Faculty Affiliate Karina L. Walters is the William P. and Ruth Gerberding Endowed Professor in the School of Social Work. An enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Dr. Walters founded and directs the university-wide, interdisciplinary Indigenous Wellness Research Institute at the University of Washington. A recent recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Award, her research focuses on historical, social, and cultural determinants of physical and mental health among American Indians and Alaska Natives. She serves as principal investigator on several groundbreaking studies associated with health-risk outcomes among American Indian individuals, families, and communities funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Major Research Projects:

• Indigenous Wellness Research Institute
• Healthy Hearts Across Generations, a five-year project in collaboration with the Tulalip Tribes to design and test a culturally appropriate, feasible, and generalizable cardiovascular disease prevention program for American Indians living in the Northwest
• A research supplement to Healthy Hearts Actoss Generations, a 4-year supplemental project designed to complement and extend the cardiovascular disease parent project, by focusing on the co-morbid issue of diabetes.
• The HONOR Project, examining the impact of historical trauma, discrimination, and other stressors on the health and wellness of Native lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and two-spirited men and women.
• A research supplement to the HONOR Project with a study on how past and current life experiences affect the health behaviors and wellness of Native American men and women living with HIV and AIDS, regardless of sexual orientation.
• The American Indian Vietnam Veterans Project, a study investigating how traumatic events and specific aspects of those events vary by participant characteristics (e.g., age, gender, ethnic and racial background, and socio-economic status) utilizing the narratives of life experiences shared by American Indian Vietnam veterans.

Sample Publications:

• Walters, K. L., & Simoni, J.M., (in press).  "Decolonizing strategies for mentoring American Indians and Alaska Natives in HIV and mental health research."  American Journal of Public Health.
• Lehevot, K., Walters ,K. L., & Simoni, J., (in press).  "Abuse, mastery and health among two-spirit Native women." Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.
• Chae, D. & Walters, K. L.  2008. "Racial discrimination and racial identity attitudes in relation to self-rated health and physical pain and impairment among Two-Spirit American Indians/Alaska Natives." American Journal of Public Health 99.

Contact Information:

Karina L. Walters
Email: kw5@u.washington.edu
Homepage: http://depts.washington.edu/sswweb/directory/p.php?id=83
Karina Walter’s CV [ PDF ]