Clarita Lefthand-Begay

Clarita Lefthand-Begay is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington’s Information School (iSchool) and a citizen of the Navajo Nation. She holds a PhD in Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences from the University of Washington’s School of Public Health and conducts interdisciplinary research on how Tribal nations and communities protect and promote their knowledge, data, and information. Her work includes examining tribal water insecurity and climate health challenges, designing adaptive measures to strengthen resilience, and collaborating with multiple tribal communities and organizations in the US on climate change and water security initiatives. As the Director of the Tribal Water Security Network and the Indigenous Health Equity Lab at the iSchool, Dr. Lefthand-Begay leads teams that examine the water insecurity challenges faced by tribes in the US and around the globe, and mentors graduate and undergraduate students on projects related to water justice, tribally-led co-stewardship approaches, Tribal Institutional Review Board processes, and Indigenous research ethics. She also serves as deputy director of the new UW Center for Environmental Health Equity, which focuses on increasing environmental and energy justice opportunities and technical assistance to Tribal nations and other communities disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards and burdens. Dr. Lefthand-Begay is a leading voice in promoting cultural revitalization, self-determination, and environmental justice, and teaches classes on western research methods, Indigenous research methods, as well as on Indigenous data sovereignty.