Allyson L. Kelley

I am a teacher, wellness advocate, mentor, small business owner, and mother. In my work and teaching, the goal is individual and community transformation. I've written four books: Evaluation in Rural Communities, Public Health Evaluation and the Social Determinants of Health, Treatment Program Evaluation, and Spiritual Healing for Trauma and Addiction. Writing books is one way that I have focused my attention on sharing what I know with the world. I graduated from the University of Greensboro with a Doctor of Public Health. My journey through academia was about finding out how and why conditions impact wellbeing- the social determinants of health. At UNCG, my mentors, Drs. Aronson, Schultz, Wallace, Morrison, Bell, and Telfair taught me about life and learning. I am a conscious human with a heart for mindfulness, peace, sobriety, and acceptance. I want my students, readers, friends, and foes to know well-being is not an abstract concept that we measure, write on a sticky note, evaluate, research, or practice. Well-being and transformation are about reflective practice, commitment to a higher purpose, and connection. Learn more about AKA, a small woman-owned business, working with communities at: https://www.allysonkelleypllc.com/

There are 40 included publications by Allyson L. Kelley :

TitleDateViewsBrief Description
American-Indian diabetes mortality in the Great Plains Region 2002–2010 2015 1736 Objective To compare American-Indian and Caucasian mortality rates from diabetes among tribal Contract Health Service Delivery Areas (CHSDAs) in the Great Plains Region (GPR) and describe the disparities observed.
Research design and met...
American Indian Student Internships and the Pursuit of Equity in Education 2022 50 In 2003, the US Commission on Civil Rights found that American Indian students do not receive the same educational opportunities as other American students. To address this inequality, the Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council, in partnership with Al...
Are American Indian/Alaska Native Adolescent Health Behaviors Different? A Review of AI/AN Youth Involved in Native STAND Curriculum, 2014–2017 United States 2021 51 Objectives To explore health behavior profiles of AI/AN youth involved in native students together against negative decisions (STAND), a national culture-based curriculum. Methods We analyzed data from 1236 surveys conducted among AI/AN youth at 40...
Assessing the Impact of American Indian Peer Recovery Support on Substance Use and Health 2017 21 Peer Recovery Support (PRS) is emerging as a key intervention for communities and individuals as they address high rates of substance abuse and limited recovery resources. American Indian populations were among the first people to use concepts of PRS...
The BRAVE Study: Formative Research to Design a Multimedia Intervention for American Indian and Alaska Native Young Adults 2021 32 American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) young adults are strong and resilient. Interventions designed to improve their mental health and help-seeking skills are especially needed, particularly those that include culturally relevant resources and re...
Centering Native Youths’ Needs and Priorities: Findings from the 2020 Native Youth Health Tech Survey 2022 78 Health advocates are increasingly using social media and mobile technology to reach American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth to address important health topics and enhance protective factors. Public health experts did not know to what extent A...
Comparability of Survey Measures in Hard to Reach Populations: Methods and Recommendations 2020 29 The goal of this paper is to discuss practical recommendations for collecting data with hard-to-reach populations and data comparability. We also discuss the importance of piloting and community involvement in the process using an example from the Tr...
Complementary Alternative Medicine: A Culturally Centered Approach to Managing Chronic Pain from One American Indian Community 2023 60 This evaluation explored the benefits of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) within a reservation-based, State-certified outpatient treatment provider. The three CAM strategies provided were massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic therapies. The ...
Defining case management and outreach: perspectives from community health workers in New Mexico 2024 217 Case management (CM) is increasingly used in community settings to support individuals as they transition from one point in their lives to the next. This study sought to explore the perspectives of front-line Community Health Workers CMs working in A...
Defining Cultural Resilience to Strengthen Native Youth: A Brief Report from the Intergenerational Connection Project 2018 4 Native American youth are placed at greater risk for suicide than any other age or ethnic population in the United States. Resilience has helped Native Americans overcome adversity. In this paper, authors provide an example of how intergenerational m...
