Wassaja Center’s Andrews to serve as national leadership fellow

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Christina C. Bell Andrews, JD, MPH, MBA, MA, an assistant professor of family and community medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and executive director of the University of Arizona’s Wassaja Carlos Montezuma Center for Native American Health, was selected as part of an innovative fellowship for local community leaders.

Andrews will serve an 18-month term as part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network with the Center for Creative Leadership as an advocate for women and children. 

“This fellowship is a tremendous honor, and I accept it with humility and purpose,” said Andrews. “As a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation and a tribal leader, my work is rooted in ensuring Native children grow up with pride in their identity, access to equitable opportunities, and support for their emotional, physical and spiritual well-being.”

She is one of 80 leaders from across the country who will spend a year and a half growing their leadership skills and connections to help their communities face today’s challenges. 

“I am most excited to collaborate with fellow leaders, exchange ideas and strengthen pathways that uplift Native youths as thriving leaders, innovators and cultural bearers for generations to come,” she said.

Andrews has been the Wassaja Center’s executive director since May 2023. Before that, she served on the university’s Community Action Council Committee of the American Indian Research Center for Health, making sure tribal, urban American Indian and Alaskan Native people had meaningful participation in the development of relevant programs and priorities.