Partnership between the Chickasaw Foundation, Chickasaw Nation Health and the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine creates 16 new physician training positions in specialties with documented rural provider shortages
Ada, Okla. – The Chickasaw Foundation has been awarded a $6.7 million Legacy Grant from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust to fund the establishment of graduate medical education programs at Chickasaw Nation Health, creating 16 new physician training positions in rural Oklahoma.
The TSET-funded Graduate Medical Education Programs at Chickasaw Nation Health, established through the Chickasaw Foundation, will develop two new medical residency programs and three new fellowship programs in specialties with documented provider shortages across rural and tribal communities in Oklahoma. Training will be conducted at Chickasaw Nation Health facilities and administered in partnership with the University of Oklahoma (OU) College of Medicine.
"These joint-effort medical education programs will provide longevity, resilience and continued excellence for rural Oklahoma's health care systems," said Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby. "Training physicians with practical, hands-on experience in rural Oklahoma will demonstrate how important and rewarding rural health care is. This collaboration among TSET, the OU College of Medicine, Chickasaw Foundation and the Chickasaw Nation will help build a health care workforce that is connected to our communities and has a stake in the health of all Oklahomans.”
The five programs will expand physician training in pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, adult endocrinology, rheumatology, and pediatric endocrinology. The pediatric endocrinology program will be newly created. The remaining four programs will be established through the expansion of existing OU College of Medicine residency and fellowship tracks.
“This grant represents the power of partnership,” said Justin Williams, president of the Chickasaw Foundation. “The Chickasaw Foundation is proud to serve as the bridge that makes this investment possible, securing the resources that allow Chickasaw Nation Health to build the graduate medical education programs our communities need. When we strengthen the physician workforce in rural Oklahoma, we strengthen the health of Chickasaw people for generations to come.”
Rural Oklahoma faces a well-documented shortage of specialty physicians. Graduate medical education programs in rural and tribal health systems are among the most effective tools for building sustainable local physician pipelines, as physicians trained in a community are more likely to practice there. Through this grant, the Chickasaw Nation will become a clinical training home for the next generation of rural and tribal health physicians in Oklahoma.
“For Chickasaw Nation Health, this investment is about more than expanding programs. It is about building the physician workforce that rural Oklahoma needs for generations to come,” said Chickasaw Nation Secretary of Health Dr. Charles Grim. “Establishing residency and fellowship programs in pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, endocrinology, and rheumatology at Chickasaw Nation Health means that physicians will train where the need is greatest. That is how we ensure our communities have lasting access to the specialized care they deserve.”
“TSET’s ability to offer its historic Legacy Grants to improve health is a testament to the wisdom of early framers of the trust and the Oklahoma voters who approved the state question in 2000,” said Lance Thomas, interim executive director of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust. “The Chickasaw Foundation’s bold plan to expand both graduate medical education and health care access within the Chickasaw Nation is a great example of how transformative TSET Legacy Grants can be for health in Oklahoma.”
“The Chickasaw Foundation has supported Chickasaw citizens at every stage of life for more than 50 years,” said Nicole Schultz, chairperson of the Chickasaw Foundation. “This TSET investment in graduate medical education advances that mission in a meaningful way. Expanding access to specialty care and developing the rural physician workforce are direct investments in the health of First Americans and the communities we serve.”
TSET-funded Graduate Medical Education Programs at the Chickasaw Nation are administered by the Chickasaw Foundation in partnership with the OU College of Medicine.
