About

Stephanie Russo Carroll is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community, Environment and Policy at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the College of Law, an Associate Research Professor at the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy and its Native Nations Institute, and the Director of the Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance. Carroll is Ahtna, a citizen of the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah in Alaska, and of Sicilian descent. Her research explores the links between Indigenous governance, data, the environment, and community wellness. She leads the interdisciplinary Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance Research, which develops research, policy, and practice innovations for Indigenous data sovereignty, drawing on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to affirm Indigenous nations' rights to control data about their peoples, lands, and resources. Her work seeks to transform institutional governance and ethics for Indigenous control of data within open science, open data, and big data contexts, primarily collaborating with Indigenous communities in the US Southwest and the Arctic, as well as an international network of Indigenous data sovereignty experts. Carroll offers Indigenous women-led mentoring of undergraduate through postdoctoral scholars and research staff, aiming to produce policy-relevant research that incorporates Indigenous ways of knowing and being. She has co-edited the book 'Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy,' co-led the publication of the CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance, and co-founded the US Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network and the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA). She chairs the Indigenous Data Working Group for the IEEE P2890 Recommended Practice for Provenance of Indigenous Peoples’ Data and serves as the Global Chair of the ENRICH: Equity for Indigenous Research and Innovation Coordinating Hub. Carroll holds an AB from Cornell University and MPH and DrPH degrees from the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Computer Science
• Law
• Sociology
• Business
• Public relations
• Biology
• Medicine
• Economics
• Public administration
• Ecology
• Genetics
• Data science
• World Wide Web
• Data Mining
• Geography
• Environmental ethics
• Economic growth
• Knowledge management
• Anthropology
• Agronomy
• Marketing
• Development economics
• Environmental health

Selected publications

• Announcing the Guidelines for Indigenous Data Governance in Scholarly Publishing

  2026-03-13

  articleOpen access

  As research funders and scholarly publishers move towards making research data more accessible and reproducible, the need has emerged for data sharing policies that respect a basic attribute of many data: the community in which they originated and/or may describe. In 2023, a partnership was formed between leaders from the Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance, ENRICH, Te Kotahi Research Institute, the American Geophysical Union, and the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) to convene scholars, publishers, editors, and metadata experts to develop guidelines for the scholarly publishing ecosystem to implement the CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, Ethics) Principles for Indigenous Data Governance. For over two years, a community of 100+ participants came together to create the Guidelines for Indigenous Data Governance in Scholarly Publishing, a freely available and first of its kind tool. We'll share the recently published Guidelines, key recommendations, and how you can help drive collective impact by adopting it in your role(s) as researcher, author, reviewer, editor, publisher, and community member.

  PublisherDOI

• Positive childhood experiences and mental health among Indigenous peoples: A scoping review.

  Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy · 2026-03-16

  articleSenior author

  OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this scoping review were to summarize (a) common types of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) among Indigenous Peoples and (b) the relationship between PCEs and mental health among Indigenous Peoples. METHOD: This scoping review examined research conducted in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States (Settler States and territories) whose samples included Indigenous participants. The databases that were searched include PubMed, APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, and Web of Science. The review also examined gray literature consisting of dissertations, conference abstracts and proceedings, and nonacademic statistical reports. Data were screened, selected, and extracted by a team of four independent reviewers. Thematic analysis, theoretically grounded by multisystemic resilience, was conducted and presented to frame a discussion of the evidence on PCEs and mental health among Indigenous Peoples. RESULTS: A total of 57 sources were included after full-text review. The body of research represented diverse methodologies ranging from culturally centered qualitative methods, such as yarning circles, to brief intervention studies providing family- and/or school-based resilience promotion services. Four major types of PCEs emerged from the analyses, consisting of relations, culture, land, and identity. Existing research indicated that PCEs were positively associated with improved mental health outcomes among Indigenous Peoples. No harmful associations were reported among the included sources. CONCLUSIONS: Current research suggested that PCEs serve as multisystemic pathways to supporting Indigenous well-being. PCEs are relevant to strengths and resilience-focused programs that promote the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Invisible women: unpacking the erasure of Native American women with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities in health surveillance

