Native American Heritage month
The American Academy of Family Physicians recognizes and honors Native American Heritage Month every November. Throughout the year, but especially this month, we honor the sovereignty of Native Americans, while also paying tribute to their diverse cultures. The AAFP also recognizes this time as an opportunity to honor and celebrate the achievements and contributions of Native American family physicians and highlight how family physicians can serve Native American communities.
Family Doc Focus
Cherokee Nation Med School Nurtured Her FM Calling, Cultural Ties
Mackenzee Thompson, D.O., is part of the Choctaw Nation through her maternal grandmother, but she grew up in a tiny town south of the Oklahoma City metro area, roughly three hours from her family’s tribal lands in southeastern Oklahoma.
“We got separated from our traditions,” she said, “so growing up I wasn’t exposed to much Choctaw culture.”
As a child, Thompson participated in Choctaw educational programs that provided rewards for academic success. In college, she participated in the tribe’s higher education program, which provides financial assistance to tribal members pursuing degrees at accredited universities.
Other Members in Action
"I'm very open about the fact that I struggled a lot with self-doubt when choosing medicine as a career. I honestly looked for anything else that I may want to do in life because I had never seen someone who looked like me. I'd never been treated by someone who looked like me in medicine. And so it was really difficult for me to think that I could be the person to do that. And so I think it's important for other family physicians to go out into these communities, especially Native American communities because we represent less than 1% of doctors today. And so I think seeing yourself in those roles is such a huge confidence booster. And I'm very thankful to have had great mentors who have helped me get to this point." – Madison Whitekiller, 2023 AAFP Health Equity Intern
"Ever since high school, I kind of had the idea of going into medicine. And then my first mentor in medicine was my own cousin, Dr. Terry Samuels. He was one of the physicians and one of the longest-standing medical directors for our tribe clinic. … I got to see the compassionate level of care that he provided and I wanted to emulate that. And I got to hear from the patients and I hear from those patients today now with me being in the position of providing that care. And, you know, us being tribe citizens, us being Native American, that's a big reason why many of our tribal patients will seek health care – they trust us. They see someone that they recognize in themselves. And so it makes a big deal in terms of breaking down the barriers and helping to address access to care – having that trust, and again, I cannot understate that." – Dr. Frank Animikwam, Medical Director, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Health Center
A Diverse Workforce Equals a Healthier Population
Studies show that patient satisfaction and health outcomes are improved when health providers and their patients have concordance in their racial, ethnic, and language backgrounds. Studies also show that students from backgrounds currently underrepresented in medicine are more likely to care for underserved populations in their careers, and more likely to choose primary care careers.
Visit the EveryOne Project to check out a report on workforce diversity and more.
