Dr. Kathy Etz serves as the Director of Native American Programs and Acting Director of the Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness Program at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Previously, she held the position of Senior Advisor for Tribal Affairs in the Immediate Office of the Director at the National Institutes of Health. With a career spanning over two decades, Dr. Etz has dedicated her efforts to supporting and advancing community-based research in partnership with American Indian and Alaska Native populations, emphasizing processes that respect and uphold Tribal sovereignty. Her specific research interests include wellness, substance misuse, and related factors. Dr. Etz’s work has been recognized by awards including the Phillip L Smith Award for Exceptional Contribution to Research to Benefit Native Communities from the Native Research Network and the Advances in Culture and Diversity in Prevention Science award from the Society for Prevention Research (SPR). Dr. Etz received her Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro in 1997.