To read more of Usha Lee McFarling's article, please click here, Cherokee Nation medical school graduates its first class | STAT.
Image source: OSU Center for Health Sciences/Matt Barnard
There are so few Indigenous physicians in the United States — just 0.3% of doctors — that their numbers barely show up in charts and graphs depicting the diversity of the medical workforce.
The Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation, started in 2020, is an effort to boost the numbers of both Indigenous physicians and doctors willing to treat patients in rural areas experiencing severe physician shortages.
The nine Native American graduates represent 20% of the first class of 46 students. That may sound small, but it’s a start. In future classes, the number of tribally affiliated students ranges from 16% to 30% of the class. Students in all four years represent 11 different tribes and come from 46 Oklahoma counties, said Natasha Bray, the medical school’s dean. The graduating class at OSU’s larger main campus, in Tulsa, includes 15 additional Indigenous doctors.
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