Annually on the third Friday of March, after years of grueling exams and countless hours of studying, medical students in their final year of medical school find out what U.S. physician-residency programs they matched with. Amidst this anxiety-provoking yet joyous occasion in a medical student’s life, Indigenous nations across the country are celebrating alongside their community members, representing the rising generation of Indigenous physicians who will make lasting contributions to the health of Indigenous Peoples.
Each new Indigenous resident-physician comes from communities that are highly underrepresented in medicine and experience disproportionate health disparities. Whether it is pediatrics, emergency medicine, surgery, obstetrics, internal medicine, or another specialty, Indigenous medical doctors are not only a victory for their respective medical fields, but a victory for their Indigenous nations.
To honor their tireless dedication and journeys, we spoke with Indigenous medical students who recently matched into residency programs to learn more about what this moment means for them, their families, and Indigenous nations. This list is not exhaustive and in no particular order, but it provides an opportunity for inspiration around the potential of Indigenous Peoples in medicine, and celebration of these trailblazers practicing soon at a hospital near you.
Morghan Byrnes (Sicangu Lakota): Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic
Morghan Byrnes is a proud member of the Sicangu Lakota and a current medical student at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She grew up in Pipestone, Minnesota, before moving to Vermillion, South Dakota, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. During her undergraduate studies, she worked as a mental health aide at the South Dakota Human Services Center. In medical school, Morghan has been actively involved with the Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS) and currently serves as an intern at the Office of Academic and Clinical Affairs, where she is working on a project focused on integrated behavioral health in rural Minnesota. Her interests in psychiatry are broad, with a particular focus on child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction medicine, and public psychiatry.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“Match Day holds profound significance for me. I am deeply honored to join the 0.4% of practicing Indigenous physicians—a milestone made possible by the unwavering support of my community, family, friends, and mentors. Becoming a psychiatrist has been a lifelong dream, and today, I reflect with immense gratitude on this meaningful step toward my future. It is a privilege to be in this space, and I look forward to continuing to advocate for those who have historically been underserved.”
Eleanor Adams (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma): Family Medicine, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa
Eleanor grew up in Oregon spending her summers with family in Oklahoma learning the importance of community support from a young age. While attending college at the OHSU/PSU school of public health, she was involved with research and advocacy projects at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and went on to work with We Are Healers during her time before medical school at the UC Davis School of Medicine to lift up Native voices in medicine. She is so excited to continue her career as a rural family medicine physician at an Indian Health Service clinic after residency at OU-Tulsa and live near her community and family during her training.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“Matching near family and the communities I care about means more than I could have dreamed of. Match is such a crazy process, but it is so rewarding to reach a goal that myself and my whole family has been rooting for, for so many years.”
DeAnalisa Jones (Mvskoke, Cherokee): Internal Medicine (Research Track) at Mount Sinai Hospital
Dr. DeAnalisa Jones is graduating from the MD/PhD program at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) in New York, NY and will be matriculating into the Research Track of the Internal Medicine Residency at Mount Sinai Hospital this summer. Originally from Tulsa, OK, she is a citizen of the Cherokee and Muscogee (Creek) Nations. She graduated as the valedictorian of Catoosa High School in Catoosa, OK and moved to New York City to attend Columbia University in 2011. In 2015, she received a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and began the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at ISMMS. She received an NIH Diversity Supplement award for her research during PREP. As an MD/PhD student, DeAnalisa completed her PhD in Dr. Eric Sobie’s lab building mathematical models of calcium signaling in heart failure and was supported by an F31-Diversity award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). DeAnalisa is the founding president of the Icahn School of Medicine chapter of the Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS) and has served on the ANAMS National Executive Board. Her clinical and research interests are heart failure and cardiovascular disease risk in American Indians.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“Mount Sinai has never made me feel like I have to compromise on my values or deprioritize the things that are important to me—like my family and Native and Indigenous health—so I’m happy to be staying here for residency. Additionally, I have a lot of support here, and our hospital has a partnership with Indian Health Services and an exceptional cardiology department. So I feel like I’ll have the opportunity to do a combination of all the things I’m interested in.”
