[Prevscilist] “Nurturing Minds and Spirits: The Role of Cultural Resilience for Indigenous Child Behavioral and Cognitive Health” | Ballmer Colloquium by Dr. Alexis Merculief

[Atika Khurana]

The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health and College of 
Education invite you to attend the colloquium by open-rank tenure track 
faculty candidate, Dr. Alexis Merculief

Date & time: *Tues. 12/12 @ 10am-11:30am (PST)*

Zoom link: 
https://uoregon.zoom.us/j/92309864521?pwd=Zy9TclFEOVh1M1ZOTFYzdm5PV2x2Zz09

*Colloquium Title*: Nurturing Minds and Spirits: The Role of Cultural 
Resilience for Indigenous Child Behavioral and Cognitive Health

*Colloquium Abstract:* Children from American Indian/Alaska Native 
(AI/AN) and other underserved backgrounds are raised in environments 
rich with supportive community relationships and cultural connections. 
At the same time, historical trauma and resulting poverty have brought 
systemic barriers to healthy development, including risks in the built 
and social environment. These risks present persistent stressors that 
negatively impact child behavioral and cognitive health. However, 
individuals, families, communities, and cultures bring their own sources 
of resilience. One well known individual resilience factor, and 
predictor of mental, physical, and socioemotional health, is strong 
self-regulation. Yet, little is known about how features of cultural 
resilience develop alongside and even support emerging self-regulation 
and executive function skills in preschool. With a focus on Indigenous 
theory, Alexis will unpack reconceptualizations of environmental risk, 
resilience, and self-regulation and how these can move the field forward 
with the goal of supporting Indigenous child behavioral health. Alexis 
will also share novel findings from her current work that demonstrate 
cultural and language socialization practices by parents as promoters 
and protectors of child cognitive health.

**

*Candidate Bio:*Alexis Merculief is a developmental scientist interested 
in how features of the built and social environment influence early 
childhood behavioral and cognitive health (specifically, executive 
function); as well as how aspects of community and cultural resilience 
can promote long-term health and academic achievement for children from 
American Indian, Alaska Native, and other underserved populations. 
Alexis received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from 
Oregon State University in June of 2023, and is currently a postdoctoral 
fellow with the Equity in Early Education (E3) postdoctoral fellowship 
program at Stanford University. Alexis is an Aleut (Unangax) tribal 
member and previously worked to promote education, health, and cultural 
connection in American Indian/Alaska Native children through youth 
program development at an Urban AI/AN health organization in Seattle.
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