DEAR FRIENDS,
This last academic year was one for the record books at OSU Center for Health Sciences as we continue our mission of educating physicians who will someday practice in rural and underserved areas of our state.
On May 16, OSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation celebrated a monumental achievement as its inaugural class of 46 medical students graduated from the nation’s first tribally affiliated medical school.
Approximately 20% of that inaugural class are Native American. It’s a substantial number compared to the less than 1% of Native American students enrolled in medical schools nationally. About 35% of the students from the inaugural class from OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation matched with a rural or tribal residency program.
That residency fact is important because we know physicians tend to practice within 90 miles of where they do their residency. By educating medical students in a rural environment we will change health care outcomes in our state for generations.
In addition, a five-year, $10 million grant was recently awarded to Oklahoma State University’s Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy (CIHRP) to expand and grow health and nutrition initiatives in native communities across the country. Our Office of American Indians in Medicine and Science also works with Oklahoma youth to inspire career paths in the medical or science fields, and with tribes to provide cultural traditions for our students alongside their studies.
This year we continued our national leadership in the area of graduates practicing medicine in health care professional shortage areas, as evidenced by our 2024 No. 6 ranking by US News and World Report.
Through our close relationships working with our state’s tribal nations, we are making a difference for Oklahomans, and we appreciate your support.
With gratitude,
Johnny Stephens, Pharm.D. President, OSU Center for Health Sciences
“By educating medical students in a rural environment, we will change health care outcomes in our state for generations.”
— Johnny Stephens, Pharm.D., President, OSU Center for Health Sciences
INAUGURAL CLASS GRADUATES
OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation celebrated a monumental achievement on May 16 as its inaugural class of 46 medical students graduated from the country’s first tribally affiliated medical school.
“Tonight, we celebrate the realization of a dream, one that started over a decade ago when I served as president of OSU Center for Health Sciences,” said Dr. Kayse Shrum, president of OSU, during the ceremony. “We wanted to expand our efforts to better the health outcomes of rural Oklahomans, while also growing the medical school.”
This milestone is the next significant step forward in addressing the health care needs of tribal, rural and underserved communities across Oklahoma.
“These graduates, who have completed their training in the heart of the Cherokee Nation, embody the values of service, compassion and excellence that define both the Cherokee Nation and Oklahoma State University,” said OSU Center for Health Sciences President Johnny Stephens. “Their journey has been one of dedication, perseverance, and cultural understanding. As they embark
on their careers, they will carry with them the unique perspective and knowledge gained from this groundbreaking partnership.”
About 35% of the students from the inaugural class matched with rural or tribal residency programs.
And 20% of the graduating class from OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation are Native American from several tribes including the Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. It’s a substantial number compared to the less than 1% of Native American students enrolled in medical schools nationally.
Stephens said watching the inaugural class walk across the graduation stage was the culmination of a decade’s long pursuit to build a sustainable physician pipeline for rural and underserved Oklahoma.
“I’m so impressed by their achievements and I’m looking forward to the positive impact they will undoubtedly have on the health and well-being of the communities they serve,” he said.
OCTOBER
2018
Former OSU Center for Health Sciences President Kayse Shrum and former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker announce the creation of OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation to be constructed in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.
AUGUST 2020
The OSU-COM CN holds its first White Coat Ceremony for the inaugural class of 54 students in Tahlequah.
MAY
2019
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation on the Cherokee Nation Health System campus in Tahlequah.
NOVEMBER 2019
A topping off celebration is held as the final steel beam is placed at the Tahlequah medical school facility.
2018 2019 2020
JANUARY 2021
The ribbon cutting ceremony is held for OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation. Completion of the 87,000 square foot facility was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply shortages.
2021 2022
JUNE 2021
Dr. William Pettit, inaugural dean of OSU-COM CN, retires and Dr. Natasha Bray is named interim dean.
SEPTEMBER 2022
Dr. Natasha Bray is named dean of OSU-COM CN
2024
MAY 2024
OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation’s inaugural class graduates at the Mabee Center in Tulsa.
