Deana Around Him

Research Scholar, Child Trends
Bethesda, Maryland

Deana Around Him, DrPH, ScM, is a research scholar at Child Trends who aims to improve the well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children and families. Her lived experience as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and as a mother and relative, inform a research and evaluation career that respects Tribal sovereignty, builds on cultural strengths, and informs the policies and programs encountered by AIAN families.

Dr. Around Him often applies community-engaged and participatory approaches in her research. She is currently exploring American Indian youth perspectives of school climate, evaluating a culturally based parent training curriculum, and examining how home visiting has supported equitable outcomes for families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her training has focused on the social determinants of health, maternal and child health, and research ethics. She has collaborated with Tribal communities to develop and adapt interventions, build research capacity, and strengthen oversight of research conducted with Tribal populations. In addition to leading Child Trends’ development of an applied research agenda to advance the well-being of Indigenous children and families, she serves on the Tribal Early Childhood Research Center’s leadership team and is an adjunct faculty member at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.

Stories featuring Deana Around Him

Group photo in Aspen, CO
am delighted to share a love note in the form of Ascend’s 2023 Impact and Inspiration Report. In it, you will see how by making the most of the ca...
PublicationFebruary 14, 2024
Graphic featuring headshot photos of Dr. Deana Around Him, Julian Thompson, and David Croom.
What does college success look like for Black and Native student parents? This podcast episode sheds light on student parents’ and administrators’...
Aspen Postsecondary Success for ParentsSeptember 12, 2023
Group of Ascend Fellows at Wind Cave National Park
My heart is filled with love and gratitude for the courageous community of leaders our Ascend at the Aspen Institute team works with everyday.  And I...
PublicationFebruary 14, 2023
In a recent article on EdSurge.com, Ascend executive director and founder Anne Mosle discusses the tighter focus of the 2022 Ascend Fellowship class.
Media MentionsAugust 17, 2022
Today, the Aspen Institute announced its 2022 Aspen Institute Ascend Fellows, 22 leaders from across the United States who are primed to transform sys...
Ascend FellowshipAugust 8, 2022
A commitment to rigorous learning and evaluation is fundamental to the implementation of a two-generation (2Gen) approach so that we’re me...
Ascend NetworkMarch 10, 2022

Convenings Featuring Deana Around Him

Location: Aspen Meadows, 845 Meadows Rd, Aspen, CO 81611
At Aspen VisionXChange, we aimed to:...
ConveningJuly 31, 2023
– August 1, 2023
Location: Aspen, CO (in-person) & Live Webcast (virtual)
Children need to be connected to be well – to family, community, Earth, our ancestors, future generations, culture, spirit – and most importantly, to themselves. How might early childhood and education be different if we were more...
ConveningJuly 31, 2023
Location: Virtual & In-Person in Washington, DC
Over the course of two days, our discussions focused on bold, equitable, and pragmatic strategies for building prosperity and well-being for all families. Sessions include insights from the latest two-generation (2Gen) family data, examples of...
ConveningApril 11, 2023 – April 12, 2023
Location: Washington, DC & Virtual
Families tell us they want to prosper and ask us to meet them where they dream. The data tells us that when it comes to reducing poverty there are no silver bullets, but there are silver linings. This two-part session will explore recommendations and...
ConveningApril 12, 2023