My research focuses on social determinants of cognitive health among Indigenous older adults in the United States and Canada. I employ large data so study the longitudinal relationship between modifiable lifespan factors, like education, poverty, and social engagement, with dementia risk. My analyses are informed by critical and stress theories that position structural racism as a fundamental cause of health inequities across the lifespan.
Dr. Whetung is a social worker and public health researcher. He is an Assistant Professor in at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus, and faculty with the MK-MDT. His research focuses on the longitudinal relationships between social determinants of health, structural inequities, and cognitive health among Indigenous older adults in the United States and Canada. He also applies productive aging frameworks to explore the impact of work, volunteering, and social engagement on brain health in later life. His research indicates that Indigenous older adults experience a large burden of structural inequities across the lifespan and that these modifiable risk factors are associated with accelerated cognitive decline in later life. Dr. Whetung is a band member of Curve Lake First Nation and received his PhD from New York University’s Silver School of Social Work.