Interview with Rick Strickland

Partial Transcript: TR: So Rick as you know I sent you questions

Segment Synopsis: Rick Strickland (RS) offered an overview of his work, which at its core has involved health and social justice & equity. He specifically came to work to over the regional part of a national program called Spirits of EAGLES, which he summarized.

Keywords: Spirit of EAGLES; cancer research; community organizations; health; native americans; social equity

Partial Transcript: TR: So if I may want to back up one step here

Segment Synopsis: RS spoke of his childhood, growing up rural and being the first in his immediate family to attend college. RS came of age in the 1960s and quickly realized that some people had less and some had more, and that some people treated others differently depending on status. His father took a labor job, and his mother was religious. Both taught him much in different ways.

Keywords: economic status; first generation graduate; higher education; religion

Partial Transcript: RS: And then early in my professional career I had the opportunity

Segment Synopsis: RS continued here to discuss his early professional career. While working for a Catholic charities program, he trained in Chicago with the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), a group founded by Saul Alinsky. He explained what this experience taught him. Even later in his career, he earned a Healthy Communities Fellowship, and its curricula, which then crystalized his work in the nexus between public health/health care/wellness & social justice/equity. So for RS, his language has included how does he help communities become healthy & sustainable.

Keywords: Catholic Charities; Healthy Communities Fellowship; community organizations; empowerment; equity; public health

Partial Transcript: TR: So to me that sounds like that was a lot of

Segment Synopsis: RS noted some other specific factors that led to Carbone, including his work in community partnerships at a United Way in South Bend, Indiana, where he worked with African-American and Latinx communities. In this job (and others) he worked as a "broker" between the white and communities of color. After the United Way, RS worked for a community hospital system, which was where he earned the above-mentioned fellowship. In this job, he could give funding to community for health care-promotion work.

Keywords: Healthy Communities Fellowship; South Bend; United Way; communities of color; community organizations; health promotion

Partial Transcript: RS: As a rural kid I learned early on that I liked to translate

Segment Synopsis: RS returned to his rural upbringing. Early on there, even while still under his parents' wing, he learned to "translate" English language for them, making them understandable. He offered a "for example" here, noting in health care, it never hurt to have someone else listen, regardless of age. At his first real job after graduate school in Minneapolis, his mentor called him a "broker." While it took awhile for him to understand that, he finally realized that his mentor meant that RS built relationships across boundaries. For RS, that became his "self-understanding."

Keywords: childhood; healthcare; interpretation; jargon; relationships

Partial Transcript: RS: The unique things that happened in a setting like Carbone

Segment Synopsis: RS then moved his thoughts forward to Carbone, linking what he learned in other places to Carbone. He then talked about the Spirit of EAGLES, including talking about the three keys objectives of that program. RS listed them here. These objectives then become the primary goals for the Cancer Health Disparities Initiative (CHDI).

Keywords: Spirit of EAGLES; UW Carbone Cancer Center; education; higher education; native americans; research; tribal relationships

Partial Transcript: TR: So recently retired and I know these next few questions probably

Segment Synopsis: He almost always told people about the "broker" story when describing his work, and talked about his work as being a guest wherever he went: "Always ask about the picture & drink the coffee." He explained that quote in more detail, including an anecdote about visiting a farmstead; when offered something, asking for water, because he knew the family didn't have much to offer. RS offered more about how he has described his work by crystallizing it down to this: figure out how to work together with people to work with them to try to empower them. He concluded by saying that he would answer the question differently when asked by faculty.

Keywords: empowerment; relationship building

Partial Transcript: TR: So we talked about this question earlier because you noted

Segment Synopsis: At first, RS reached out to tribal communities (by email and phone) and eventually visit those communities. Also, he learned the protocols for the tribes; for example, while he worked with health care or medical providers at those tribes, he always started with the health director.

Keywords: daily work; healthcare; healthcare information; tribal communities; visitations

Partial Transcript: RS: I had a mentor of mine that was Dr. Judith Cower

Segment Synopsis: RS spoke more about a typical day, talking about a mentor of his, Dr. Judith Cower; Cower led the Spirit of EAGLES nationally and about bringing a gift to each place he visited. He brought a booklet, a compendium of resources for them with cancer-resource groups & facilities. RS also built bridges with big orgs, like the U of Minnesota's Cancer Center and the American Cancer Society. This led to a rich network of people & organizations.