TRIBAL REPRESENTATION AT OSU-CHS
• Caddo Nation
• Cherokee Nation
• Chickasaw Nation
• Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
• Comanche Nation
• Delaware Tribe of Indians
• Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
• Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
• Muscogee Nation
• Otoe-Missouria Tribe
• Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
• Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians
• Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
• Tlingit
In October 2022, Dr. Natasha Bray, dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, was honored with two prestigious national awards — one highlighting her work as a physician and the other for her work in medical education. Bray was named Internist of the Year by the American College of Osteopathic Internists and as Educator of the Year by the American Osteopathic Foundation.
Dr. Janel Johnson, an assistant clinical professor of medical education at OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, has a passion for public health. That dedication earned Johnson a Distinguished Service Award from the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians in March 2022. Johnson, a member of the Cherokee Nation, grew up in the small community of Norwood and utilized tribal health care for most of her life. After residency and earning a master’s in public health, Johnson practiced at the Cherokee Nation’s Wilma P. Mankiller Health Center in Stilwell for two years before being recruited to teach at OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation.
Two students from the inaugural class at OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation were selected as OSU Student Doctor of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
Ashton Glover Gatewood was selected in 2022 and went on to be the runner-up for National Student D.O. of the Year. Gatewood — a member of the Choctaw Nation and a descendant of Cherokee and Chickasaw ancestors — worked as a nurse and health care administrator at an Indian Health Services clinic in Oklahoma City for about five years before enrolling in medical school. She said her background as a nurse in IHS was invaluable to her success in medical school. Gatewood said she chose to attend OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation specifically because of its tribal affiliation and she wants to return to an IHS clinic after completing her OB/GYN residency at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.
A year later Jordyn Prince was named OSU Student Doctor of the Year. She grew up with strong female role models who were all involved in health care. Her mother is a pharmacist, one of her grandmothers was a nurse and the other was a nursing home manager. Prince’s interest in medicine only grew after she attended OSU Center for Health Sciences’ Operation Orange mini medical camp while she was in high school. Prince, who will complete an OB/GYN residency at St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, said as a physician she enjoys having that human connection with her patients, and feels privileged when they open up and tell her what is going on in their lives.
• Talking Leaves Collection at OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation Library is a collection of more than 250 books focused on Indigenous American literature selected by Native American tribal partners to represent their culture, health and language.
• COM CN and the Cherokee Nation Outreach & Arts Department developed HeART Kits: Heritage Enrichment Art Kits, that students could do in groups or on their own along with instructional videos. Kits included corn bead necklaces, pinch pots, corn husk dolls and miniature stickball sticks.
• Cultural craft workshops are offered annually including a beading workshop hosted by the Native American Students of Osteopathic Medicine and the Native American Primary Care Center of Excellence, and a pucker toe moccasin making class put on by the Cherokee Nation Gadugi Corps. Students and staff have also made Cherokee baskets and clay turtles as gifts for campus speakers and research poster winners.
IMPACT & CARE
TRIBAL MEDICAL TRACK
OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine has a mission to produce primary care physicians for rural, tribal and other underserved areas and communities and improve physician shortages faced by rural and tribal health care systems.
To prepare medical students for a successful transition into tribal communities and health systems, OSU-COM offers a Tribal Medical Track. In addition to required courses and training, TMT students learn about indigenous medicine, health disparities among Native Americans and career opportunities in tribal health care. The track also includes special rotations at tribal clinics or
hospitals, opportunities for research, tribal residency tours and culturally relevant learning experiences.
The inaugural group of nine students in the Tribal Medical Track graduated in May 2023 and there are 18 medical students currently enrolled in the track.
And with OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, students have an unprecedented opportunity to train within a tribal health system. For students who are Indigenous or those interested in tribal health care, the campus in Tahlequah as well as the Tribal Medical Track creates a diverse pathway to serve tribal communities as primary care physicians.
