A Match Made Indigenous: Celebrating 10 Incoming Native Resident-Physicians

Every year on the third Friday of March, students in their final year of medical school find out what U.S. physician-residency programs they matched with. Amidst this anxious yet joyous occasion in a medical student’s life, Indigenous nations across the country are celebrating their community members who matched this last Friday, representing the rising generation of Indigenous physicians who will make lasting contributions to the health of Indigenous peoples.

Each new Indigenous resident-physician comes from communities that are highly underrepresented in medicine and experience disproportionate health disparities. Whether it is emergency medicine, surgery, obstetrics, internal medicine, or another specialty, Indigenous medical doctors are not only a victory for their respective medical fields, but a victory for their families and Indigenous nations.

To honor their tireless dedication and journeys, we spoke with ten Indigenous medical students who recently matched into residency programs to learn more about what this moment means for them, their families, and Indigenous nations. This list is not exhaustive and in no particular order, but it provides an opportunity for inspiration around the potential of Indigenous peoples in medicine, and celebration of these trailblazers practicing soon at a hospital near you.

Lyndsay Kandi: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at University of Chicago

Lyndsay Kandi is an enrolled tribal member of the Upper Cayuga Nation and grew up in a rural town in western New York. She moved to Arizona when she was 12 years old. She got her Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and Psychology at Arizona State University, and is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Arizona (Tucson). As a medical student, she conducted one-year of research within the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at the Mayo Clinic Arizona. While Lyndsay has served as mentor to other first-generation Indigenous students and women interested in surgery, her most prized role is being wife to her spouse of seven years and mom to her nearly six-year old daughter. She and her family are looking forward to their new adventure in Chicago.

Reflections on what it means to match:

“Matching into an integrated plastic and reconstructive surgery residency has been the culmination of me and my family’s dreams. Not only will I be trained to operate from head to toe and across all age groups, but plastic surgeons are uniquely able to address the burden of cleft palate care in many Indigenous communities as well as burn reconstruction globally. While looking for programs, I was interested in finding one whose values align with my own: serving the disadvantaged, diversity and improving equitable representation throughout all levels of training, and a clinically strong foundation with exposure to all areas of plastics, including “niche” areas like gender affirmation, peripheral nerve, burns, and critical care. I am so excited to have matched at the program that has it all: University of Chicago.”

Lala Forrest: Psychiatry at Yale New Haven Hospital

Lala Forrest is an enrolled member of the Pit River Tribe in Northern California, and a medical student at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine. She is the first in her family to graduate from both college and medical school. As a future adult and child psychiatrist, Lala is striving to improve access to culturally competent behavior health care and is dedicated to advancing Native mental health equity.

Reflections on what it means to match:

“Becoming a physician is not only my dream, but also my family’s dream. My ancestors have fought to put their future generations in a position to do good for our community. I can only hope that I am honoring their wishes and walking a path that leads our people to healing and restoration. My heart is full of love and gratitude—love for my community; love for my family and friends who have supported me along the way.”

Rohsennase Dalton LaBarge: Emergency Medicine at University of Rochester Medical Center

Rohsennase is a Mohawk Queer incoming physician whose broad passions include advocating for justice in healthcare, preserving oral histories in wampum belts and stewarding Rotinonhshonni lands for future generations. He is currently a medical student at the University of Rochester School of Medicine.

Reflections on what it means to match:

“Ne ne wahi. My Match Day was a confluence of every possible emotion. I felt Ka’shatsténhtshera’ (Strength) as a first generation physician who is ready to get to work caring for our communities. I felt Kanonhweratónhtshera (Gratitude) for this land and all the people who have supported, encouraged and inspired me throughout the highest of highs and lowest of lows. And encircling this entire precious day, I felt overwhelming Askanét’tshera (Hope) for all us – especially yous Onkwehonwe who are out there reimagining what it means to be leaders and healers. Skennen.”

Megan Murphy-Belcaster (Mahpiya Wi): Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University

Megan is a Choctaw and Lakota medical student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She did not originally plan to go into medicine, but was always been fascinated by science, the human body, and its marriage with traditional wellness and healing. She studied abroad twice while an undergraduate at Yale University, learning about the world and the different people in it, and finding her path. It wasn’t until she and her partner learned they were welcoming a new baby girl into the world that she fell in love with pregnancy, and eventually women’s health. She applied to medical school with one baby, started with two, and is now finishing with three!

Reflections on what it means to match:

“I still cannot believe it’s real. I am so, so proud to be an Indigenous physician for women. It fills my heart and spirit with warmth to see so many years of work pay off – this is only just the beginning!”

Thaius Boyd: Anesthesiology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital-Harvard Medical School

Thaius Boyd is a Ohkay Owingeh and San Felipe Pueblo fourth-year medical student at the University of Minnesota Medical School, who recently matched at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Anesthesiology. He has a strong passion for providing compassionate care for patient’s perioperatively and managing patients’ pain with precision and control. He also advocates for environmental justice and works to safeguard communities by improving their environmental health. When he is not in the hospital, he enjoys completing ultramarathons and going on hikes with his fiancé and their two dogs.