Diabetes prevalence and mortality in the Great Plains Region differences based on the social determinants of health 2014 1261 American Indians in the Great Plains Region have the highest diabetes mortality rates in the nation compared with other racial or ethnic groups or American Indians in other regions. Public health officials, Tribal leaders, and community members are c...
Documenting Resiliency of American Indian Youth: Preliminary results from Native PRIDE’s Intergenerational Connections Project 2020 39 Background- American Indian youth are strong, resilient leaders with enormous potential. This potential is sometimes overshadowed by deficit based program approaches, where disparities and vulnerabilities are the focus of prevention programs. Approac...
Efficacy of an mHealth Intervention (BRAVE) to Promote Mental Wellness for American Indian and Alaska Native Teenagers and Young Adults: Randomized Controlled Trial 2024 49 Background:Culturally relevant interventions are needed to help American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) teenagers and young adults navigate common risky situations involving family and friends, including drug and alcohol misuse, dating violence, an...
Establishing the reliability and validity of the sources of strength in one American Indian community 2016 17 Strength-based approaches that explore resilience and health among Native communities are needed. This report highlights the results from a sources of strength inventory reported over a 2-year period by participants (N = 48) from a Montana tribe who ...
Exploring Child Welfare Workers' Attitudes and Practice With Fathers 2014 847 This cross-sectional study explored child welfare agency workers' attitudes and practice regarding working with fathers whose children are at-risk for abuse and neglect. Agency workers completed a questionnaire about their attitudes towards working w...
Exploring recovery: Findings from a six-year evaluation of an American Indian peer recovery support program 2021 53 Objectives We aimed to identify correlates of short-term recovery among American Indians who participated in the Transitional Recovery and Culture (TRAC) Program, a Peer Recovery Support (PRS) program. Research aims (As) were A1. How do recovery capi...
A feasibility evaluation of the urban native youth leaders program 2019 41 Urban American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth represent a unique and growing population in the United States. Culture and participation in cultural activities is associated with resilience; however, urban AI/AN youth often report limited acce...
Feasibility testing a family level intervention to prevent risky sex behaviors among middle school age Latinas 2018 1429 Purpose: In this article, we report a pilot study that tested the feasibility and initial efficacy of a culturally, linguistically, and developmentally tailored risky sex prevention intervention for middle school–age Latinas and their mothers. Design...
Healers Need Healing Too: Results from the Good Road of Life Training 2020 45 Mental health professionals that work with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations are often viewed as ineffective because their professional training is based on a Western model of service delivery that is an extension of Western colon...
“I Managed It Pretty Good”: Birth Narratives of Adolescent Mothers 2014 9 The aim of this study was to understand adolescent mothers’ childbirth experiences. Semi structured interviews were conducted with participants recruited from a community-based program for adolescent mothers. Fourteen mothers described their birth ex...
Integrating students into interdisciplinary health and health disparities research teams 2017 415 Major initiatives by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as well as the World Health Organization have produced a large and compelling body of evidence on how to reduce health disparities, which entails having a clear understanding of ho...
Is culturally-based prevention effective? Results from a 3-year tribal substance use prevention program 2018 29 American Indian youth substance use is a major public health concern. To date, there has been limited evaluation of American Indian youth substance use prevention programs. Evaluation of prevention programs is necessary to understand the aspects of p...
Layers of Consciousness: An Autoethnographic Study of the Comprehensive Exam Process 2014 12 Comprehensive exams mark a turning point in the careers of doctoral students; however, most doctoral programs do not fully prepare students for the comprehensive exam process. This paper provides an overview of autoethnography as a valid qualitative ...
Lived experience, power that a degree cannot give you: a phenomenological study of one Hispanic woman leader in academia 2024 170 Introduction: Structural racism, bias, and discrimination within institutions of higher educationprevent Hispanic women from becoming university leaders and professors, especially when theydo not have a formal degree. Hispanic leaders in higher educa...
A Model of Stakeholder Engagement with American Indians and Alaska Natives from the Native-CHART Study 2024 202 American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) community stakeholder engagement has the power to transform health research. However, the engagement and dissemination process is challenging in AIAN communities due to the historical and current negative e...
