Alma Knows His Gun McCormick
{{Short description|Native American health educator}}
{{Infobox person/Wikidata | fetchwikidata=ALL}}
Alma Knows His Gun McCormick, a member of the Apsáalooke (Crow) Indian Tribe, is a founder and the Executive Director of the non-profit Messengers for Health,{{cite web |title=Staff and Board {{!}} Messengers For Health {{!}} Crow Reservation |url=https://www.messengersforhealth.org/staff-and-board |website=Messengers for Health |language=en}} and a member of the Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee (CEHSC).{{cite journal |last1=Eggers |first1=Margaret J. |last2=Moore-Nall |first2=Anita L. |last3=Doyle |first3=John T. |last4=Lefthand |first4=Myra J. |last5=Young |first5=Sara L. |last6=Bends |first6=Ada L. |last7=Committee |first7=Crow Environmental Health Steering |last8=Camper |first8=Anne K. |title=Potential Health Risks from Uranium in Home Well Water: An Investigation by the Apsaalooke (Crow) Tribal Research Group |journal=Geosciences |date=March 2015 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=67–94 |doi=10.3390/geosciences5010067 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2015Geosc...5...67E |language=en |issn=2076-3263}} An educator, mentor, and advocate, McCormick has been nationally recognized for her development of community-based research programs that have improved Indian women's health.
Early life and education
After her mother's death, McCormick was traditionally raised by her grandparents. As a result, she became fluent in the Crow language as well as English.
McCormick earned her bachelor’s degree in health and wellness from Montana State University Billings.
Career
In 1985, one of McCormick's twin daughters died of neuroblastoma, a type of cancer. Her loss led McCormick to become involved in cancer outreach and advocacy.{{cite news |title=Patient Advocate Spotlight: Alma McCormick |url=https://buildingtrust.org/2021/09/patient-advisory-committee-spotlight-alma-mccormick/ |work=Building Trust |date=9 September 2021}}
From 1996-2000 McCormick served as the Outreach Coordinator for the Montana Breast and Cervical Health Program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=Carol |title=Messengers for Health use traditional Crow relationships to teach about contemporary health |url=https://www.montana.edu/news/2287/messengers-for-health-use-traditional-crow-relationships-to-teach-about-contemporary-health |access-date=2 March 2025 |work=Montana State University |date=March 23, 2005}}
Also in 1996,{{Cite web |date=2021-09-29 |title=Montana Cancer Summit Speaker Bios |url=https://www.fightcancer.org/montana-cancer-summit-speaker-bios |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network |language=en}} she helped to found the non-profit Messengers for Health, of which she is Executive Director.{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=Carol |title=Cure the Women and You Cure the Tribe |url=https://www.montana.edu/news/9277/cure-the-women-and-you-cure-the-tribe |access-date=2 March 2025 |work=Montana State University |date=November 27, 2007}} Working with Montana State University, Messengers for Health is nationally recognized for its community-based research programs. McCormick initially focused on issues of women's health and wellness such as preventative cancer screenings. She worked to provide culturally sensitive information to Indian women at reservations and urban clinics throughout Montana.{{cite news |last1=Becker |first1=Michael |title=MSU and Crow Nation partner to address chronic illness using cultural strengths |url=https://www.montana.edu/news/16534 |access-date=2 March 2025 |work=Montana State University |date=November 21, 2016}}{{cite news |title=Sharing Messages of Health in the Crow Nation to Fight Chronic Disease |url=https://www.nimhd.nih.gov/news-events/features/community-health/crow-nation.html |work=NIMHD |date=November 12, 2019 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=Carol |title=Messengers deliver new tool to enhance traditional Crow health care |url=https://www.montana.edu/news/4992/messengers-deliver-new-tool-to-enhance-traditional-crow-health-care |access-date=2 March 2025 |work=Montana State University |date=July 23, 2007}} Her work at Messengers for Health now addresses a range of health and wellness issues for both men and women.