Episode 2: Restoring Balance in Indian Country

The Restoring Balance in Indian Country (RBIC) Research Project was a physical activity intervention for Native American cancer survivors. Research has shown that Native Americans have the poorest 5-year survival rate of any population. According to the Navajo Epidemiology Center, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the Navajo Nation. Physical activity has been shown to have positive impacts on cancer survivors. For starters, even low to moderate exercise can reduce fatigue, enhance the quality of life, improve physical function, and above all, has been associated with reduced cancer recurrence and mortality of colorectal and breast cancer survivors by 30-60%. Despite cancer being a leading cause of death and exercise being a necessary treatment, no programs existed on Tribal lands before RBIC. This project was funded and supported by the National Cancer Institute under the Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP). 

In this episode, we will hear from Taylor Lane, Brenda Charley, and Jason Pedwaydon. They explain their roles in the RBIC project and how this project is a first of its kind, especially for Native American cancer survivors. 

Taylor Lane is a Research Scientist with Northern Arizona University (NAU) federally funded Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative (SHERC). She graduated from NAU’s Interdisciplinary Health Ph.D. in December 2021 and previously worked as a Research Specialist on the RBIC Project from 2017 to 2019. Taylor’s dissertation examined seasonal accelerated change in Body Mass Index in youth. Her research interests include health equity, community health, and chronic disease among racial minorities and low-income groups.

Brenda Charley, Diné (Navajo), is of the Black Streak Wood clan and was born to the Water Flows Together clan. She has over 17 years of experience teaching physical education (PE) and fitness concepts in Indian Country.  She has worked in the health promotion field teaching PE and Health, running wellness-fitness centers, coordinating health promotion programs, and contributing to research projects in and around northern Arizona. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and School Health Promotion and a Master’s degree in Kinesiology. Brenda has lived near the San Francisco Peaks for over 15 years and is passionate about providing evidence-based health promotion and fitness education for Indian Country. In her spare time, she enjoys being with her family, ranching, learning about her Diné culture, working out, and coaching middle school basketball.  

Jason Pedwaydon is a 49-year-old American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Certified Person Trainer (CPT) and an Anishinaabe First Nations man who has been married into the Navajo Tribe for 26 years. He is a fitness enthusiast with an insatiable passion for helping Native people. Jason’s hopes, dreams, and goals are for a healthier First Nations through his coaching/training.