; and as CEO of Cedar Rock Alliance (CRA) consulting firm. CRA specializes in improving health and wellness for American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples through Tribal Health Programs, Urban Indian Health Programs, and other Indigenous led organizations and companies by increasing access to care, revenue generation, and improving quality care. He is a partner in InajiCare, a health information technology startup focused on stabilizing and keeping our Indigenous elders in our communities while providing employment opportunities and increasing revenue for tribes.  Mr. Roth also provides consultative and Interim Executive Management services to varied clients and has served in the federal government, from career positions to a Presidential Appointment during the Obama Administration where he led the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) within the Indian Health Service (IHS) as well as leading the implementation of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act reauthorization. In this position he also served as part of the Senior Staff at IHS, a multibillion-dollar agency.  There, he worked as part of a team with the Director on day-to-day operations. More recently he served as the Indian Health lead for the Biden-Harris Transition Team. In addition, Mr. Roth has served as Executive Director of several nonprofits including the Native American Youth and Family Center in Portland, OR; and on Capitol Hill with the National Council of Urban Indian Health, working for the betterment of underserved Urban Indian populations. He has also worked both domestically and internationally on the prevention of HIV and the care of individuals living with HIV and AIDS.

Vice-President and Treasurer
Allison Kelliher

Dr. Kelliher is IDHA’s Vice-President and Treasurer. She is Koyukon Athabascan, Dena, from Nome, Alaska. She is the first and only physician trained as a Traditional Healer in a Tribal Health setting and weaves this into her practice and research as a Family and Integrative Physician. She is a Research Associate co-appointed to the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Indigenous Health where she enjoys working with learners in order to better address health disparities and overall wellness. Dr. Kelliher is the founder and former director of the American Indian Collaborative Research Network (AICoRN), a Practice-Based Research Network at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences where she is also Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Indigenous Health. She is also adjunct faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the University of Alaska Anchorage and serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of American Indian Physicians. Dr. Kelliher has a background in biomedical research and neuroscience, with special interests in behavioral health and health equity as well as curriculum development and integration of Global Healing Traditions into practice and education. She serves on committees for the American Heart Association and is working toward decolonizing and indigenizing curriculum to include healing and health in medical curricula. She continues in advocacy for environmental justice with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and advocates for inclusivity of American Indian and Alaska Native healing practices in healthcare settings.  Dr. Kelliher continues research toward addressing Behavioral Health needs in the Great Plains and she was honored as the University of Alaska Fairbanks Alumnus of the year 2022 and recently published a chapter in the textbook Walking Together, Working Together: Engaging Wisdom for Indigenous Well-Being.

Board Secretary
Jami Bartgis, Ph.D

Dr. Jami Bartgis serves as the Secretary of the Indigenous Determinants of Health Alliance. Dr. Bartgis completed a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Oklahoma State University and internship at the University of South Florida, Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI). She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma and has spent her career working for both tribal and urban American Indian communities across the United States. Dr. Bartgis previously served an Assistant Professor of Research at the University of Oklahoma Health Health Sciences Center, Indian Country Child Trauma Center.

She has worked on the national level in her previous role as the Director of Technical Assistance and Research at the National Council of Urban Indian Health. Highlights of her community work include the development, implementation and evaluation of children's mental health systems; a range of community-based participatory research projects to advance health knowledge and practice; partnerships with State/County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Departments to support Systems of Care for American Indian populations; and the honor of working with thousands of tribal youth and family members as a direct service provider, community-based researcher/evaluator, and data driven policy advocate for a healthier world. Dr. Bartgis serves at the President and Chief Executive Officer of One Fire.