The Next Generation of American Indian Public Health Workers: What we learned from the PHWEIC project 2021 57 Background- American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations experience more health disparities than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States. Developing a skilled AIAN public health workforce is one way to address health disparities an...
Participatory visual methods for American Indian communities and mental health conversations 2016 17 Visual methods serve a unique purpose in that they help generate data that uncover experiences, knowledge, and contextual factors that lead to a greater shared understanding about a topic. We describe the process and results of one American Indian co...
Peer Recovery Support in American Indian Communities: A Qualitative Intrinsic Case-Study Approach 2015 5 Peer recovery support (PRS) offers significant benefits for individuals in recovery from substance abuse disorders. This research describes the experiences of the first 12 months of a tribally led, American Indian community-based PRS project in two A...
Preventing Substance Use in American Indian Youth: The Case for Social Support and Community Connections 2019 43 Aims: This study explored the relationship between social support, community connections, self-esteem, and culture on misuse in American Indian youth. Methods: The study team developed a culturally-responsive 16-question survey for American Indian yo...
Psychometric evaluation of protective measures in Native STAND: A multi-site cross-sectional study of American Indian Alaska Native high school students 2022 72 American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth are strong in culture and rich in heritage and experience unique strengths and challenges throughout adolescence. Documenting conditions that protect against risk factors associated with poor health out...
A public health approach: Documenting the risk and protective factors of suicide ideation in one American Indian community 2018 4 Suicide is the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, and between 1999 and 2009 the greatest increases in suicide were among American Indians and Alaska Natives. The present study highlights the efforts of 1 American Indian commu...
A qualitative investigation of policy for youth with problematic sexual behavior 2019 36 Aims: Community management of youth with problematic sexual behavior (PSB) is complex. Public policies and service practices have historically utilized adult-focused approaches with limited research outcomes. This descriptive case study aimed to addr...
A Qualitative Review of Barriers and Facilitators Identified While Implementing the Native Students Together Against Negative Decisions Curriculum in a Multisite Dissemination and Implementation Study 2024 69 Culturally-adapted evidence-based programs (EBPs) are needed to promote healthy behaviors among Native teens and young adults. Little is known about the facilitators and barriers of implementing and sustaining EBPs in Native communities. This paper a...
Recommendations from an American Indian reservation community-based suicide prevention program 2015 12 Purpose – Effective community-based suicide prevention strategies require culturally relevant contextually driven approaches, validated by community members. Existing literature, funding agencies, and polices do not adequately address the differences...
Recruiting and Engaging American Indian and Alaska Native Teens and Young Adults in a SMS Help-Seeking Intervention: Lessons Learned from the BRAVE Study 2020 57 This paper shares lessons learned recruiting and engaging participants in the BRAVE study, a randomized controlled trial carried out by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the mHealth Impact Lab. The team recruited 2330 American India...
Responsible Fatherhood Program for Native Men: A mixed-method evaluation of the Good Road of Life Training 2020 31 Objective. The purpose of this evaluation was to document the impact of the Good Road of Life (GRL) Training on Native men from four communities in the Western US. Design: A mixed-method evaluation design was used to document changes in participant r...
Rising Above: Covid-19 Impacts To Culture-Based Programming In Four American Indian Communities 2022 51 The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Tribes, tribal organizations, AI/AN youth and community-serving programs, and tribal health organizations have responded and adapted programs...
Substance use and mental health: preliminary surveillance findings from an American Indian population 2017 32 Substance use and mental health disorders have increased in the last 15 years and impact public health. Public health surveillance of substance use and mental health (SUMH) is needed to inform planning, implementation, and evaluation of SUMH programs...
Survey Development: Community involvement in the design and implementation process 2019 36 Documenting Tribal health priorities is needed to inform research agendas, policy efforts, advocacy, and funding. However, published literature rarely documents the methods used to develop surveys in Indigenous communities. This methods paper include...
Text Messaging Intervention for Mental Wellness in American Indian and Alaska Native Teens and Young Adults (BRAVE Study): Analysis of User Engagement Patterns 2022 52 Background: Many American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN or Native) communities express concern about high rates of suicide and poor mental health. Technology-based health interventions that nurture resilience, coping skills, connectedness, and help...