Christy Maher (right), professor of sociology, moderated CLP’s “Bridging Cultures: Indigenous Insights in Modern Medicine,” with Marcos Moreno (center) of Yale School of Medicine and Ronnie Bell of the University of North Carolina at Chapel ( (left) with Hill on Thursday evening, November 7, 2024, in the Watkins Room of the Tron Student Center.
What began last summer as a hunch for Jason Levitt ’26, a public health major from Spartanburg, South Carolina, has turned into a quest and accomplishment beyond his original dreams.
Mr. Levitt, a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona and vice president of Furman University’s Native American and Indigenous Student Association, will lead the cultural life program “Bridging Cultures” in honor of Native American Heritage Month. Founder: “Indigenous Insights in Modern Medicine.” It was held on November 7th at Tron Student Center.
Ronnie Bell of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will speak at CLP, “Bridging Cultures: Indigenous Insights in Modern Medicine.”
Conceptualizing, creating and organizing the event “felt like we were really experiencing the Furman advantage,” Levitt said. He collaborated with Furman’s laboratory leadership and faculty from several departments, guiding us through the process and providing financial, logistical, and motivational support.
Speakers he invited also visited Furman and were eager to discuss health issues facing Native Americans.
Levitt began by searching for someone within his tribe and found Marcos Moreno, chief psychiatry resident at Yale University School of Medicine and advisory board member for the Wassadja Motezume Center for Native American Health at the University of Arizona. Ta. Leavitt emailed him out of the blue. An hour later, I received an email from Mr. Moreno saying he would love to come.
Levitt searched again and found Lonnie Bell, an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe, Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor and Professor of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Chair of North Carolina American University. I got in touch. Health Commission of India.
“Dr. Bell was also very eager to come to Furman and speak. He was like, ‘Yeah, let me know when.’ I’m very interested in participating,” Levitt said.
Upon returning to Furman, Levitt met with the Community Health Promotion Institute and agreed to fund and support the event. So were the faculties of health sciences, religion, and sociology.
The Riley Institute sponsored a dinner the night before the talk. Mr. Moreno, Mr. Bell, and members of NAIA were invited, as were IACH student community health champions, Riley’s Advantage Scholars, and some faculty and staff.
“The speakers discussed career paths with all of the students and gave great advice,” Levitt said. “We really appreciated the fact that the various groups were so willing to support our vision and made it a memorable night.”
After the dinner, Mr. Levitt and NAIA President Morgan Locklear ’25 introduced Mr. Moreno and Mr. Bell to the large crowd in the Tron Student Center. Next, Helen Lee Turner, professor of religion and faculty advisor at NAIA, gave a brief overview of Native American views of health.
Sociology professor Christy Maher moderated the discussion, which covered topics such as high suicide rates and chronic disease, lack of representation in health care, historical and contemporary trauma, and cultural preservation. Levitt said the speakers gave an excellent explanation of why Native American health is declining and how Western medicine can adapt to Native American customs and values.
Helen Lee Turner, Professor of Religion; Megan White ’27; Hudson Jamison ’27; Marcos Moreno of Yale School of Medicine. Kara Justus ’25, Ronnie Bell of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Morgan Locklear ’25; Jason Levitt ’25 and Kristy Maher, professor of sociology.
For Leavitt and NAIA, sharing their culture and highlighting the disparities faced by many Indigenous communities was most important, but connecting with other Indigenous people was also special. “Living in South Carolina, you feel like you’re living in the history books of American Indians and Indian tribes,” while their culture is more alive in the tribal lands of the West. Levitt now feels she has a new role model in Moreno, who grew up on tribal land in Arizona.
In the coming months, Levitt will begin preparing for the MCAT, the medical school entrance exam, and continue to serve the community on and off campus.
“Seeing what Indigenous leaders like Dr. Moreno and Dr. Bell have accomplished has given me renewed motivation to know that I, too, can accomplish great things,” Levitt said. . “There are communities that need help, and there are people who want to help, and I just want to be a part of that movement and find a place where I can make a meaningful contribution.”
A transcript of the CLP discussion is available here. You can follow Furman University NAIA on Instagram.
