I quit my job, went to KU for undergrad, and then went to med school. I did my residency in the ER program at OU. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to be an ER physician. But, like Brandon, there weren’t many Native American doctors to look up to. We had one: Don Bowen, a Muskogee physician who worked for the tribe. I always admired him. He passed away when I was young, but he left a big impact on me. When I graduated from medical school, we honored him by giving his widow and daughter a beaded belt. It was our way of saying thank you for the example he set.

Editor’s Note: Adoniram (Don) Van Bowen, MD, was the first American Indian doctor to gradate from Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Kennedye

DR. KENNEDYE: Like a lot of Native kids, I didn’t have doctors or other professionals in my family to look up to. In my tribe, the Kiowa, we didn’t start sending people to college until the 1920s, and our first doctor didn’t come until the 1950s. By the 1970s, there were only a handful of college graduates. That’s a big difference from other groups that have generations of professionals to encourage them. Growing up without those role models, it’s easy for Native kids to feel lost, especially in reservation or rural areas where poverty and other issues are prevalent.

I didn’t grow up on a reservation, but I did grow up in a poor area, and my parents didn’t go to college. I was good at math and science, but I didn’t think I was “doctor smart.” I wanted to be a Navy pilot at first, but life happened. I had a kid, and my plans changed. I joined the Navy. It took me two years into college before I realized I wanted to be a doctor. I had a mentor from my tribe, Dr. Everett Rhodes, the first Native American director of the Indian Health Service. He helped me learn about pioneers like Charles Eastman, the first male Native American physician, and he gave me the confidence to pursue medicine.

Jennifer Turner (left), Welana Queton, and Ivy Kennedye, the 8-year-old daughter of Oklahoma ACEP Chapter President James Kennedye, are shown at the 2024 Kiowa Black Leggings (Ton Kon Gyat) Ceremonial on

Oct. 12–13 in Anadarko, Okla. More than 200 years old, this event honors those who currently serve or have served in the military. (Photos KJ’S Flashed and Photography. Click to enlarge.)