Community Engagement and Outreach Core

The Community Engagement and Outreach Core (CEOC) focuses on engaging populations disproportionately affected by health disparities with the goal of developing community-based research priorities that can be translated into improved health outcomes.

If you are planning to submit an application for one of the DaCCoTA RFAs, contact Community Coordinator Susan Thompson  to schedule a consultation.

Main Objectives

• Engaging communities to identify community-based cancer research priorities
• Increasing culturally appropriate research involving rural and American Indian (AI) communities through bidirectional outreach and training
• Promoting dialogue and disseminating findings from the DaCCoTA to community stakeholders

The CEOC hosted a Tribal IRB Workshop in October of 2020. Links to the sessions are available below:

Tribal IRB Workshop Resources and Partners in Ethical Community Based Research

Tribal IRB Workshop Ethical Research with Human Subjects in the Northern Plains

Public Health Grants and working with IRB RRB

IRB RRB Relationships and What Works

CEOC Core Faculty

Julie Smith-Yliniemi, PhD, LPCC, MPH, NCC - Director of the CEOC

Dr. Julie Smith-Yliniemi is the director of community engagement & outreach for both the Indigenous Trauma & Resilience Research Center and DaCCoTA Research Center, housed in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Julie and the community engagement & outreach team collaborate with communities, academic institutions, and agency partners to focus on community-engaged research to improve population health outcomes. She is a board-certified counselor, licensed school counselor, and a licensed professional clinical counselor. She is Anishinaabe and is from the White Earth Nation in Minnesota. She has thirteen years of experience working in K-12 public and tribal school systems, beginning as a health teacher and then transitioning to a school counselor, and then a clinical mental health therapist. She worked for four years as an assistant professor in higher education in the Department of Psychology and Counseling. Julie graduated with a master’s degree in counseling from Minnesota State University – Moorhead in 2006. In 2017, she completed her Master of Public Health-American Indian Public Health certificate from North Dakota State University, and in 2018 completed her PhD in counselor education and supervision. Julie spent five years implementing cultural and spiritual adaptations to evidence-based trauma therapy models. She is a 2015 NBCC Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) fellow. She has collaborated with the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) to implement cultural immersion educational institutes on the White Earth Indian Reservation and in Rwanda, Africa. She is passionate about learning from others and helping students prepare for working with people from diverse backgrounds.

Julie lives in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, with her husband and children. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, traveling, and being outdoors. In the summer months, she enjoys going to pow wows, bike riding, watching her children’s activities, and being on the water. In the winter months, you can find her on a ski slope and enjoying any outdoor activities as weather permits. She is an active Rotary member in her community and enjoys sharing the beauty of her culture and travel experiences from around the world.

Shannon Bacon, MSW - Co-Director of the CEOC

Shannon Bacon, MSW, is the Co-Director for the Community Engagement & Outreach Core of the DaCCoTA, a role that falls within her position as Health Equity Manager with the Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas (CHAD). CHAD supports federally qualified health centers in their mission to provide access to health care for all Dakotans regardless of ability to pay. In her role, Shannon supports health centers in their efforts to address the social drivers of health and builds partnerships to support health equity. She thoroughly enjoys partnership and relationship-building, and her goal is to always approach this work with humility and curiosity, knowing that the expertise is truly in the community. Prior to joining CHAD, Shannon worked for the American Cancer Society, where she advanced local cancer prevention and screening through strategic partnerships. She has also held various social work and other nonprofit roles. Shannon holds a Bachelor of Social Work and Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from Minnesota State University Moorhead, and an MSW with concentration in Communities & Social Systems from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Shannon lives in Fargo, ND, with her husband and two children. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, reading, and meditation, as well as being involved in the community.

American Indian Health Research Conference

The 16th Annual American Indian Health Research Conference (AIHRC), which was recently held at UND with welcoming remarks by Dr. Gray, focused on cancer prevention and health promotion research in Indian Country. The keynote speaker was Rodney Haring, PhD, MSW, who is an Assistant Professor of Oncology in the Department of Cancer Health Disparities Research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, NY.

Contact the DaCCoTA for further information.