Hailey Baker (Cherokee Nation): Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Minnesota
Hailey Baker is a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Raised in interior Alaska, she followed in the footsteps of her family members in healthcare and worked as an obstetric surgical technologist for her community hospital. She remained connected to the field of obstetrics and gynecology throughout her medical education, contributing to research and advocacy initiatives intended to uplift the health of communities like her own. She looks forward to practicing as an OB/Gyn in a tribal setting.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“I am so grateful to all of my family, friends, and community who helped me to reach this point in my journey. It means the world to match at a program who cares so much about me as an individual and the community I hope to serve in the future. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow in this new phase of training, and uplifting others to pursue their dreams just as I have been able to!”
Brianna Irons (Chickasaw Nation): Pediatrics, Boston Combined Pediatrics Program – Leadership Equity and Advocacy (LEAD)
Brianna Irons (she/her) is medical student at UC San Diego School of Medicine and a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. She is currently Co-Chair of the American Medical Association – Medical Student Section’s Committee on American Indian Affairs and the ANAMS Liaison to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Brianna is an advocate for Native youth wellness and representation in the health sciences workforce. She completed a Master of Public Health in Quantitative Methods with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health during medical school. Brianna will be continuing her training in pediatrics at the Boston Combined Residency Program in the Leadership, Equity and Advocacy (LEAD) track. She hopes to strengthen IHS, Tribal and Urban Indian healthcare systems through community-based participatory research aimed to improve child and adolescent health.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“I am truly overjoyed to train in pediatrics amongst a cohort dedicated to advocacy and health equity! I’m so grateful for the mentors and community that has supported and inspired me along the way – huge shoutout out to my UCSD and national ANAMS fam!!!”
Shaelyn Hayes (Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska): Internal Medicine-Geriatrics
My name is Shaelyn Hayes. I’m from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I attended Kansas State University for my undergraduate degree, where I was an NCAA Division 1 Track and Field All-American and Big 12 Team Champion. I am a proud member of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. I am a soon to be graduate physician at Oklahoma State College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation as part of the second class of graduates, where I was on the tribal medicine track. I am also a first generation college graduate and first generation physician.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“The culmination of the last 10+ years of hard work and dedication to my craft while gaining so many new experiences has set me up for great success as a future native physician, thanks to the community around me. I am so proud of my colleagues around me and thankful for a school that has poured into my upbringing surrounded by native culture. Being part of the .3 % of American Indian/Alaskan Native physicians is a role I do not take lightly. I hope to inspire the future of medicine, as well as, open growth to the field of geriatrics and care for our elders.”
Melody Brown-Clark (Cherokee Nation): Psychiatry-Public and Community Psychiatry Track, Stanford University
Melody is a proud Cherokee citizen, born and raised in district 12 of the Cherokee reservation. She attended college at the University of Southern California, where she was a neuroscience major and a comedy performance minor. She attends medical school at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She has engaged in research exploring the mission, vision, and values of an Indigenous School of Medicine in hopes of contributing to the improvement of medical education for Native students. She is the current National President of the Association of Native American Medical Students. She plans to spend her career in psychiatry working with patients experiencing psychosis, as well as providing culturally competent care for Native communities. In residency, she hopes to conduct research demonstrating the power of augmenting standard psychiatric care with traditional healing services.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“I genuinely cannot believe this is my life. I think of where I came from and all my people who have supported me unconditionally, no matter what was I was dreaming of accomplishing, no matter whether I was on a high or in a low, and how I finally have the chance to begin to give back to my community. I am so lucky and so grateful to have the opportunity to learn psychiatric care at such an incredible institution with an emphasis on public and community psychiatry, and use this massive privilege to advocate for culturally competent care for Native communities. I hope to make my ancestors and my people proud.”
