Public Health PhD student Breanna Lameman receives two prestigious awards for Indigenous Health research
Public Health PhD student Breanna Lameman received two major awards, the Indigenous Resilience Graduate Research award from the Haury program and the First Nations Tribal Food Systems Research Fellowship, both supporting her research on Indigenous environmental resilience and the future of Navajo Nation food systems.
Breanna (Bree) Lameman, MPH (Diné), a PhD student in Health Behavior Health Promotion program in the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, received two major awards, the Indigenous Resilience Graduate Research Award from the Haury program and the First Nations Tribal Food Systems Research Fellowship. Both awards support her research on Indigenous environmental resilience and the future of Navajo Nation food systems.
The Indigenous Resilience Graduate Research Award from the Agnes Nelms Haury program at the University of Arizona funds graduate students conducting research on Indigenous environmental resilience. Breanna’s award will support research for her dissertation titled Strengthening Diné Food Systems: Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Agricultural Innovation for Dine Food Sovereignty, Health, and Community Wellbeing. She works with her advisor Dr. Nicole Yuan, associate professor in the College of Public Health, on the project.
In addition, Breanna was also selected as a fellow in the 2026–2028 First Nations Tribal Food Systems Research Fellowship, from the First Nations Development Institute. The fellowship, an invitation-only program, provides funding, mentorship, and research support to Native scholars and practitioners advancing Tribal food systems.
As part of the fellowship, Breanna will receive support over a 24-month period to further her research on her dissertation. Her work examines how climate change and emerging agricultural technologies are reshaping food systems in the Navajo Nation, with a focus on how Indigenous farmers and Native-led organizations are adapting while maintaining cultural and governance priorities.
Centering Indigenous environmental resilience, her research explores the interconnections between Diné food, energy, and water systems. The project aims to strengthen Diné food systems, enhance climate adaptation strategies, and build tribal governance capacity by producing policy options and actionable recommendations that support long-term environmental planning and Indigenous sovereignty.
Through the First Nations fellowship, Breanna will also participate in program convenings, collaborate with other Native researchers, and work toward completing two peer-reviewed journal publications, contributing to a growing body of Indigenous-led research in food systems and environmental health.