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Registration Is Open for the 2025 Maternal Health Promotion Institute!

Join NIHB on October 28 and 30, 2025, from 3:00–4:30 pm Eastern for two afternoons focused on advancing maternal health promotion.

The Maternal Health Promotion Institute (MHPI) is NIHB’s annual virtual webinar series that brings together Tribal leaders, providers, and advocates to share knowledge, strengthen connections, and highlight strategies that improve maternal health across Indian Country. This year, we will hear from Tess Abrahamson-Richards, MPH (Spokane) & Dr. Charlene Aqpik Apok (Iñupiaq) 

This webinar is free and open to all interested. We anticipate a heavy presence of Urban and Tribal communities, advocates, Birthworkers, and community-led programming. We encourage the attendance of our Urban Indian Health Centers, Tribal leaders, and policy champions to increase the collective awareness and shared mission will drive the work to the future. 

Questions can be directed to Chelsea Bellon: cbellon@nihb.org  

Agenda Overview

Day One – October 28, 2025

Speaker: Tess Abrahamson-Richards, MPH

Title: Incarcerated Relatives are Missing from Our Communities Too: Understanding Connections between the Criminal Legal System, MMIW/P, and Violence Against Indigenous Women

About Tess: Tess is a citizen of the Spokane Tribe and a PhD student at the University of Washington. She currently serves as the Director of Data Sovereignty at Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services. With over a decade of experience in Indigenous research and evaluation, her work focuses on reproductive justice, family wellbeing, and Indigenous-centered evaluation methods.

Day Two – October 30

Speaker: Dr. Charlene Aqpik Apok

Title: Carrying Futures, Honoring Ancestors: Indigenous Birth Justice and MMIR

About Charlene: Dr. Apok is Iñupiaq, her family is from White Mountain and Golovin, AK. She is the Executive Director of Data for Indigenous Justice and Co-Founder of the Alaska Native Birthworkers Community. She is a leader in Indigenous rights to health and wellbeing, climate justice, and birth justice, and continues to teach and practice Iñupiaq language and traditions.

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