Native leaders along with South Dakota healthcare professionals are proposing a new Indigenous medical school in the state.
The North Dakota Monitor and South Dakota Searchlight are reporting this morning on the proposed Indigenous School of Medicine in Rapid City. The proposal is part of an effort to address healthcare disparities in tribal communities and boost a lagging number of Native doctors.
According to the Monitor’s reporting, supporters are studying whether the school could open by 2030. The project received a $1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for a feasibility study and business plan, along with a $100,000 grant from NDN Collective.
Dr. Donald Warne, an Oglala Lakota physician and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, is among the leaders behind the proposal. Warne also has North Dakota ties, including past work at North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The Association of American Medical Colleges says Indigenous doctors made up just 0.3 percent of active physicians nationwide in the most recent study.
Supporters say the Rapid City school would combine medical training with Indigenous culture, community-based care and traditional knowledge, with a focus on preparing doctors for tribal and rural health systems.
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