Reflections on what it means to match:

“Opening my envelope on match day and seeing that I matched at my number one residency program was an overjoy of emotions and symbolic of all the hard work and dedication that culminated in this achievement. I would not have been able to achieve this accomplishment without my family, friends, and mentors. I plan to continue serving as a mentor to aspiring future Native American physicians.”

Morgan Lockhart: Emergency Medicine at the Minneapolis Hennepin County Medical Center

Morgan is from the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians and a medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She was reared in a rural Wisconsin town by a single mother who she sadly lost to an opioid use disorder. As a first-generation college student, she put herself through college, obtaining a bachelor’s in biology while simultaneously working as an emergency medical techician in an underserved urban community. After being accepted to medical school, she finally had the opportunity to explore her Indigenous heritage as her family had assimilated for generations. Through volunteering, mentorship, and research, she dedicated herself to improving health equity for Native Americans and uplifting Indigenous voices.

Reflections on what it means to match:

“Although emergency medicine was not the initial path, I found myself gravitating back toward a field in which I had personal experience with from frequenting the emergeny department growing up due to many social determinants of health barriers. I knew I wanted to meet my patients exactly where they needed me, whether that be a critical illness or traumatic injury, substance use disorder resources, or a meal. My background allowed my patients to place their trust in me, and given that information, I realized the importance of encouraging and mentoring Indigenous and other underrepresented minority youth. Although I could not save my mom, I would like to believe she is so infinitely proud that I have defied the odds and have the chance to make a difference in the lives of my future patients and their loved ones at my first choice in residency programs.”

Ryan Toledo: Internal Medicine–Primary Care at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix

Ryan Toledo is a member of the Pueblo of Jemez and a medical student at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences. He went into medicine with the career goal to practice primary care within Indigenous communities. Throughout his career, he hopes to continue collaborating with tribes to assist with the development of various health promotion and advocacy programs to address community needs.

Reflections on what it means to match:

“I look forward to being advocate for my community, continuously seeking community feedback in order to provide culturally responsive care. I am very grateful for the opportunity to continue my training and I am excited to work with my future colleagues.”

Ashley Durant: Emergency Medicine at Northwestern University

Ashley Durant, Choctaw Nation, grew up in rural Oklahoma and was the first in her family to attend college. After working as an ICU dietitian for a few years, she decided to finally chase my dream of becoming a doctor. At the age of 30, she moved to South Dakota, where she spent the last four years studying medicine at University of South Dakota’s Sanford School of Medicine.

Reflections on what it means to match:

“I did not meet a doctor outside of a clinical setting until I was in my twenties, and I did not meet a Native American physician for another several years after. Less than 10% of matriculating medical students are first-generation college graduates, and less than 0.5% of physicians identify as Native American. Statistically, I should not be here. I am excited and honored to represent my tribe and family as a medical doctor.”

Chris Rufus Sweeney: Psychiatry at the University of Utah

Chris Rufus, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, was raised in Ada, Oklahoma. He went to Brigham Young University for his undergraduate degree, and participated in the Native American Research Internship at the University of Utah, which culminated in a publication in Science Magazine. As a medical student at the University of Wisconsin, he had the honor of serving with and being served by the Native American Center for Health Professions, whose role is to recruit and retain Indigenous students in the health professions. His reflections on Match Day are below.

Reflections on what it means to match:

“Matching means I worked hard, yes, and it means that my family (including my Native family) worked extra hard to clear the ice and snow (metaphorically and, at times, literally) from my path so that I didn’t slip and fall. I am deeply grateful that I matched in Utah, where I will join a program that is uniquely driven to close mental health disparities in underrepresented minority populations.”

Esmeralda Marlene Lopez: Pediatrics at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital-Oakland

Esmeralda Marlene-Lopez is Mixteca from the San Sebastián del Monte and San Juan Huaxtepec Pueblos. She was born and raised in Yakima, Washington, recieved a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University in Health and Human Biology and Ethnic Studies, and is a medical student at the Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. She is a proud daughter of parents who worked as seasonal farm workers, who are her biggest inspiration. She is also the first physician in her family, and credits her accomplishments to her parent’s sacrifices, the unconditional support of her sisters, mentors like Dr. Adrienne Keene and Dr. Lundy Brown, and God.

Reflections on what it means to match:

“I am ecstatic and humbled to say I am officially an Indigenous pediatrician in training! I would not be here if it were not for my community that has taught me resilience, humility, strength, and reciprocity. I aspired to be a pediatrician working on the front lines in primary care in a historically disadvantaged community like my own, with a physician shortage and a deficit of pediatricians to care for medically complex pediatric patients.”