September 3, 2024
Native American Health Equity
My name is Alec Calac (he/him/his), PhD, and I am a medical student in the UC San Diego Medical Scientist Training Program. I have the privilege of writing this month’s newsletter and highlighting impactful efforts to promote social mission in medicine and high-quality community-based research among American Indian and Alaska Native communities. I joined the Social Mission Alliance as a Distinguished Scholar in 2022 and was recently presented with the SMA Fitzhugh Mullan Rising Star Award, which recognize outstanding leadership in promoting social mission in health professions education
I completed my PhD in the Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health at UC San Diego and San Diego State University. My dissertation focused on Indigenous Data Sovereignty in the Era of Big Data. I have also held leadership roles in the American Medical Association, Association of Native American Medical Students, and currently serve as the Partnerships Intern for Vot-ER, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to integrate civic engagement into healthcare, and Vice President for Internal and External Affairs for the Alliance for Clinicians Equity, a nationwide alliance of individuals promoting equity for minority clinicians. I also played a pivotal role in the development of new medical education programs at the University of California focused on the advancement of Indigenous health, which has challenged institutions to push past land acknowledgements and address the underrepresentation of Native American medical students.
As the only Native American medical student in my entering medical school class of 134, I struggled with belonging and feeling welcome, especially given new figures from the Association of American Medical Colleges that almost half of medical schools enroll no Native American medical students and only 13% have any curricular content focused on the structural determinants of Native American health and related disease epidemiology.
Please enjoy some curated highlights that I have read in the past year that align well with the work of the Social Mission Alliance.
Together in Partnership,
Alec
Advances in Native American Health Equity
Intervention in Navajo Nation boosts uptake for heart failure drugs by 53%
Penn Senior Fellow Lauren Eberly details her latest study on the Navajo Nation reservation in New Mexico, highlighting the increased uptake of guideline-directed heart failure therapy drugs. (Article: Penn Today)
JAMA Network: Telephone-Based Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy Optimization in Navajo Nation
Advances in Native American Health Professional Education
The UC Davis School of Medicine and Cal Poly Humboldt recently created the state’s first post-graduate education program to help prepare Native American students for medical school at UC Davis. The Huwighurruk Health Postbaccalaureate Program seeks to enroll pre-med students passionate about providing health care to American Indian and Alaska Native communities in rural and urban areas. The program will provide eligible students with a stipend for tuition and expenses such as preparation for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and mentorship with local Native physicians. (Article: UC Davis Health)
The new Wy’east Nursing Pathway is a post-baccalaureate pathway for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) committed to a nursing career. The Pathway provides a holistic, culturally-aligned framework to prepare scholars to excel as nursing students and throughout their careers.
Through a partnership between the OHSU School of Nursing and the Northwest Native American Center of Excellence (NNACOE), the Pathway recruits, educates, and retains AI/ANs into Accelerated Bachelor’s of Nursing (ABS) and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs to address critical workforce needs.
Advances in Native American Health Policy
The American Medical Association (AMA) held their Annual Meeting of the House of Delegates (HOD), on June 7-12, 2024. During this, various resolutions written by Native American medical students and physicians were presented that focused on American Indian and Alaska Native Communities and Indian Health Service, Tribal, and urban Indian Organization (I/T/U) Facilities.
The resolutions covered key issues such as Traditional Healing, Nutrition, Healthcare Access, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP). The AMA also acknowledged the significance of the Morrill Act of 1862, the resulting land-grant university system, and the federal trust responsibility related to tribal nations. (Article: National Council on Urban Indian Health)
More from the Social Mission Alliance
Measuring institutional commitment to health equity:
Earlier this month, all US medical schools were invited to participate in the updated Social Mission Mission Metrics Self-Assessment. This is our chance to make a difference and to ensure that social mission efforts, from pathways to admissions, curriculum and research, to community engagement and beyond, are also measured in this survey process. Help us encourage participation at your institution.
Upcoming Events
Don’t Agonize, Organize: Health Care In Crisis and Health Professional Unionization (Part II)
Tuesday, September 17, 8-9pm (Eastern)
Birth Equity in a Maternal Health Crisis: Realizing Birth Justice in Health Care & Health Professional Training
Tuesday, October 8, 8-9pm (Eastern)
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Highlighted Publications
- Black and Hispanic Representation Declined Following Increased Degree Requirements for Physician Assistants (Herring et al.)
- “We Need a Seismic Shift”: Disabled Student Perspectives on Disability Inclusion in U.S. Medical Education (Neera et al.)
- Assessing the Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Physician Assistant/Associate Program Graduates from 2010 to 2012 and 2019 to 2021 (Ritsema, Herring, Straker, & Salsberg)