Tamee Livermont-Čhaŋtét’iŋs Kičúŋ Nakíčižiŋ Wiŋ (Oglala Lakota), General Surgery, UCSF-East Bay
Tamee Livermont’s journey reflects a deep commitment to her community and a unique blend of skills and experiences. Born and raised in South Dakota, she pursued her passion for tribal health policy advocacy through her undergraduate studies at the University of South Dakota. Afterward, she continued her education by earning a Master of Public Health (MPH) at Vanderbilt University. She then returned to South Dakota, working directly with tribes to support their health initiatives. Her journey into medicine took an interesting turn when she discovered that the skills she developed in sewing blankets and beading could be transferred to the operating room. Recognizing the significant need for surgeons in her community, Tamee decided to pursue surgery. With a passion for both surgical skill and patient care, she strives to be a physician who not only excels in the operating room but also ensures that every patient feels seen, heard, respected, and understood.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“I couldn’t be more elated to match, and even more so to match at a program that feels like the perfect fit. Every time I go home, I tell people from my community, ‘I am counting down the days.’ And every time, they speak so passionately about the need for our own people to become the surgeons who will care for our community. It’s a sentiment that resonates deeply with me. I carry the values I was raised with, as well as the cultural teachings of my people. I’m so grateful to have matched at a program that not only recognizes my potential as a skilled surgeon for my community but also values the way I approach medicine and care for others. For me, it’s not just about becoming a surgeon—it’s about becoming the kind of physician who can truly make a difference in my community. To know that in six years, I’ll be able to come home as an Oglala Lakota surgeon, ready to serve, is transformative, not just for me but for my people. It’s a dream that’s been a long time in the making, and I’m humbled to be part of something that will have such a profound impact.”
Hannah Rae Slattery (Bear River First Nation, Mi’kmaq): Family Medicine, Maine Medical Center
Hannah Slattery is a Mi’kmaw descendant of Bear River First Nation and member of the Tufts University School of Medicine – Maine Track Class of 2025. She is honored to match into Family Medicine at Maine Medical Center with interests in public-health policy and addiction medicine. Hannah is a Tufts University Sam W. Ho Health-Justice Scholar and serves on the Board of Directors at Native American Lifelines, an Urban-Indian Health Center in Boston, Massachusetts. She is passionate and deeply invested voice the Wabanaki Confederacy’s ongoing fight for Tribal Soveriegnty in Maine and has experience lobbying and testifying for Indigenous public health legislation in Maine and Massachusetts. Hannah is also a member of the AMA Committee on American Indian Affairs (CAIA) and has advocated for Graduate Medical Education funding for the Indian Health Services on a national scale, including in-person outreach to the offices of many U.S. Senators and Members of Congress. She has proudly served on the Association of Native American Medical Students executive leadership as a Member-at-Large East for two consecutive terms, alongside so many talented and caring future-Native physicians.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“I am deeply honored to match into Family Medicine Residency at Maine Medical Center, where I will continue to serve my community and relatives each day while advocating for the health and wellbeing of the Wabanaki Tribal Nations. The battle for the Tribal Sovereignty of the five federally recognized Tribes of the Wabanaki Confederacy (Mi’kmaq Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Penobscot Nation, and the Passamaquoddy Tribes at Motahkomikuk and Sipayik) is central to my mission of creating and working within health systems that center Indigenous self-governance and community autonomy. I hope to honor my ancestors through my actions always, while uplifting the Indigenous leaders who have championed the work ahead of me. In the years of training to come, I vow to always see the ‘whole person’ in the context of their community and beliefs, and to practice medicine with compassion and empathy, knowing that each patient in front of me carries a rich story to be told. Family Medicine doctors have the unique opportunity to form long-term relationships with patients across the lifespan. In the very near future, I will have the privilege of caring for several generations of a single family, providing continuity of care from birth through end-of-life—whether delivering a baby into the world or supporting our Elders in their final days. Through this holistic approach, I will foster deep relationships and further the work of Native American health equity on the level of the individual, the family, and the community.”