INDIGENOUS POPULATION IN OKLAHOMA
16% of the population in Oklahoma are Native American
2.9% of the population in the United States are Native American
38 federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma
TRIBAL ROTATION SITES
LEGEND
Sites offering primary care clinical rotations for 3rd and 4th year medical students
Sites offering core rotations for 3rd year medical students
NOTE: All locations are approximate and are subject to change.
Laverne
Cherokee
Woodward Enid
Hydro
Elk City
Altus
Chickasha
Duncan
Ardmore
Idabel
Norman
Stigler
Ponca City
Cleveland
Stillwater
Tulsa
Vinita
Miami
Jay
Choteau
Oklahoma City
Durant
McAlester
Talihina
Lawton
Purcell Stroud
Pawhuska
Ocheleta
Okmulgee
Okemah
Grove Ada
Muskogee Vian
Tahlequah
Poteau
RESIDENCY INVESTMENT
Through our partnership with several tribal nations, OSU Medicine is working to improve health outcomes for Native American communities and encourage primary care physicians to practice in rural Oklahoma where they are needed most.
There are three family medicine residency programs under the sponsorship of OSU Medicine and the Osteopathic Medical Education Consortium of Oklahoma (OMECO). Three-year residency programs are available in family medicine at Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority in Talihina with 12 residency slots total; Chickasaw Nation Medical Center in Ada with 12 residency slots total, and Cherokee Nation W.W. Hastings Hospital with 24 residency slots total.
In 2022, a Rural Track of the OSU Medicine Pediatric Program opened at the Cherokee Nation. This program trains three residents per year at the Cherokee Nation
location. This is the only tribally affiliated pediatric residency program in the US.
Additionally, an internal medicine residency program is available in Tahlequah through the Tahlequah Medical Group at Northeastern Health System that works with both tribal members and underserved and rural populations. This program offers 15 residency slots.
Residents are given opportunities to grow professionally and personally through real-world experiences serving American Indian populations. The programs offer residents the chance to see patients with a variety of medical conditions and build on their core skills and knowledge.
Primary care is the foundation of medicine, and these residency programs are designed to deliver patient centered care that is comprehensive and personal to the patient, their family and their community.
TRIBAL CLINICAL CARE
OSU Center for Health Sciences has unique service and access relationships with a variety of tribal entities including Indian Health Service in Oklahoma to assist in the provision of health care services offered for tribal citizens.
OSU Medicine’s Emergency Medicine Department provides physician services to Claremore Indian Hospital 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In comparison to key indicators at other IHS hospitals, OSU emergency medicine services provided at the Claremore Indian Hospital continue to be recognized in the top performance tier nationally across all IHS hospital locations.
OSU Medicine’s Cardiovascular Department also provides services to patients at the Claremore Indian Hospital and to the Muscogee Nation Department of Health at Council Oak Comprehensive Healthcare in Tulsa.
Cardiovascular physicians Dr. Andrew Hale and Dr. Matt Wilkett see patients once a week at the Choctaw Nation’s Rubin White Health Clinic. Dr. Wilkett, who is also a member of the
Choctaw Nation, sees patients from the Claremore hospital once a week and the Pawnee Indian Hospital once a month.
The OSU Medical Center also provides mobile cardiology services to the Choctaw Nation Health Center in Talihina as well as IHS hospitals and health care centers in Claremore, Pawnee and El Reno.
OSU Medicine is also collaborating with the obstetrics and gynecology department at the Muscogee Nation Medical Center in Okmulgee for birthing care at OSU Medical Center.
OSU-COM alumna and Cherokee Nation citizen Dr. Beth Harp was named the executive medical director of Cherokee Nation Health Systems in September 2023. She completed her family medicine residency in Tahlequah with the Cherokee Nation and then a primary care training enhancement fellowship with OSU Center for Health Sciences. Harp then returned to the Cherokee Nation Health System in 2012.
SUPPORT & RESEARCH
With the support of more than 550 donors, including individuals and tribal nations, more than $8.8 million has been raised to support students, faculty and staff at OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa and the Cherokee Nation since 2022.
That total includes 178 donors who gave more than $3 million toward scholarships and student support for the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
There are also 16 scholarships specifically for students enrolling at OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation with the goal of encouraging American Indian candidates to pursue medical school at the Tahlequah campus.
