Siobhan Wescott facts for kids

Siobhan Wescott is an American educator and a leader in public health. She is a Professor of American Indian Health at the Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health. Before this, she directed the Indians into Medicine program at the University of North Dakota. There, she helped train many Native American doctors. In 2022, she was recognized by Stat News as one of the top leaders in life sciences.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up in Alaska

Siobhan Wescott is from the Alaskan Athabaskan people. She grew up in a small cabin near Fairbanks, Alaska. This experience shaped her desire to help her community.

Finding Her Path to Medicine

She was inspired to become a doctor after attending a health conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Siobhan believed that having more Native Americans in medicine would make healthcare better for everyone. She felt it would improve medical research and how doctors care for patients.

College and Early Career

Siobhan studied government at Dartmouth College. After college, she worked for Senator Tom Daschle from South Dakota. She also worked with the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Later, she returned to Alaska and then moved to California. There, she earned a master's degree in public health from the University of California.

Becoming a Doctor

At 35, Siobhan Wescott earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She then joined the faculty there. She started a program called the Four Directions Summer Research Program. This program helped Native American college students explore careers in medicine.

Research and Career

Helping Native American Doctors

In 2019, Dr. Wescott became the Director of the Indians into Medicine program at the University of North Dakota. She was worried about the small number of Native American doctors. At that time, only about 0.1% of medical faculty in the country were Native American or Alaska Natives. She worked hard to train more Native American doctors.

Working for Health Equity

Dr. Wescott also worked with the American Medical Association and the Association of American Indian Physicians. They organized a yearly meeting to encourage more diverse people to become doctors.

Leading American Indian Health

In 2021, Dr. Wescott became the first Director of American Indian Health at the Nebraska Medical Center College of Public Health. She holds a special title called the Dr. Susan and Susette (Inshata Theumba) LaFlesche Professorship. This title honors two sisters from the Omaha Tribe who were important health advocates.

In this role, Dr. Wescott works to make healthcare fair for everyone. She also tries to build trust between Native Americans and doctors. One of her first projects was to encourage Native Americans to create a memorial quilt. This quilt honored community members who had passed away from COVID-19.

National Recognition

In 2022, Stat News included Dr. Wescott on their list of top leaders in the life sciences. This shows how important her work is in improving health for Native American communities.