Julie Seward (Cherokee), RDH, MEd

Oral Health Program Manager, Southern Plains Tribal Health Board

For nearly a decade, Julie Seward has worked to improve oral health outcomes for our country’s most underserved. The American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) population faces some of the largest health disparities among all demographic groups. As a dental hygienist and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Julie has a unique perspective that has helped drive access to oral health care and improved outcomes for AI/AN people. Any public health research that could help identify solutions is limited, since most health data collection surveys lump AI/AN into the ubiquitous “other” category.

The Native Oral Health Network (NOHN), led by Julie and fueled by passionate advocates, is changing the AI/AN experience of “other” through its original research as well as education to eliminate misclassification and improve how data is presented. This will open the door to conversations about health inequities and ways to ensure all populations have the same opportunities. Research published by NOHN includes an outline of the current oral health landscape in certain geographic areas, a look at the disproportionate burden of oral disease among AI/AN people nationwide and details on the impact of dental therapists on access in certain states.

In addition to working alongside tribal nations, Julie is intent on finding opportunities to work with nonnative entities. Through professional development, peer support and networking, as well as empowering health leaders, advocates and educators, NOHN offers a closer look at what native communities face, giving a voice to those frequently without a seat at the table.

When I was in dental hygiene school, I remember being in community dentistry classes and doing rotations where you see a lot of need, but feeling like it was a box we had to check – there wasn’t a lot of understanding of systemic level issues. When I moved to Oklahoma and left private practice, I joined the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board and felt all of the lightbulbs turn on at once.

– Julie Seward (Cherokee) RDH, MEd

Facts about NOHN:

It is the first oral health network focusing on Native communities that originated in Oklahoma but has since expanded nationwide.
It is a subsidiary of the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board, which serves the 43 federally recognized Tribes in Kansas (3), Oklahoma (39), and Texas (1), as well as Urban Indian Health Centers in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Wichita, and Dallas – the largest Indian Health Service (IHS) population collective in the United States.
Since its launch in 2017, it now includes more than 120 members representing more than 30 unique areas of expertise.