March 21, 2023

Karina Walters, professor and co-director of the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute at the University of Washington’s School of Social Work, has been appointed director of the Tribal Health Research Office at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

During more than two decades of scholarship, teaching, administration and service, Walters has made tremendous impact as a prominent academic elder and advisor to hundreds of Indigenous and other students and junior faculty on the local, national and international level. 

As the new director of NIH’s Tribal Health Research Office, Walters will work to advance initiatives on tribally informed biomedical and behavioral research, enhance NIH’s tribal consultation and tribal engagement efforts, and coordinate American Indian/Alaska Native research and research-related activities across NIH and with other federal entities.

 “We are incredibly grateful for Dr. Walters’ immeasurable influence, contributions and impact on our social work community,” said Michael Spencer, acting dean and dean-elect of the School of Social Work. “We are excited for Karina to rise to this amazing position with NIH, and we will miss her dearly in the School, on campus and in the regional Indigenous community.” 

In announcing the appointment, Lawrence A. Tabak, director, National Institutes of Health, said: “Dr. Walters’ wealth of experience and deep commitment to engaging tribal leadership in health research efforts make her ideally suited for the position. Her commitment to community-based participatory research is evident in her demonstrated ability to sustain collaborations with diverse Native communities and conduct successful randomized clinical trials in tribal communities.”

An enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Walters has made significant contributions to social work theory and practice, social and epidemiological research with Native American populations, Indigenous health and healing, LGBTQ health, land-based healing, cultural resilience and mentorship with Indigenous students. In recent years, she expanded her area of study to include tribally based intervention research in substance abuse, obesity, diabetes and HIV/AIDS prevention, particularly among Native American women. 

Since joining the UW School of Social Work in 2001, she has been director of the School’s doctoral program and associate dean for research. In 2023, she was selected to serve on the national board of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, where she has been a fellow since 2014. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology, an MSW and a PhD in social welfare, all from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Her outstanding contributions to the field as well as her dedication to social justice and equity have been recognized with numerous awards and honors. She was the recipient of a prestigious Fulbright Senior Research Award, serving as an honorary visiting scholar at Ngā Pae o te Maramatanga National Institute for Research Excellence in Maori Development and Advancement at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. In 2009, she received the Distinguished Contribution to Ethnic Minority Issues award from the American Psychological Association as well as the Dukepoo Award for promoting integrity, respect and excellence in Native health research from the Native Research Network and Indian Health Service.

In 2005, Walters co-founded the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute (IWRI) with Dr. Tessa Evans-Campbell and became its inaugural director; the two became co-directors in 2016. Through their efforts, IWRI became an NIH-recognized national Center of Excellence overseeing national and international research and research training for Indigenous health equity in the U.S. The research institute has trained more than 410 scholars, been awarded more than $65 million in grants and partnered with more than 120 tribal and Native-serving organizations worldwide.

Read the NIH press release announcing the appointment.