American Indian and Alaska Native students hoping to pursue medical careers are being offered financial help to do so.
The Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) was given a $100,000 matching grant by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community to help students reach their dreams of becoming healthcare professionals.
"Encouraging Native students to pursue careers as physicians, health professionals and biomedical researchers is one of our primary goals and the gift from the Shakopee Tribe will allow us to continue this critical work," said AAIP Executive Director Margaret Knight, to the Native American Times .
Stanley Crooks, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Chairman said he hopes that others within the community will encourage the program, as it is an investment into the future of their youth.
"We hope other tribes and organizations will support this program so that more youth are encouraged to study the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields with the ultimate goal of helping tribal youth become the leaders of tomorrow. We look forward to matching this pledge for $100,000."
President of the AAIP, Dr. Donna Galbreath added, "Indian people respond better when their healthcare needs are in the hands of Native physicians and other professionals who understand culture and value both tradition and Western healing methods."
In 2011, The American Association of Medical Colleges found that the amount of American Indian and Alaska Native students accepted in medical programs dropped significantly. They found that this decline has been consistent within the last eight years. The organization reported that in 2004, less than half of medical school applicants of American Indian and Alaska Indian background enrolled in these programs. By 2011, the amount of student enrollees declined to less than a third of students.
