DHS/FEMA CERT Instructor
Medical Student and
Tribal Outreach Specialist
Governor’s Office for Arizona 2-1-1
Government Information Technology Agency

My name is Rosalita Marie Whitehair, Rose dashi' jini'. My clan is Water Flows Together and goes back fourteen generations to Window Rock, Arizona on the Navajo reservation. I originally started volunteering with the American Red Cross and then became a firefighter and an EMT. I eventually graduated Cum Laude in Emergency Medical Services and minored in Navajo Language at the University of New Mexico. I have over twelve years of experience working in the emergency room and providing pre-hospital care, including being a Trauma Team member at the only Level 1 Trauma Center in New Mexico and Northern Arizona.

In 2003 I was honored with a Fellowship from the National Institutes of Health, with an emphasis on Review of the Emergency Medical Services and 9-1-1 System of the Navajo and Hopi Nations. Since then, I've been a medical/graduate student assisting tribes with Trauma Systems Development, researching 9-1-1, Interoperability, Emergency Management, Emergency Response systems and health and human service issues.

I have used my knowledge and capabilities as a Tribal Liaison at the Arizona Office of Homeland Security and now for Tribal Outreach for the Government Information Technology Agency, building inter-governmental relationships between the tribes, public safety entities, counties, private agencies, and the state. I also advocate on behalf of the tribes on cultural awareness, public safety issues and Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGA). I am currently working towards an MD/PhD at the University of Arizona.

I have been an EMS Instructor, college instructor for Anatomy and Physiology, a founding member of the American Indian Medical Society at the University of New Mexico and have guest lectured on the Native American perspective on Emergency Management/Preparedness, 911, 211, Emergency Medical Services and traditional/cultural awareness in dealing with Native people.

My goal at the American Indian Health Policy Symposium will be to answer your questions and share with you some of the great things happening with Emergency Preparedness in American Indian Country. Thank you for your interest and attendance. Enjoy the conference!