Combining Western Medicine & Traditional Healing: The Scalpel & the Silver Bear; The first Navajo Woman Surgeon

Dr. Alvord will discuss her path to integrating traditional western medicine and technology with the traditional Navajo philosophy of balance and harmony known as “Walking in Beauty.”  After receiving traditional medical training Dr. Alvord returned to the Gallup Indian Medical Center in New Mexico. She soon discovered the need to merge her state of the art skills with indigenous healing customs and practices. Dr. Alvord will discuss intriguing ideas about human health care.

At the conclusion of this workshop, students will be able to:

1. Identify ways in which indigenous knowledge of health/spirituality/healing are used in Native American cultures.
2. Understand cultural conflicts in health care including how Native American healing supports or interferes with western medical practices.
3. Discuss strategies for incorporating or utilizing indigenous healing practices in conjunction with western medical practice.

This event is collaboratively sponsored by IPEC and Multicultural & Diversity Services.