Keywords: Spirit of EAGLES; cultural protocols; healthcare; healthcare information; native americans

Partial Transcript: RS: One other thing that was an early part of that time

Segment Synopsis: RS then shifted his thoughts about how he & others, including Dr. Cower, really showed the NCI (National Cancer Institute) focus on Native Americans and cancer rates, because if one looked nationally, the Native American rates were lower. But, factoring for geography one could show much higher rates of cancer for Native Americans in the Upper Midwest/Northern Plains, which varied also for type of cancer and sex of individual. So he learned (and trained his students) to answer the question about Native American cancer rates in a much much more nuanced way. This "typical day" lasted for about the first half of RS's time at Carbone.

Keywords: National Cancer Institute; cancer rates; healthcare; native americans; statistical analysis

Partial Transcript: RS: And then we began in 2006 is when we started the Cancer Health Disparities Initiative

Segment Synopsis: Around 2006 RS started serving as outreach director of CHDI; this job and funding allowed him to hire staff to work on two specific projects; he offered an overview of each of them. During these years, they also hired or offered internships or for credit work students. When asked about how supervising changed his work, RS furnished the major way becoming a supervisor changed his day-to-day work, including mentoring those students. He also touched on here the importance of staff who worked with a particular community (rural or African American) to have experience within those communities, either living or working.

Keywords: Cancer Health Disparities Initiative; cancer research; healthcare; public health; public health outreach

Partial Transcript: TR: So had you supervised staff and students before this position?

Segment Synopsis: RS said yes, then focused his answer on his supervisory work at UW. He has taken his role as supervisor seriously, calling mentorship his first responsibility. When asked why he felt strongly about mentoring, he said that he wanted to try to make them better people. He told staff his job entailed challenging the way they think for both this job and their future.

Keywords: administration; mentor; supervisor; supervisory staff

Partial Transcript: TR: So then Rick as you moved in towards the end

Segment Synopsis: RS talks about working as a director, and that it helped that his co-director has shown him the way. He explained the differences when one person leads an initiative, not two. He also described the "tension" of this type of initiative, financial, particularly since it needed soft or grant money to make it go. RS noted that he wrote well and edited better, which helped in securing that type of funding. As director, RS work changed in geography (only Wisconsin) and the reduction of direct work in Native American communities.

Keywords: Cancer Health Disparities Initiative; administration; budget; health director; mission; programming

Partial Transcript: TR: I think since we're about forty-five minutes we can hit this

Segment Synopsis: RS's work at UW encompassed the first 19 years of the 21st Century, but he still saw changes in technology that both benefitted and hampered his work. One way it hampered his (and his staff work) was the over-reliance on email and under-reliance on the phone & face-to-face meetings.

Keywords: community outreach; relationship building; technological change; technology

Partial Transcript: RS: That said, sort of the tremendous thing that I saw happen is the ability

Segment Synopsis: RS continued his thoughts on technology, talking here about the way technology allowed for quick and broad dissemination of essential information. He gave an example of a document, Cancer Clear and Simple, where technology let them tweak it easier. He then focused on what smart phone enabled him to follow up with busy people by texting them to let them know that he sent an email, or that those people can call him at any hour of the day.

Keywords: communication; distribution of information; technological change; technology

Partial Transcript: TR: So I have one follow up I want to ask from something

Segment Synopsis: RS explained that it depended for faculty on whether they want to know about the project or if they possibly wanted to partner with his program. He then gave an example of the pitch to a possible faculty partner.

Keywords: cancer research; faculty; partnerships

Partial Transcript: TR: So I would like to wrap up for the day, we're a little over

Segment Synopsis: RS chose to offer an anecdote as his final thought. It involved, at its core, always been willing and able, particularly in tribal communities, to tell them who you are, where you are from, who are your people, and why are you there before saying anything your work.

Keywords: community outreach; cultural protocols; native americans; tribal communities

Partial Transcript: TR: So um as I said before we turned on the recorder Rick

Segment Synopsis: First, RS wanted to talk about what he learned from others during his professional career, particularly helping him build framework of values and helping him to work in a "good way." RS unpacked that term, which came from his work with Native communities/in "Indian Country." RS continued an overview of his professional career at UW. He continued to learn, to listen, and to put one foot on campus and the other foot in the community.

Keywords: community; learning; respect; values

Partial Transcript: TR: Great thank you for that Rick I'd like to move

Segment Synopsis: While RS didn't work with AS governance or groups, he chose to be active in other on and off-campus groups. He first focused on campus groups, including the Indigenous Health and Wellness Day. He explained about that day and his involvement in it. He has continued to be involved in it, even after retirement. RS continued here talking about that event's lead campus group, Native American Center for Health Professions, of which he volunteered to serve. RS furnished more about his work with this group.