  Critical Public Health · 2025-10-31

  articleOpen access

  Public health authorities recognize the need for more robust data systems to characterize health inequities, particularly among those with intersectional identities (National Center for Health Statistics, 2023). Currently, it is difficult to describe the health outcomes of Native American women with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD), a population for whom key demographic information is unavailable. In this qualitative study, we interviewed 11 experts to understand why this population is not represented in mainstream health surveillance. The findings indicate that the visibility of Native American women with I/DD is influenced by both the institutions that shape data collection and the forms of data that are prioritized in health surveillance. Interview participants highlighted the disability service system and Tribal Nations as important gatekeepers of health data, while pointing out structural constraints that prevent these institutions from meeting the data needs of their constituents. Moreover, participants suggested that Western data systems, which prioritize deficit-based models of disability and rely on quantitative methodology, misrepresent people with disabilities and fail to acknowledge Indigenous ways of knowing. Interviews revealed several pathways to improving data equity, beginning with greater representation of Native American people and people with I/DD in institutions that govern health surveillance.

  PublisherDOI

• Reaffirming Indigenous data sovereignty in New Mexico as a result of COVID-19

  Frontiers in Public Health · 2025-06-03 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Despite New Mexico's history of working with and enhancing collaboration with the 23 Tribes in the state, data sharing and collaboration with Tribes was poor during the COVID-19 pandemic. New Mexico's policies of state collaboration with Tribes conflicts with the principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty and fails to recognize Tribal public health authorities. New Mexico state agencies limited what data Tribes and Tribal Organizations received, resulting in the suppression of Tribes' inherent rights. This policy brief concludes with recommendations for the state of New Mexico to respect Tribal sovereignty, uphold the tenants of Indigenous Data Sovereignty, restore trust with Tribes, and support increased capacity and capability of Tribes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Governance of Indigenous data in open earth systems science

  Nature Communications · 2025-01-10 · 16 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  In the age of big data and open science, what processes are needed to follow open science protocols while upholding Indigenous Peoples’ rights? The Earth Data Relations Working Group (EDRWG), convened to address this question and envision a research landscape that acknowledges the legacy of extractive practices and embraces new norms across Earth science institutions and open science research. Using the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) as an example, the EDRWG recommends actions, applicable across all phases of the data lifecycle, that recognize the sovereign rights of Indigenous Peoples and support better research across all Earth Sciences. Using the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) as an example, this perspective discusses actions that recognize the sovereign rights of Indigenous Peoples and support better research across all Earth Sciences.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Our lands tell our stories: supporting Indigenous co-led research through the Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network

  Arctic Science · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network (IFKN) brings together Indigenous researchers and community leaders from the Arctic and U.S. Southwest along with non-Indigenous researchers to foster cross-cultural interdisciplinary knowledge exchange about sovereignty of Indigenous foods. IFKN draws on cultural and scientific expertise from shared cultural protocols and practices, Indigenous Knowledges, Earth sciences, and social sciences to better understand reclamation, preservation, and perpetuation of traditional food practices to sustain Indigenous food sovereignty in a rapidly changing global environment. In this article, we discuss how IFKN developed a methodology prioritizing relational accountability encompassing both people and place while establishing a framework for collaborative learning that centers Indigenous Knowledge systems. We provide examples from our roles as Tribal community members, university researchers, and network members in creating an organizational framework for this collaborative work and connecting it to community, university, and research protocols and practices. We further describe the ways that IFKN adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to remotely co-produce knowledge and amplify concerns and priorities of community partners through non-academic settings.