Indian Health Service, a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to 36 OSU medical students in the last two years.
Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy receives grants for food sovereignty programs and research
The Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy at OSU-CHS brings together scientific collaborators and Indigenous and community leaders to eliminate health disparities and cultivate health and wellness in Native American communities.
In 2023, a five-year, $10 million grant was awarded to CIHRP to expand and grow health and nutrition initiatives in native communities across the country. The grant was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health.
The initial grant was for $2 million over two years to develop the Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health
Equity and included four native tribes and organizations including the Choctaw Nation and Osage Nation in Oklahoma as well as two tribal groups in Alaska. Part of that effort supports revitalization of traditional foods in American Indian and Alaska Native communities including the Choctaw Nation’s Growing Hope program that distributes heirloom seeds to families to support the restoration of traditional gardens and improve healthy eating patterns.
The extended grant expands food sovereignty programs and adds five new Indigenous tribes and partners to learn from these original initiatives to develop their own based on their traditions and culture.
CIHRP received a $3.5 million donation from Novo Nordisk Inc., to fund the Indigenous Foodways and Health Initiative, which will support Indigenous food systems and practices that strengthen language revitalization and access to traditional foods.
CIHRP is leading several community-based participatory research studies. The Indigenous Supported Agriculture study, co-led with the Osage Nation, is in the third year of a five-year study funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The program provides weekly boxes of fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs and shelf-stable healthy foods to Native families living in the Osage Nation. The goal of this food sovereignty initiative aims to increase food security, reduce blood pressure, prevent and manage diabetes, and improve healthy eating.
CIHRP director selected for national committees on health equality, nutrition
Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan, member of the Choctaw Nation, professor of Rural Health and director of the Center for Indigenous Health Research and Policy at OSU Center for Health Sciences, has been appointed to three prestigious national advisory committees.
Jernigan, who has a doctorate in public health, will serve on a committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine examining the current state of racial and ethnic health care disparities in the United States. The committee will work to update the Unequal Treatment Report, published in 2003.
Jernigan will also serve on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee. She is the first Indigenous person to serve on the DGA committee, which reviews current nutrition science to produce a report which will help develop the next set of dietary guidelines for the U.S.
And, she was selected to serve on the National Advisory Council of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The council, composed of people from the scientific, medical and lay communities, advises the secretary of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health and the NIMHD.
$16M grant awarded to AIMS and Center for Rural Health to support students
In September 2023, OSU Center for Rural Health was awarded a $16 million grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to support medical students training to practice in rural, tribal and urban/underserved areas of Oklahoma. Approximately half of the total award is devoted to direct student support in the form of scholarships and stipends for students enrolled in the Rural Medical Track, Tribal Medical Track, or Urban/Underserved Medical Track. The program’s director is Dr. Natasha Bray, dean of the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation and clinical professor of Rural Health.
HRSA grant awarded for Native American student recruitment and training
A $3.5 million grant was awarded to OSU Center for Health Sciences in 2022 to fund new programs and bolster existing ones aimed at recruiting and preparing Native American undergraduate students to enter medical school. The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Centers for Excellence awarded the grant to develop a Native American Primary Care Center for Excellence. The renewable grant, distributed over five years,
is administered by the Office of American Indians in Medicine and Science and the Center for Rural Health. The grant provides scholarships and resources for Indigenous medical students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty as well as funds for the development of pathway programs for Native American undergraduate students interested in medicine and serving their tribal communities.
Tribal Medical Track scholarships part of OSU Center for Rural Health $3M grant
The Center for Rural Health was awarded $3 million in early 2023 as part of a larger Health Equity grant awarded to the Oklahoma State Department of Health from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The funding will be divided among three key areas to improve and expand health care in rural and underserved communities in Oklahoma. Approximately $1.4 million will fund scholarships for OSU Center for Health Sciences tribal and rural medical track students and physician assistant students. About $400,000 will be used to purchase and deploy two cargo vans for telemedicine and mobile health efforts in rural Oklahoma. The funding will also help address health disparities among high risk and historically underserved populations in rural communities.