{{cite news |last1=Suarez |first1=Ray |title=Montana's suicide epidemic explained by culture, geography and guns • Daily Montanan |url=https://dailymontanan.com/2021/01/26/montanas-suicide-epidemic-explained-by-culture-geography-and-guns/ |work=Daily Montanan |date=26 January 2021}} She has had a significant impact on local health patterns.{{cite book |last1=Burhansstipanov |first1=Linda |last2=Braun |first2=Kathryn L. |title=Indigenous Public Health: Improvement through Community-Engaged Interventions |date=6 September 2022 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |isbn=978-0-8131-9587-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=syR-EAAAQBAJ&dq=Alma+Knows+His+Gun+McCormick&pg=PT46 |language=en}}
McCormick is also a member of the Montana Cancer Coalition and the Montana American Indian Women’s Health Coalition. During 2020- 2023, she served on the Advisory Panel on Patient Engagement of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).{{Cite web |date=2020-09-14 |title=Alma McCormick {{!}} PCORI |url=https://www.pcori.org/people/alma-mccormick |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=www.pcori.org |language=en}}
Awards and honors
- 2024, Outstanding Community Partner Award, Mountain West CTR-IN (Clinical & Translational Research Infrastructure Network){{cite web |title=Our Partners {{!}} Messengers For Health {{!}} Crow Reservation |url=https://www.messengersforhealth.org/our-partners |website=Messengers For Health |language=en}}
- 2022, Named an “extraordinary, ordinary” woman, Montana State University{{cite news |last1=Cantrell |first1=Anne |title=Five new 'extraordinary, ordinary' women to be honored at Montana State University |url=https://www.montana.edu/news/22510/five-new-extraordinary-ordinary-women-to-be-honored-at-montana-state-university |access-date=2 March 2025 |work=Montana State University |date=December 1, 2022}}
- 2019, Bette Bohlinger Leadership Award, Montana Cancer Coalition{{cite news |last1=Riley |first1=John |title=Hardin woman receives 2019 Bette Bohlinger Leadership Award |url=https://www.ktvh.com/news/2019/05/07/hardin-woman-receives-2019-bette-bohlinger-leadership-award/ |access-date=2 March 2025 |work=KTVH |date=8 May 2019 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Montana Cancer Coalition honors McCormick with Bette Bohlinger Leadership Award |url=https://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/montana-cancer-coalition-honors-mccormick-with-bette-bohlinger-leadership-award/article_dacf83b3-3c29-58c3-8930-5d2e9359f6b3.html |access-date=2 March 2025 |work=Billings Gazette |date=21 May 2019 |language=en}}
- 2019, Dr. Frank Newman Rural Health Leadership Award, Montana Office of Rural Health & Area Health Education Center
- 2018, RWJF Award for Health Equity, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (with Suzanne Held){{cite news |title=Leaders of longtime Messengers for Health program receive national award |url=https://www.montana.edu/news/18229/leaders-of-longtime-messengers-for-health-program-receive-national-award |work=Montana State University |date=December 5, 2018}}{{cite web |title=RWJF Award For Health Equity |url=https://www.rwjf.org/en/grants/grantee-stories/award-for-health-equity.html |website=Robert Wood Johnson Foundation |language=en}}{{cite news |title=Partnership with Messengers for Health (Crow Reservation) and Montana State University win 2018 RWJF-CCPH Award for Health Equity! {{!}} Community-Campus Partnerships for Health |url=https://ccphealth.org/partnership-with-messengers-for-health-crow-reservation-and-montana-state-university-win-2018-rwjf-ccph-award-for-health-equity/ |work=Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) |date=27 January 2025}}{{cite news |title=Winners of RWJF 2018 Award for Health Equity Announced |url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/winners-of-rwjf-2018-award-for-health-equity-announced |access-date=2 March 2025 |work=Philanthropy News Digest (PND) |date=December 11, 2018 |language=en}}
