Damian Chase-Begay, who is Mandan and Arikara, is in his “second career” as an Indigenous and public health academician.  He is currently an Associate Research Professor of Social Epidemiology at the U of M’s School of Public and Community Health Sciences. His current work is focused on creating culturally based substance-abuse prevention interventions for urban, multi-tribal Indigenous communities. Damian’s “first career” was 20+ years working in the American Indian/Indigenous health and public health field, including as director of our local city-county health department, MPH.

Damian formerly served as executive director of All Nations Health Center, our local Urban Indian Health center, and he was executive director of the National Council of Urban Indian Health, in DC.

He has a doctorate in public health from the University of Montana, where he also earned a bachelor’s in sociology, with an option in inequality and social justice. He also has a master’s in healthcare administration and interprofessional leadership from the University of California, San Francisco.

He is a member of the United Way of Missoula County board of directors.

Chase-Begay briefed National Press Foundation fellows in October 2024: United Way in Missoula Pivots to Housing.