Breanna Lameman

Breanna Lameman is Diné (Navajo) from Shiprock, Navajo Nation. Her clans are Táchii’nii (Red Running into Water Clan), Nidáá Diné (Corn People), Bit'ahnii (Within her Cover Clan), and Tódích’íí’nii (Bitter Water Clan). She is a third-year PhD student in the Health Behavior Health Promotion program at the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH), with a focus on Indigenous food, energy, and water systems (FEWS). 

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion, both from the University of Arizona. Her life’s work and passion are rooted in the land, Diné culture, language, and lived experience. From a young age, Breanna cares for the land by reclaiming and revitalizing traditional agricultural practices, which nurtured a deep relationship with food and ancestral foodways. Through her roles as a farmer, community member, relative, and aunty, she has come to understand the interconnectedness of ancestral foods, the land, water, animals, and her community. 

Breanna’s current focus and heart work are in Indigenous food sovereignty, health, and data sovereignty/governance. She is committed to community-led research that uplifts Indigenous knowledge and food systems. Her aim is to advance health and wellbeing through culturally grounded, collaborative approaches. She is also deeply dedicated to building ethical, reciprocal research relationships with Indigenous communities. Her research centers on Indigenous food sovereignty, food security, hydroponics, environmental justice, and the interconnections within Indigenous FEWS.