James Makokis (born 1981 or 1982) is a

Saddle Lake Cree Nation Saddle Lake Cree Nation ( cr, ᐅᓂᐦᒋᑭᐢᑿᐱᐏᓂᕽ, onihcikiskwapiwinihk) is a Plains Cree, First Nations community, located in the ''Amiskwacīwiyiniwak'' (" Beaver Hills") region of central Alberta, Canada. The Nation is a signator ...

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

Career

Makokis operates a clinic in the

Enoch Cree Nation 135 Enoch Cree Nation 135, ( cr, ᒪᐢᑫᑯᓯᐦᐠ, translit=maskêkosihk ) previously known as Stony Plain No. 135, is an Indian reserve of the Enoch Cree Nation #440 in Alberta. It is adjacent to the City of Edmonton to the east and Parkland ...

serving the Kehewin and

Enoch Cree Nation The Enoch Cree Nation #440 ( cr, script=Cans, ᒪᐢᑫᑯᓯᐦᐠ, ) is a First Nations band government in Alberta, Canada. Members of the Nation are of Cree ancestry and speak the Plains Cree dialect of the Cree language group. The band i ...

s,Jonathan Charlton,
Alberta doctor wants to bridge Cree and Western medicine
', April 13, 2017, ''

The StarPhoenix ''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.co ...

'' and a satellite clinic in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. Makokis is an Indigenous

two-spirit Two-spirit (also two spirit, 2S or, occasionally, twospirited) is a modern, , umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people in their communities who fulfill a traditional third-gender (or other gender-variant) ...

person and is particularly noted for treating

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

people from the Cree communities and around the world, with many patients traveling from long distances to see him. His practices combines traditional Cree and Western medical practices. Makokis wanted to be a doctor since he was four, and as an adult his colleague Adrian Edgar (a former president of the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health) suggested Makokis focus on trans healthcare, because few physicians were providing medical care for transitioning patients in that region; additionally many trans as well as Indigenous people can be wary of the mainstream health system and doctors from their own communities are sought after.Raffy Boudjikanian,
A Cree doctor's caring approach for transgender patients
',

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...

He earned his Master's in health science from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in 2006, and graduated from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

's medical school in 2010 and the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

's Aboriginal Family Medicine Residency Training Program in 2012. He is trained in

family medicine Family medicine is a medical specialty within primary care that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary ...

. Makokis has also worked as an instructor at Yellowhead Tribal College, teaching courses on indigenous health and

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

, and at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

and the

. In 2007, Makokis received an Indspire Award.
Interdisciplinary Dialogue: Celebration of Learning
', April 21, 2018,

MacEwan University , mottoeng = , type = Public University , established = , closed = , founder = , parent = , academic_affiliations = AUCC, ACCC, AACTI ...

Personal life

Makokis grew up in the Saddle Lake Cree Nation.Elise Stolte, ''Forum focuses on 'two-spirit' life'', November 3, 2012, ''Edmonton Journal'' His mother is Patricia Makokis, a former president of Blue Quills University.Julia Lipscombe, Ariel Fournier,
Community mourns beloved Cree educator, leader and 'truth teller'
', March 1, 2019,

Makokis is gay, and married Anthony Johnson, a Navajo (Diné) artist and two-spirit, in 2017 during the

Vancouver Marathon The BMO Vancouver Marathon is an annual race held on the first Sunday of May each year in Vancouver, British Columbia. As the second largest international marathon in Canada, it has a certified running distance of 26 miles and 385 yards long. The ...

.Courtney Shea,
We got married in the middle of the Vancouver Marathon
', December 22, 2017, ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

''Melinda Carstensen,
This couple got married in the middle of a marathon
', May 18, 2017, ''The

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' Makokis and Johnson competed together on, and went on to win, ''

The Amazing Race Canada 7 ''The Amazing Race Canada 7'' is the seventh season of '' The Amazing Race Canada'', a reality game show based on the American series ''The Amazing Race''. It features nine teams of two and one returning team of two given a second chance to compe ...

'' in 2019.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makokis, James Living people Cree people Two-spirit people Physicians from Alberta Surgeons specializing in transgender medicine LGBT First Nations people Year of birth missing (living people) First Nations academics 1980s births The Amazing Race Canada contestants Reality show winners