PRESENTERS

Natalya Walker-Muller, BA

Natalya is the Community Engagement Coordinator for Memory Keepers- Medical Discovery Team, University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus.

Natalya oversees and coordinates relationship development with rural and Indigenous communities in Minnesota and is foremost concerned with supporting sustainable community collaborations that support brain health equity research.

Kelsie Larson, RDN, MPH

Kelsie Larson is the Community Engagement, Research and Education Specialist for Memory Keepers - Medical Discovery Team. Kelsie is passionate about wellness, aging health in rural communities with a background in public health and dietetics.

In her role she engages in community and greater Northern Minnesota by learning needs and assets of communities as relates to dementia, and she recruits participants to support brain health research projects and provides education in community. 

January Johnson, BSW  

January Johnson, BSW is an enrolled Ojibwe Band member at Red Lake Nation in Minnesota. She is a dedicated community-based researcher engaged in research activities surrounding the ICARE and AMICA projects at Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team at The University of Minnesota Duluth Medical School. Her role involves bridging the gap between academic research and the live experiences of Indigenous communities by conducting interviews with her local community members.  

Validating their personal stories about dementia and its impact on their lives is vital for addressing health disparities. She collaborates closely with community leaders and Elders who ensure that the research respects and integrates Indigenous knowledge. Through this work she is broadening her understanding of dementia and aiming to empower families and caregivers by providing them with relevant resources to navigate the challenges of dementia.  

As well as advocating for policies that reflect the needs and priorities of the community she serves.  

Kirsten Cruikshank, MSW

Kirsten Cruikshank has a master's in social work degree from UMD and a background in community-based work with older adults and family caregivers. Kirsten was the Director of a rural nonprofit home and community-based services organization for fifteen years, helping older adults live independently. She then worked with the Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging (AAA) on service development and administered Older American’s Act supportive services grants.  

She is currently a community-based researcher for the Memory Keeper’s Medical Discovery Team UMN Medical School - Duluth Campus, working on Community Engaged Rural Dementia and Alzheimer's Research (CERDAR). She lives in rural Lake County. 

Collette Pederson

Collette Pederson is an enrolled member of the Gichi-Onigaming / Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.  She has lived in Grand Portage for 7 years, and previously grew up in Grand Marais, MN.  She worked as a PERA for the School District in Grand Portage and Grand Marais for over 20 years, primarily working with Native students.  Collette has four sons and two granddaughters.  

Since 2019, she has been involved in the Indigenous Cultural Understandings of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias – Research and Engagement (ICARE) project, as a community-based researcher for Grand Portage.  Collette is a strong advocate for raising awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias in her community.  She enjoys going on walks with her dog, boating, kayaking, fishing, traveling, and spending time with her family.  

Collette loves the outdoors and attributes it to the free spirit she was allowed to have as a child  growing up 

1.0 CEU is provided after the presentation