Sarah Shewbrooks
From Winter Counts to Data Hubs: Reimagining Public Health Data Through Tribal Sovereignty
Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center
Sessions
Session III - Prairie Rose Room 101
2:00 PM - 2:50 PM Wed
The Winter Count Data Hub is a Tribally owned and directed public health data management platform that supports Tribal Nations in the Great Plains Area in exercising sovereignty over their data stewardship, governance, and meaningful use. Grounded in the Plains Tribes tradition of Winter Counts as an early data-keeping system, the Winter Count Data Hub reconceptualizes public health data as community-owned knowledge, moving away from extractive administrative practices. By centralizing diverse data sources in a secure, Tribally governed environment, the Winter Count Data Hub reinforces Tribal sovereignty by enabling Tribes to control data access, interpretation, and dissemination while supporting timely, actionable analysis for planning, advocacy, and decision-making. Collectively, these elements position the Winter Count Data Hub as a paradigm shift in public health data systems, one that centers Tribal sovereignty, elevates Indigenous knowledge systems, and reorients data use toward community-defined priorities. This presentation will share the Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Centers lessons learned in developing the Winter Count Data Hub, highlighting core strengths that supported implementation alongside structural and institutional barriers encountered in building a Tribally governed public health data system.