Marifrances Montell MPH, CPH, a Program Manager for the Tribal Epidemiology Center Public Health Infrastructure (TECPHI) grant has focused on working with tribal communities within Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to increase infrastructure and build capacity through continuous quality improvement, data collection and analysis, community engagement, evaluation, and trainings. 

With an emphasis on respecting tribal sovereignty and providing technical assistance to Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Urban Indian organizations Marifrances continues to foster collaborations through servant leadership for those within the Oklahoma Area Tribal Epidemiology Center service area. Her career began in a clinical setting and transitioned from direct patient services to programmatic evaluation and continues to work in public health.

Olivia Pewamo, a Public Health Specialist, is a member of the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation and affiliated with the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas. She began her career mentoring youth in a local public school teaching native dancing and crafting. In her educational endeavors, she received degrees from Haskell Indian Nations University and the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. 

As a former college athlete, adaptability in an effortless fashion has become a strength as she has navigated employment to find a place in public health. Currently, she is honored to learn chronic disease prevention education and share this knowledge in tribal communities in Kansas. As the only staff member in the state, many friendships, partnerships and collaborations have been maintained to utilize resources and co-host events with tribes. 

Jamie Piatt, MPH, is an epidemiologist and evaluator at the SPTHB since 2018. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in epidemiology. She has served in the public health sector as an epidemiologist and evaluator for over 20 years. Her research and publications have included substance abuse and prevention, mental health, minority health, child and adolescent health, infant health, Down syndrome, infectious diseases, and chronic diseases.

Ms. Piatt has worked directly with communities developing and implementing assessments, evaluation plans, data and epidemiology training, surveys, and other public health tools.

Sydney Sevier, MA, CPH – an epidemiologist at Southern Plains Tribal Health Board – has spent 20 years working with diverse communities to improve public health. In 2019 she joined SPTHB and its mission to serve the tribal nations of the Southern Plains by improving health outcomes for American Indians through partnerships advocacy, education, and training.

Sevier has extensive training in continuous improvement in healthcare and holds a black belt in Lean Six Sigma. In addition to her current role as an applied epidemiologist, she is also a seasoned health promotion specialist and educator. Her background in anthropology and epidemiology provides a unique blend of experience in both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.

Lauren Wong, MPH, is an evaluator at Southern Plains Tribal Health Board. She received her Bachelor of Science from Oklahoma State University and Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Tufts University School of Medicine. Her public health career has focused on data collection and analysis across community programs and clinical medicine.

Lauren joined SPTHB in 2023, inspired to use her public health knowledge towards improving health outcomes and public health initiatives for American Indians in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. Currently, she focuses on evaluation for internal programs at SPTHB and external partners, including survey development and program reports. Her educational background also equips her with skills for qualitative and quantitative analysis.