Aaron Begley, BPH
Administrative Research Assistant Senior
Aaron L. Begley, BPH is the Assistant Research Coordinator for the ADOPT study. He has 2 years of experience working at the University of Kentucky within the Substance Use Priority Research Area, including the HEALing Communities Study. He received his BPH from the UK College of Public Health and his research interests include Health Disparities in Kentucky, Social/Behavioral Theories pertaining to behavior change, and substance use/Opioid Prescribing practices.
We wish to remember and honor those who inhabited this Commonwealth before the arrival of the Europeans. Briefly occupying these lands were the Osage, Wyndott tribe, and Miami peoples. The Adena and Hopewell peoples, who are recognized by the naming of the time period in which they resided here, were here more permanently. Some of their mounds remain in the Lexington area, including at UK’s Adena Park.
In more recent years, the Cherokee occupied southeast Kentucky, the Yuchi southwest Kentucky, the Chickasaw extreme western Kentucky and the Shawnee central Kentucky including what is now the city of Lexington. The Shawnee left when colonization pushed through the Appalachian Mountains. Lower Shawnee Town ceremonial grounds are still visible in Greenup County.
We honor the first inhabitants who were here, respect their culture, and acknowledge the presence of their descendants who are here today in all walks of life including fellow pharmacists and healthcare professionals.