Emily Haozous, PhD, RN, FAAN (Chiricahua Fort Sill Apache) is a Senior Research Scientist at PIRE’s Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest (BHRCS), in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr. Haozous’ research is guided by the health and wellness priorities of the Native American partners with whom she collaborates. She has published in peer reviewed journals on cancer pain management, telehealth and video conferencing, complementary and alternative therapies for pain management, issues in racial misclassification, national trends in premature mortality, and cancer decision-making, always focusing her research efforts on the interests of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. She has worked with indigenous groups throughout New Mexico to address social justice and health equity concerns, most recently completing a health impact assessment with the Santa Fe urban Native American community investigating the health implications of the chronic underfunding of the Indian Health Service.
Dr. Haozous is a frequent speaker at local, tribal, state, regional, and national meetings on Native American health, particularly related to cancer prevention, palliative care, and health promotion. Dr. Haozous received her undergraduate degree in music from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her masters and PhD in nursing from Yale University. She has a background in hospice and palliative care nursing, and is passionate about policy change that brings equitable healthcare delivery to all corners of Indian Country.
Dr. Haozous demonstrates her leadership through service, with an appointment to the Community Advisory Board of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leaders Program, and the National Advisory Committee for the Institute for Nursing Leadership with the American Academy of Nursing. She also serves locally as an executive board member for the Santa Fe Community Foundation and board member for Changing Woman Initiative, a women’s health non-profit with the goal of creating a Native American birth center in Northern New Mexico.