Anna Klunk (Red Lake Nation): Combine Emergency and Internal Medicine, Hennepin County
Anna is a medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Prior to medical school, she studied public health and obtained a Master of Public Health degree. She was the first person in her family to graduate from college. Anna has interests in addiction medicine, improving access to care, and critical care medicine. She aspires to be able to integrate traditional knowledge systems and western medicine to advance the health equity of Native populations.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“Match Day was filled with so many emotions! I am filled with so much gratitude for the opportunity to serve the diverse community in Minneapolis. I am humbled to become a part of the Hennepin family and join the current Native staff, faculty, providers, and residents who are already making incredible strides to increase health equity in our communities. And lastly, I have so much love for my friends, family, mentors, and ancestors without whom none of this would have been possible. Mii o’o minik waa-ikidoyaan noongom. Miigwech bizindawiyeg!”
Adam Carl (Navajo/Hopi): Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic-Arizona
Adam Carl is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson and a proud descendant of the Navajo and Hopi Tribes, born and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physiology and a master’s in environmental health science from the University of Arizona. Throughout his academic and professional journey, Adam has dedicated himself to conducting meaningful research within his Tribal communities and has completed numerous rural healthcare rotations across Arizona. His steadfast commitment to improving healthcare access and outcomes for Arizona’s Tribal populations reflects his deep passion and purpose in serving underserved communities.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“Opening the folder on Match Day and seeing that I matched with my top program was an overwhelming rush of emotions. I’ll never forget being surrounded by my family in front of Old Main, with the cheers of joy when I shouted, “Mayo!” It means the world to be able to train close to my family and communities. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering love, support, and guidance from my family, friends, and mentors throughout this journey. I’m also incredibly thankful for the memories and connections I’ve made at the University of Arizona. I am excited to take the next step toward becoming an Anesthesiologist!”
Jared Delaney (The Klamath Tribes): Emergency Medicine, Hennepin County
Jared grew up in mainly in Klamath Falls but spent his you and off time in Chiloquin. He got into OHSU through the Wy’East pathway, a post bachelorette aimed at getting Native American students into medicine. Jared chose Emergency as a specialty because it allows him to work with vulnerable populations.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“It means the world for me to match and finalize my passion in becoming a physician. It wasn’t until I turned 21 that I met my first Native American physician so to now be a role model for others means the world. Inspiring youth and working with the community is what keeps me going.”
Jasmine Fernandez (Pascua Yaqui Tribe): Emergency Medicine, Hennepin County
Jasmine Fernandez is an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. She grew up in the Bay Area of California and was first immersed into the world of medicine when her brother was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. After obtaining her Bachelors of Science in Biology at the University of Portland, she became a Wy’east Scholar and later medical student at Oregon Health & Science University.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“Opening my envelope felt so surreal. I’ve reached where I am today because of my family and community. To match and become a physician is really for all of them. I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue working on behalf of our communities and giving our patients a voice. I’ll always continue fighting for indigenous representation in these spaces!”
Samuel Williams (Lumbee Tribe of NC): Internal Medicine-Infectious Disease, UC San Diego
Samuel Clay Williams, of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, was born and raised in Tucson, AZ. He attended Washington University in St. Louis as an Annika Rodriguez Scholar, where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biology. He then completed a year-long post-baccalaureate program at the National Institutes of Health in clinical microbiology, where he discovered his passion for infectious diseases. Since 2017, Samuel has been a part of the Weill Cornell-Memorial Sloan Kettering-Rockefeller University Tri-Institutional MD-PhD program. He received his PhD working in the lab of Dr. James Krueger on the inflammatory skin disease hidradenitis suppurativa. Samuel aspires to become an infectious disease physician-scientist and minority health advocate, researching illnesses that disproportionately affect Native Americans and other minority groups.
Reflections on what it means to match:
“Matching in internal medicine at UCSD is a dream come true. I hope to use this next chapter of my life to learn valuable skills to help both the local community in San Diego and Native Americans as a whole. I’m the first physician in my family and their support has meant everything to me. I could not have done it without them and will continue to pay it back by being the best physician and scientist I can be.”