  PublisherDOI

• Common Rule Revisions to Govern Machine Learning on Indigenous Data: Implementing the Expectations

  The American Journal of Bioethics · 2025-01-29 · 2 citations

  letterOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evaluating Indigenous Identity and Stress as Potential Barriers to Accessing On-Campus Healthcare for Indigenous Students at a Large Southwestern University

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2025-09-10

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: This study examined the relationship between Indigenous identity, perceived stress, and healthcare utilization for Indigenous students on-campus. METHODS: Potential participants included undergraduate and graduate Indigenous students from Tribal Nations within the United States. Participants were recruited through community partnerships and in person communication. This survey included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Multiethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), and university Campus Health Service Health and Wellness Survey. RESULTS: 153 Indigenous students from United States-based Tribal Nations participated in this survey. While there appears to be a relationship between Indigenous identity, perceived stress, and Campus Health utilization, the results were not significant for the second tertile (OR: 1.1 (0.4, 2.7)) or third tertile (1.4 (0.5, 3.3)). Students who reported "Yes" or "Unsure" to questions on if their insurance needed them to go outside of the university were far less likely to use Campus Health (Yes OR: 0.2 (0.08-0.5)); (Unsure OR: 0.09 (0.03-0.3)) and CAPS (Yes OR: 0.2 (0.09-0.6)); (Unsure OR: 0.2 (0.04-0.4)). DISCUSSION: This study saw a complex relationship between Indigenous identity, perceived stress, and campus health utilization; however, the findings are not statistically significant. There are distinctions in on campus health care usage when adjusting for undergraduate or graduate student status and health insurance literacy. CONCLUSION: The research findings offer many promising avenues for future work around Indigenous identity, affordability of healthcare, and importance of health literacy.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Earth Science Data Repositories: Implementing the CARE Principles

  Data Science Journal · 2024-01-01 · 14 citations

  articleOpen access

  The CODATA Data Science Journal is a peer-reviewed, open access, electronic journal, publishing papers on the management, dissemination, use and reuse of research data and databases across all research domains, including science, technology, the humanities and the arts. The scope of the journal includes descriptions of data systems, their implementations and their publication, applications, infrastructures, software, legal, reproducibility and transparency issues, the availability and usability of complex datasets, and with a particular focus on the principles, policies and practices for open data. All data is in scope, whether born digital or converted from other sources.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Examining Indigenous Identity as a Protective Factor in Mental Well-Being Research in the United States: A Scoping Review

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2024-10-24 · 4 citations

  reviewOpen access

  Due to historical and ongoing structural racism and settler colonialism, Indigenous Peoples and communities in the United States are at a higher risk for a variety of diseases, elevated stress, and negative mental health outcomes. In addition, the United States federal government and the public encourage a view that Indigenous Peoples are primarily a racial group. Federally-, state-, and un-recognized Indigenous Peoples have a collective right to self-determination and sovereignty, and individuals of these Peoples understand this. The goals of this scoping review were to examine what research on identity and mental well-being is currently being conducted with Indigenous populations in the United States, synthesize the results, and determine if researchers are utilizing toolsets and theories that reinforce the sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples, communities, and the individual. The scoping review followed guidelines from the Joanna Briggs Institute guide for Scoping Reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Four databases and over six thousand articles were searched for this review, with twenty-four that had data extracted and analyzed. Current research on the relationship between Indigenous identity and mental well-being shows mixed results. The findings of this scoping review highlight a need for Indigenous-specific tools for measuring identity in place of tools used for other ethnic and racial groups. More research must be conducted to create tools that specifically examine the phenomena of United States-based Indigenous identity.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Māui Hudson

  33 shared

• Andrew Martinez

  33 shared

• Ibrahim Garba

  31 shared

• Nanibaa’ A. Garrison

  22 shared

• Dominique David-Chavez

  18 shared

• Jane Anderson

  17 shared

• Danielle Hiraldo

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  16 shared

• Lydia L. Jennings

  15 shared

Awards & honors

• Co-edited the book Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy
• Co-led the publication of the CARE Principles for Indigenous…
• Co-founded the US Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network
• Co-founded and chairs the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (G…
• Co-founded the International Indigenous Data Sovereignty Int…