Keywords: Indigenous Health and Wellness Day; Native American Center for Health Professions; School of Medicine and Public Health; campus organizations; health professionals; native americans

Partial Transcript: RS: Toward the end of my career I became involved with a couple of

Segment Synopsis: RS offered more here about his campus work, specifically his work with the Morgridge Center's work to give credence to faculty who do community work, specifically in regards to tenure. He finished his thoughts about campus work, by noting an equity group of which he volunteered his service.

Keywords: Morgridge Center; community research; integrated case; tenure

Partial Transcript: RS: From an off campus perspective I made the point earlier that I

Segment Synopsis: RS shifted his focus to his off-campus group work. While he listed some groups, he focused his words here on particular on regional and national American Indian organizational work, specifically related to cancer-control work and including the Native American Research Center for Health & a Share the Care Native American Cancer Conference. All this work helped RS in his continued effort to be an ally, particularly as a white man.

Keywords: American Indian Cancer Conference; Native American Research Center for Health; Spirit of EAGLES; allyship; cancer control; cancer research; native americans

Partial Transcript: RS: Great, thank you. So my next question is and you talked about this

Segment Synopsis: RS has thought about this relationship a lot, because his work required it. He listed the places where he worked with faculty. He worked as a broker, between the faculty & community. He helped, when needed, find common ground, always focused on the interest of the community.

Keywords: UW-Madison; community organizations; faculty; helicopter research; research goals

Partial Transcript: RS: So when I talked earlier about willingness to learn that same principle

Segment Synopsis: RS talked more about this, noting how they applied a "litmus paper test" to any faculty. It boiled down to finding out if they could listen and learn to his program and to the community. He moved here to talk about power within the university and how & for whom one uses their power. This reminded him of the adage: "They put the pants on one leg at a time too." He also noted here that between his childhood, education, and career, he had grown quite un-fond of arrogance.

Keywords: UW-Madison; academic staff; community organizations; faculty; power dynamics; research

Partial Transcript: TR: Great thank you. I can't remember who espoused that phrase

Segment Synopsis: RS knew of the nomination; folks had nominated him twice before. He helped with the 2nd & 3rd nomination. When asked about how he learned about the award, RS told a story about setting up a meeting with faculty PI. Before RS could start his agenda, the PI jumped in to tell RS that he had won the award. It took RS by surprising, especially considering that RS called this meeting to tell the PI that he planned to retire.

Keywords: academic staff award; retirement

Partial Transcript: RS: I think the other part about that that's important to know

Segment Synopsis: RS continued to discuss the award, saying it stood as the only campus award he ever said he wanted. He told the interviewer why. He felt the award validated the work. When asked to elaborate about that idea, RS spoke more about his program stood for far more than just his work. He noted that several who attended the reception thanked him for his remarks. He then talked about the reception itself, saying he enjoyed it and explaining why. RS remembered that when the Chancellor called him up, RS hugged her. He also talked here about how he helped tone down the initial language about the award, because it focused how his work saved life.

Keywords: academic staff award; award reception; values

Partial Transcript: TR: Great, thank you. Actually I want to since we're here at this time

Segment Synopsis: While RS felt he understood why some Wisconsinite felt stifled by "Safer at Home," particularly those in more rural areas. But, he felt strongly about the idea: "We are all in this together." He offered his reasons as to why he felt that way.

Keywords: COVID-19; demographic impact; treatment; viral strain

Partial Transcript: RS: I think its also been a huge learning time, a huge learning time about

Segment Synopsis: RS talked more about COVID-19 focusing on ideas like interdependence, supporting one's neighbors, and helping those affected economically. RS offered his thoughts here about what would need to occur until anything like life before COVID-19 could occur.

Keywords: COVID-19; interdependence; social distancing

Partial Transcript: TR: Thank you. I put you on the spot there, that was a very nice

Segment Synopsis: RS felt that what he wanted to be remembered for would run parallel to what others remember about him. Although, he said that others might disagree with that statement. RS listed the following: commitment to belief; determined to advocate for particular views & practices; thoughtful, particularly strategic thinking; an honest ally; a mentor, and as a thoughtful storyteller, writer, and editor.

Keywords: allyship; legacy; mentorship; strategic thinking

Partial Transcript: TR: Alright thank you for all that. So now I leave it to you

Segment Synopsis: RS called it "a pleasure," to have space to tell his story. He also said he enjoyed getting to know the interviewer. Other than that, he wanted to end it here.