From Tulsa to Tahlequah: OHPF Fellows Explore Challenges and Solutions in Underserved Communities

Photo courtesy of OSU-COM.

The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM)’s Osteopathic Health Policy Fellowship (OHPF) held a productive April session, hosted by the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OSU-COM), with events on their Tulsa and Tahlequah campuses, the latter of which is located at the Cherokee Nation. Over two and a half days, the Fellows engaged with OSU-COM leadership and faculty as well as local health policy professionals, including experts on rural health. They discussed Native American healthcare, mental health and addiction policy and the challenges faced by Oklahoma’s unhoused youth.

According to Natasha Bray, DO, dean of OSU-COM at the Cherokee Nation, “We were thrilled to welcome the Osteopathic Health Policy Fellowship to Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation. The Fellows gained valuable insights into our innovative solutions for improving health outcomes in rural and Native American communities. The OHPF plays a vital role in developing leaders who understand diverse health challenges and can actively engage in creating meaningful change. I encourage all osteopathic physicians to step into leadership roles and collaborate across communities to address the complex health needs of underserved populations.”

The Fellows were also treated to tours of OSU-COM’s Tulsa and Tahlequah campuses, as well as the Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center, located on the W.W. Hastings Hospital campus in Tahlequah. The Center is an impressive 469,000-square-foot, four-story outpatient health facility and the largest health center operated by the Cherokee Nation.

OHPF Director Daniel Skinner, PhD, recounted, “This is a special place. The challenges Oklahoma and tribal nations face in improving health outcomes are significant, but the fellows were given an opportunity to see first-hand what dedicated health, governmental and non-profit professionals in Oklahoma are doing to address them. The fellowship has a long tradition of maintaining a focused effort to promote health equity for underserved populations, and it was great to learn about work being done to improve patient and population health within tribal nations.”

The OHPF Class of 2025 will hold its final live session, including a graduation ceremony, at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in June 2025.