![Alvina Marris Photo of Alvina Marris courtesy of: https://irleaders.org/team/using-native-knowledge-and-science-to-heal-trauma/ (2019)](https://staging-in.ewu.edu/mcnair/wp-content/uploads/sites/131/2019/11/Alvina-Marris-683x1024.jpg)
Dr. Alvina Cawston Marris (EWU McNair Scholar 2003) was awarded a grant in 2018 and named an Interdisciplinary Research Leader dedicated to improving health equity in rural areas. As a practicing psychologist, Dr. Marris works to improve health equity in rural areas. She works with the Colville Tribes and is currently conducting research to develop a trauma and culturally informed parenting program for her tribal community. Read more about the wonderful work being done by Dr. Marris in a previous article published in 2017. We congratulate Dr. Marris on her well-deserved award and are so proud of her accomplishments!
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - Interdisciplinary Leaders Website:
The broad goal of the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) program is to produce diverse interdisciplinary leaders who conduct and apply high-quality, community-engaged, action-oriented, equity-focused health research in order to drive improvements in the health of communities. Another central goal of the IRL program is to foster and support new interdisciplinary, action-oriented research collaborations that will help build the evidence base for effective community interventions to improve health for all.