Thursday Apr 21, 2022

102. Why Recruiting Natives Into the Health Field is so Important: A Conversation with Dr. Bret Benally Thompson and Danielle Yancey

This week on Medicine Talkers we talked with Dr. Bret Benally Thompson, who is White Earth Ojibwe, and a palliative care physician in Madison, WI. We also spoke with Danielle Yancey, who is Menominee and Santee, and the director of the Native American Center for Health Professions. The topics of the episode cover the important efforts being made in increasing Native American representation in medicine. It's a fun episode with segments you don't want to miss!

NACHP was founded in 2012 by Dr. Erik Brodt, a White Earth Ojibwe physician. NACHP’s mission is: “to enhance recruitment of Native students to UW health professional schools and programs, improve the Native health professional student experience, establish and enhance Native health education opportunities, recruit, retain and develop Native faculty, and grow Native health academic programs, in both research and education, with tribal communities.”

INMED, which stands for Indians Into Medicine, is a 5-year grant through the federal health program IHS (Indian Health Service) which is located in the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. This grant is offered to public and nonprofit private colleges and universities to support the enrollment of American Indians and Alaska Natives to pursue careers in medicine and other health fields.

Programs mentioned within the episode:

American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)

“AISES supports 230 affiliated pre-college schools, 196 chartered college and university chapters, 3 tribal chapters, and 18 professional chapters in the U.S. and Canada. We promote the highest standards of education and professional excellence to widen the STEM workforce and grow sector support. We highlight the geographic, economic, and social aspects of STEM education and careers.”