Photo of Harris, Zoë M.

Zoë M. Harris, MPH

Doctoral Candidate

Mixed-methods research informed by indigenous knowledge

Community Health Sciences

Pronouns: She/Her

Related Sites:

About

Zoë Harris is a Community Health Sciences PhD candidate at the University of Illinois – Chicago School of Public Health. She is a citizen of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and has worked with her own tribal community as well as urban Native populations in Boston and Chicago on topics of education, health promotion, and language preservation. Zoë is also a Jamaican citizen and has family roots in Selma, Alabama. Therefore, she strives to educate people on the unique experiences of afro-indigenous people and the intersectionality that exists within all communities. In addition to her work on indigenous wellness systems, she has also worked on projects related to infection prevention and control, mental health, police violence, veteran’s health, social determinants of health, and racism as a public health issue. In addition to her research, Zoë loves cultivating plants and practicing traditional finger weaving.

Service to Community

Founding President (22-24), Indigenous Graduate Student Association at UIC

Representative, School of Public Health, UIC Graduate Student Council

Notable Honors

2020, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Fellowship, Northeastern University

2021, Outstanding Graduate Student in Experiential, Northeastern University

2022, Integrative, Contemporary, and Traditional Health Practices Fellowship, American Public Health Association

2023, Chancellor’s Student Service Award (CSSA), University of Illinois - Chicago

Education

Northeastern University, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Boston MA
Master’s in Public Health; Certificate in Nonprofit Sector, Philanthropy and Social Change

Northeastern University, Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Boston MA
Bachelor of Science, Health Sciences

Professional Memberships

Delta Omega, Honorary Society in Public Health, Gamma Nu

American Indian Science and Engineering Society

American Public Health Association, Communications Chair for the Integrative, Contemporary, and Traditional Health Practices Section

Selected Presentations

A Walk Through the Woods: Culturally Informed Health Education and Indigenous Populations. MPH Capstone Presentation Defense.

Indigenous and Art Based Health. Lecture for Spring 2022 Epidemics of Injustice Course.

Reclaiming Native Brilliance Series. USET and New England MHTTC

 

Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits

Listening to Wampanoag Voices: Beyond 1620, a discussion of ancient artifacts by Wampanoag ancestors, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard Museum

Traditional Weaving, online showcase of Eastern Woodland weaving projects