Nicholet A. Deschine Parkhurst

Nicholet A. Deschine Parkhurst is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and is also Diné of the Navajo Nation. She is a Cotutelle Ph.D. Candidate in Indigenous Studies at Macquarie University and a Ph.D. Student in the Justice Studies program in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University. 

Deschine Parkhurst’s research is at the intersection of Indigenous human rights, Indigenous resistance and resurgence movements, and digital activism. Currently, she is researching American Indian social media activism of the #NoDAPL movement (No Dakota Access Pipeline). Her research interests include investigating Indigenous peoples’ uses of social media, and advancing Native American health equity, particularly understanding the social determinants of health that impact Native people. 

Deschine Parkhurst has built a career working with and for American Indian people and Tribes conducting policy analysis and program evaluation to advance and strengthen Tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and to address health disparities in Native American communities. Deschine Parkhurst also earned a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in Policy, Administration & Community Practice, and a Master’s Public Policy (MPP) from ASU.