Margaret Smith, Inupiaq from the Native Village of Selawik, is a research scientist at Siamit and program manager with Maniilaq Social Medicine. She specializes in public health research and interventions to support reproductive health and early childhood development in rural Alaska.

At Maniilaq Social Medicine, Margaret supports expectant and new families through culturally-grounded parenting classes that teach family caregiving skills through the Inupiat Illitqusiat, the traditional cultural values of Northwest Alaska.

Margaret is a co-investigator on the Rural Reproductive Health Project, a mixed methods study at the University of Washington and Harvard Medical School focused on improving reproductive health care in Northwest Alaska.

Siamit in Academic Medicine

American Indians and Alaska Natives have long held state-conferred health rights, but health care disparities persist. This innovation report in Academic Medicine shares the partnership model developed by teams at Harvard, Mass General Brigham, and Maniilaq Social Medicine to advance a health equity agenda in Northwest Alaska.