Kathleen Annette (born 1955) is a public health advocate from Minnesota. She is president and CEO of Blandin Foundation. She is a member of the

White Earth Band The White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, also called the White Earth Nation ( oj, Gaa-waabaabiganikaag Anishinaabeg, "People from where there is an abundance of white clay"), is a federally recognized Native American band located ...

of the Chippewa tribe and is the first

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

woman to become a doctor. She is the first woman to serve as an area director for the Bemidji Indian Health Service, an organization that provides support to Native American tribes and Native American public health programs across the Upper

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

Early life and education

Annette grew up on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. She earned her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, after which she matriculated into

University of Minnesota Medical School The University of Minnesota Medical School is the medical school of the University of Minnesota. It is a combination of two campuses situated in Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota. The University of Minnesota Medical School is also part of one of ...

. She earned her doctor of medicine in 1983. She cites her preparation for college as one of her life's greatest obstacles, stating, "I was ill-prepared, initially, for college. No-one from the reservation high school had ever successfully pursued a medical education."

Adult life and career

Annette completed her residency at the Duluth Family Practice Center and became board-certified to practice medicine independently in 1986. After her certification, she joined the

Indian Health Service The Indian Health Service (IHS) is an operating division (OPDIV) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). IHS is responsible for providing direct medical and public health services to members of federally-recognized Nativ ...

(IHS) as a medical officer serving the Leech Lake Service Unit at Cass Lake, Minnesota. She remained there for several years, working her way up to higher levels of authority and responsibility. In 1990, she became the director of the entire Bemidji Area of the IHS, overseeing health services for approximately sixty thousand Native Americans in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Annette used her position as area director to bring awareness to Native American public health issues. She spoke at a range of health care conferences and was an active member of a

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

advisory committee concerned with emerging infectious diseases. She also speaks about her work at medical schools nationwide, with the hope of inspiring young Native Americans who aspire to professional careers. Annette retired from government service in 2011, and now serves as CEO of the Blandin Foundation.

References

External links

Transcript of Speeches
{{DEFAULTSORT:Annette, Kathleen 1955 births Living people American women physicians Ojibwe people Physicians from Minnesota University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni University of Minnesota Medical School alumni 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native Americans Native American physicians 21st-century American women