Release date: June 10, 2024
During Pride Month, Talking About Kids is devoted to LGBTQ+ issues. This second installment is about supporting Two Spirit and LGBTQ+ youth. My guest is Jerico Cummings. Jerico is a 2SLGBTQ+ Training & Community Engagement Specialist for the Paths (Re)Membered Project at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. The mission of the Paths (Re)Membered Project is to protect the health and wellbeing of 2SLGBTQ+ Indigenous people. Jerico will discuss the Two Spirit tradition, what all of us can learn from it, and how the needs of 2SLGBTQ+ Indigenous youth might differ from those of non-Indigenous youth. This episode was intentionally produced to support the formation and coordination of adolescent-centered care and services, so you also will hear from Vinny Chulani of the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health. It was recorded live using a webinar platform to encourage questions from alliance members and other listeners. More information is below.
Biography of Jerico Cummings
Jerico Cummings (they/them) is member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and works the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board on the Paths (Re)Membered Project as the Training and Community Engagement Specialist.
Their capacity building efforts support clinical providers offering gender care to American Indian Alaska Natives (AI/AN) in Indian Health Service, Tribal, and Urban Indian Health (I/T/U) facilities. Additionally, they bring awareness and continued education to community-based organizations working to affirm AI/AN Two Spirit, transgender, Indigiqueer, and gender-diverse peoples.
Outside of work, Jerico is an outdoors person that loves to spend countless hours in the mountains and many bodies of water throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Biography of Veenod Chulani
Dr. Chulani is Section Chief of Adolescent Medicine at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics in the University of Arizona -Phoenix Department of Child Health. He is also a founding member and clinical consultant to the Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health. He completed his pediatric residency training at Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York; his fellowship in Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; and, his Master’s in Education from the University of Southern California-Keck School of Medicine. His clinical and research interests include adolescent sexual and reproductive health, the care of gay, lesbian, bisexual transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth, health equity promotion and diversity and inclusion. He has lectured nationally and internationally on a host of topics related to Adolescent Medicine. He has delivered lectures and workshops nationally and internationally and is the recipient of numerous awards recognizing his contribution to adolescent health.
Links
Paths (Re)Membered Project
Native Land
Arizona Alliance for Adolescent Health