Center for Health Systems Innovation
The Center for Health Systems Innovation (CHSI) is a joint venture between the OSU Spears School of Business and OSU Center for Health Sciences. CHSI’s mission is to transform the health of rural and tribal communities by implementing new and efficient care models and information technology solutions. Since its inception, CHSI has worked closely with Indigenous tribes in Oklahoma to further this mission.
CHSI partnered with OSU Extension to curb obesity rates in Muskogee and Adair counties as part of a five-year $3.9 million Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant. For the project in Adair County, CHSI is partnering with the Wilma P. Mankiller Health Center, the third largest outpatient health center in the Cherokee Nation Health Services system.
Recognizing the high incidence rates of diabetes in Native American populations and the lack of adequate ophthalmic care, CHSI started a company, OptoAI, to commercialize diabetic retinopathy algorithms. Once clinically validated, CHSI will start deploying this solution to rural hospitals and clinics. Cherokee Nation Health Services has expressed interest to be one of the first to deploy this solution.
Office of Medical Student Research
A team from OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation and the University of Oklahoma-University of Tulsa School of Community Medicine studied how teens who self-reported as American Indian/
Alaska Natives were reclassified using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Ashton Glover Gatewood, a fourth-year medical student from OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation, and Micah Hartwell, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, worked with Amy Hendrix-Dicken, research assistant supervisor at the OU-TU School of Community Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics, on the study published in the American Journal of Public Health. Glover-Gatewood is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation and Hendrix-Dicken is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
The team analyzed the CDC’s 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) data, which collects behaviors and demographics of high school students including self-reported race and ethnicity.
When self-reporting, the teens can classify themselves as one or more races. Of the 816 teens who self-reported as American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) in the YRBSS, 145, or 17.7%, reported as AI/AN alone; 246, or 30.2%, reported as AI/AN alone with Hispanic or Latino background; and 425, or 52%, reported AI/AN in combination with one or more races.
But, the study found only 145 teens were computed as being AI/AN, representing only 13.4% of AI/AN teens.
The researchers’ recommendations are that the CDC include self-reporting data in all their large national datasets and that other researchers who are utilizing YRBSS data should consider whether they are looking at those aggregated numbers that can misclassify race or the self-reporting numbers.
OUTREACH & STUDENT SUPPORT
Office of American Indians in Medicine and Science
OSU Center for Health Sciences’ Office of American Indians in Medicine and Science (AIMS) works to develop Native American men and women as physicians, researchers and educators who will improve the health and wellness for citizens of Oklahoma and beyond.
Launched in 2014, AIMS strives to increase the number of American Indians applying to and being accepted into programs in osteopathic medicine and other health profession careers including athletic training, biomedical and forensic sciences, health care administration and physician assistants.
Success and retention of Native American students is a high priority. Staff work with tribes in an effort to include culture and tradition into all training programs aimed at helping meet the health and wellness needs of Oklahoma’s tribal and rural communities.
Native Explorers
Native scientists, educators and physicians from OSUCHS and the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History operate the Native Explorers program, which provides
out-of-the-classroom, hands-on experiences that strengthen knowledge of science, medicine and Indigenous cultures.
The program also aims to promote and increase the number of American Indians in science and medicine. Native Explorers is for those 18 and older; Junior Explorers is aimed at elementary through high school students who are interested in medicine and science and culture.
Native Explorers STEM Internship gives undergraduate students the opportunity to work with American Indian faculty, medical students and graduate students from OSUCHS on clinical or biomedical research. Participants learn in the medical school’s state-of-the-art lab spaces and shadow health care professionals in tribal clinics and hospitals.
Native OKSTARS Summer Research Program
The Native Oklahoma Science Training and Research Students (STARS) program is designed to encourage American Indian students in their junior or senior year of high school to pursue a career in the science or medical field. Participants are paired with a Native faculty member and medical or graduate students to work on research projects on the OSU-CHS campus. AIMS also incorporates an Indigenous cultural component to the program.