Portrait of Katrina Claw, PhD, courtesy of David Cournoyer, AISES.org.
Katrina Claw, PhD, associate professor of biomedical informatics at the University of Colorado Anschutz (CU Anschutz), has been named the 2026 Professional of the Year by the Advancing Indigenous Science and Engineering Society (AISES).
The award, which recognizes outstanding leadership and technical achievement, honors Claw’s work advancing genomic research while centering Indigenous sovereignty, trust and culturally appropriate data stewardship. Claw’s work spans precision medicine, pharmacogenomics and efforts to build more ethical and inclusive approaches to genetics research with Indigenous communities.
AISES specifically cited the breadth of Claw's work. “She is a key architect of frameworks for ethical genomic research with Indigenous communities, including widely cited models that emphasize sovereignty, trust-building, and culturally appropriate data stewardship,” said AISES on the award page. “With various partners, she has done significant work in defining Diné cultural dimensions of health research–including creating a Diné glossary of 200+ genetics and genomics terms.”
We sat down with Claw to learn more about the AISES award and the projects defining her recognition: