Each May we celebrate our graduating students. Today we spotlight two who are graduating from the Center with plans to attend medical school. While American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) make up around 3% of the U.S. population, according to the Lancet they account for less than 0.4% of the active physician workforce. Recent data provides even more cause for concern: 22% fewer AI/AN students enrolled in medical school in 2024 as compared to recent prior years. This vast underrepresentation is one of the factors undermining the quality of health care in Indigenous communities – contributing to a lack of culturally centered practices, lower levels of trust and increased physician turnover particularly in rural regions.
The Center for Indigenous Health is invested in solutions: Co-Director Dr. Don Warne has initiated a feasibility study for an Indigenous School of Medicine and our training team continues to expand graduate and certificate programs and additional pathways for AI/AN individuals to become leaders in public health and other healthcare fields. We are especially proud of our Indigenous colleagues who take the leap into the challenging and rewarding field of medicine. In recent years this has included Audrey Juliussen (Alaska Native), a fourth year at University of Washington WWAMI School of Medicine; Carly Chiwiwi (Pueblo of Laguna), class of 2026 at the Contra Costa Family Medicine Residency Program in California; Sophie Neuner Weinstein (Karuk Tribe) an Obstetrics and Gynecology resident at Oregon Health and Science University; and Thomasina Blackwater (Navajo) who completed her MD at University of Arizona and a family medicine residency at Harbor-UCLA.
Here we highlight two of this year’s CIH “graduates”, who will be joining the medical ranks, and their journeys and motivations for becoming physicians. Beyoncé and Monica worked together on the Whiteriver Infectious Disease Prevention team, serving the White Mountain Apache Tribe. They have been a source of support and camaraderie to one another, particularly through the arduous process of applying to medical school over the past year.
Beyoncé Bahe, White Mountain Apache
Age: 24
Medical School: Oregon Health Science University in Portland, OR
Aspiring practice: “Family medicine. I’ve always wanted to go into primary care, all of my mentors and shadowing have been in primary care or rural practice. It’s where I’m needed most. I eventually want to serve at an IHS site, most likely in my own White Mountain Apache community.
As far as I know, I’m going to be the first MD of the White Mountain Apache Tribe. In researching it, we’ve found a couple of holistic practitioners, but I believe I will be the first medical doctor. It’s humbling and overwhelming at times.”
About her family: “I’m the oldest of four, my youngest sibling just turned 5. My mom had me when she was pretty young. I grew up primarily in Whiteriver, Arizona, on the White Mountain Apache reservation. When I was in fourth grade, my mom was selected for housing closer to the border town and Blue Ridge High School, where I graduated from.
Going to Blue Ridge with primarily white students was a bit of a culture shock. In Apache culture, people are super respectful or shy and generally don’t speak a lot about themselves. There I met Keala, one of my lifelong friends, whose parents were both pediatricians at the IHS. We really connected and I spent a lot of time at their house growing up. At that time, what struck me most was how big their house was and how happy and connected to one another they seemed.
I had been exposed to a lot of things already by a young age, my dad’s alcoholism and people suffering with chronic illnesses. But I was a strong student and always had an affinity for science. As that passion grew, and as I began to ask myself ‘What if I become a doctor?’, Keala’s parents became important mentors to me. I’ve gone on to shadow them at work.
Now, here I am, the first generation of my family to go to college (at Northern Arizona University) and medical school. It’s always been on me to figure out financial aid and other applications independently. Or if I was stressed about an organic chemistry exam, I couldn’t come to my parents because they wouldn’t have understood. Regardless, I’ve learned that their support is so meaningful to me. Not everyone can lean back on family the way I have. Although my younger siblings are less impressed by my accomplishments – they keep my sense of humor strong and put things in perspective.”
About her journey to medical school: “I mostly applied to holistic schools, ranked highly for family medicine or primary care. I was accepted into five and was even offered a big scholarship at U of A where I would’ve had in-state tuition. Obviously, costs are a big issue, so it came down to a tough decision between logic or following my heart and where I knew I belonged. In the end, I knew I was meant to be at OHSU – their Native American resources are amazing.
I did have to take the MCAT twice. The first time I didn’t score as high as I wanted to. At that point I was shadowing physicians at the IHS and feeling a lot of anxiety. Two of the Native doctors pulled me aside and said ‘It’s OK. It’s a tough exam, especially for people who don’t have all the resources. If it’s what you’re meant to do, it’ll happen.’ They got me through that first score, and helped change my mentality, which is how I decided to take a gap year and work for the Center.”
How working with CIH shaped her decision: “As part of my undergraduate degree, I studied abroad in Japan. Out of nowhere, I got a message from Monica Pilewskie on LinkedIn about a scholarship I had received, and she told me about a position at the Center through AmeriCorps. Once I came back to the US, my connection with Monica led me to pursue work at CIH.
As a Research Program Assistant, I’ve helped the Infectious Disease Prevention Team with everything related to scheduling participants, lab work, and keeping follow-up visits on track. During my interview process for medical school, they’d ask about my work experience. I could reference experiences in this job, and speak knowledgeably about consenting, swabbing, patient interactions and things like that.
I honestly think this last year and a half has been the best decision I ever made. I’ve had a lot of mentors during my time at CIH who helped build up my confidence. I was really scared that I wouldn’t get into medical school, but it ended up turning out perfectly.”
Advice for other Indigenous women who are thinking about careers in medicine: “Network and reach out. There are a lot of resources out there for Indigenous people who want to go into medicine, there are IHS scholarships, my tribe has a scholarship that is paying for part of my tuition. There are lots of people out there that want to see you succeed.
My favorite thing to say is: Do it scared. Do it nervous. Do it unsure. In the end, nobody else will know. I wasn’t even sure I would apply this year because of how nervous I was, but I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t. Sometimes, you gotta fake it until you make it.”
Monica Pilewskie, Mescalero Apache
Age: 27
Medical School: University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI
Aspiring practice: “Family medicine. I haven’t ruled anything out yet, but I am mostly interested in primary care in a smaller healthcare setting. I’m open to exploring new places.”
About her family: “I grew up in Colorado, my mom’s family is Mescalero Apache from New Mexico. My grandma was from the Mescalero Apache reservation, but I didn’t grow up with much knowledge about the culture or traditions. She went to a boarding school in Santa Fe and then left to join the Navy. I think that contributed to her mindset. Before she passed away in 2011, my grandmother lived with multiple sclerosis for about 50 years. Unfortunately, because MS affected my grandmother’s ability to form speech, I couldn’t have conversations with her. I had so many questions about her life that she was unable to answer.
As I got older, my cousins and I got more interested in our heritage and started to connect more with our Mescalero Apache relatives. That was one of the big reasons I wanted to work with the Center, to be able to learn more about the Apache culture and live in the Southwest.”
About her journey to medical school: “I chose University of Wisconsin because they have a strong focus on public health in their med school curriculum. With my background in public health, I knew that was a good fit for my interests and future plans. I also loved UW’s Native American Center for Health Professions, which connects students from Indigenous backgrounds with tribal communities in Wisconsin and regional IHS facilities for rotations.
Growing up, the sciences were really important in our household. I was always interested in health and medicine, so I decided to be pre-med in college. Towards the end of my junior year at the University of Colorado I started to doubt whether I wanted to go to medical school. I wanted to explore more options, which led to my interest in public health and I decided to do Peace Corps in Zambia after college.
We were evacuated about eight months into the two-year program in Zambia, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing so much uncertainty, I applied to Masters of Science in Public Health programs. When I was accepted to Johns Hopkins, I said ‘of course, I have to go there’ and I moved to Baltimore with Dr. Laura Hammitt [the Center’s Director of Infectious Disease Prevention] as my academic advisor. She told me all about the Center’s programs and I ended up doing my practicum with Whiteriver in the fall of 2021.”
How working with CIH shaped her decision: “I loved my practicum so much that I never left. I finished the whole school year in Whiteriver and took a job which became full time after I completed my MSPH requirements. I made a lot of close friends in Whiteriver at the IHS hospital, across various departments. I started to get advice about my next steps and try to imagine the kind of career I really want.
From my experience with programs at CIH, I realized that what I love most is interacting with study participants. I want to develop relationships with people and have the extra set of skills to really answer their clinical questions. I have had some amazing mentors including Dr. Hammitt and Dr. Laura Brown [a CIH doctor in Whiteriver], as well as folks in the IHS setting who have been so supportive of me.
My work at the Center has increased my interest in rural and tribal healthcare. Having such a tight knit team in Whiteriver has made me want to work in a smaller healthcare setting. One project I’ll never forget was on the high burden of skin infections due to staph and MRSA. I led most of the focus group discussions with community members and healthcare providers. I learned so much. I don’t think most physicians get the chance to sit down with their patient population to hear how they feel about the care they’re getting.”
Advice for other Indigenous women who are thinking about careers in medicine: “Take it day by day and if you really want it, just go for it. Sometimes Indigenous students get bogged down thinking their education wasn’t good enough or focusing on all the requirements and barriers. But honestly, I think medical schools value students who are hard workers, who know what they want and who have diverse perspectives that will inform their practice.”
Whiteriver Infectious Disease Prevention Team:Monica (back row third from left) and Beyoncé (back row third from right)
at the SHIELD Study training in March 2024.