- 2017, Local Impact Award, National Indian Health Board{{cite web |title=Alma Knows His Gun McCormick {{!}} Montana State University |url=https://www.montana.edu/president/extraordinarywomen/eow_profiles/mccormick.html |website=Montana State University |access-date=2 March 2025}}
Selected Publications
- {{cite journal |last1=Held |first1=Suzanne |last2=Feng |first2=Du |last3=McCormick |first3=Alma |last4=Schure |first4=Mark |last5=Other Medicine |first5=Lucille |last6=Hallett |first6=John |last7=Inouye |first7=Jillian |last8=Allen |first8=Sarah |last9=Holder |first9=Shannon |last10=Bull Shows |first10=Brianna |last11=Trottier |first11=Coleen |last12=Kyro |first12=Alexi |last13=Kropp |first13=Samantha |last14=Turns Plenty |first14=Nicole |title=The Báa nnilah Program: Results of a Chronic-Illness Self-Management Cluster Randomized Trial with the Apsáalooke Nation |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |date=29 February 2024 |volume=21 |issue=3 |pages=285 |doi=10.3390/ijerph21030285 |doi-access=free |pmid=38541285 |pmc=10970069 |language=en |issn=1660-4601}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Keene |first1=Shannen |last2=Allen |first2=Sarah |last3=McCormick |first3=Alma Knows His Gun |last4=Trottier |first4=Coleen |last5=Bull Shows |first5=Brianna |last6=Hallett |first6=John |last7=Deernose |first7=Rae |last8=Held |first8=Suzanne |title=Developing and Implementing a Culturally Consonant Treatment Fidelity Support Plan with the Apsáalooke Nation |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |date=January 2023 |volume=20 |issue=21 |pages=6989 |doi=10.3390/ijerph20216989 |doi-access=free |pmid=37947547 |pmc=10647712 |language=en |issn=1660-4601}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Held |first1=Suzanne |last2=Hallett |first2=John |last3=Schure |first3=Mark |last4=McCormick |first4=Alma Knows His Gun |last5=Allen |first5=Sarah |last6=Milne-Price |first6=Shauna |last7=Trottier |first7=Coleen |last8=Shows |first8=Brianna Bull |last9=Medicine |first9=Lucille Other |last10=Inouye |first10=Jillian |title=Improving chronic illness self-management with the Apsáalooke Nation: Development of the Báa nnilah program |journal=Social Science & Medicine |date=3 October 2019 |volume=242 |doi=10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112583 |pmid=31622915 |pmc=6927405 |language=en}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Real Bird |first1=Sloane Florence Deanna |last2=Held |first2=Suzanne |last3=McCormick |first3=Alma |last4=Hallett |first4=John |last5=Martin |first5=Christine |last6=Trottier |first6=Coleen |title=The Impact of Historical and Current Loss on Chronic Illness: Perceptions of Crow (Apsáalooke) People |journal=International Journal of Indigenous Health |date=30 June 2016 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=198–210 |doi=10.18357/ijih111201614993 |pmid=28989931 |pmc=5628757 |language=en |issn=2291-9376}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Christopher |first1=Suzanne |last2=Watts |first2=Vanessa |last3=McCormick |first3=Alma Knows His Gun |last4=Young |first4=Sara |title=Building and Maintaining Trust in a Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership |journal=American Journal of Public Health |date=August 2008 |volume=98 |issue=8 |pages=1398–1406 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2007.125757 |pmid=18556605 |pmc=2446462 |issn=0090-0036}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Christopher |first1=Suzanne |last2=Gidley |first2=Allison L. |last3=Letiecq |first3=Bethany |last4=Smith |first4=Adina |last5=McCormick |first5=Alma Knows His Gun |title=A Cervical Cancer Community-Based Participatory Research Project in a Native American Community |journal=Health Education & Behavior |date=2008 |volume=35 |issue=6 |pages=821–834 |doi=10.1177/1090198107309457 |jstor=45056059 |pmid=18077653 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45056059 |issn=1090-1981}}