Dr. Erik Brodt named Assistant Dean for Native American Health

School of Medicine Dean Sharon Anderson has appointed Erik Brodt, M.D., associate professor of family medicine and director of the Northwest Native American Center of Excellence, as assistant dean for Native American health, effective immediately.

“In just a short time, Dr. Brodt has established the OHSU Northwest Native American Center of Excellence as a national model and a model for us at OHSU of how to transform medicine to include, attract and tap individuals with the cultural wisdom and identity to expand the path to healing for everyone and especially for Indigenous people in the Northwest and beyond,” said Dean Anderson of her final appointment after four years as dean. “This appointment recognizes Dr. Brodt’s very substantial contributions to enhancing the prominence of American Indian/Alaska Native students, staff, and faculty at OHSU and the importance of that work going forward.”

Dr. Brodt, who is Ojibwe, joined OHSU from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in January 2016. In 2017, he and OHSU were awarded a $3.5 million federal Human Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Center of Excellence grant to create the Northwest Native American Center of Excellence, housed in the School of Medicine, to inspire and recruit the next generation of Native healers, train tomorrow’s leaders and retain a vibrant community. The school has provided funding and space to advance this effort.

In 2018, the center launched a centerpiece initiative, the Wy’East Post-baccalaureate Pathway, to equip American Indian and Alaska Native students for success in medical school. Students who complete the 10-month culturally rooted, preparatory pathway earn conditional acceptance into medical school at OHSU, UC-Davis or the University of Washington. To date, 27 students have completed the pathway and 22 have matriculated to medical school, most at OHSU. The OHSU School of Medicine M.D. Class of 2025 includes 12 students who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, or nearly 9 percent of the class, one of the highest concentrations among medical schools in the nation.

The center is well on its way to building the vibrant community Dr. Brodt and his leadership team have envisioned by attracting not only students but also many Indigenous faculty and staff members to OHSU. The assistant dean appointment provides official recognition of, and accountability for, the work Dr. Brodt has already taken on:

• Leading and directing the Northwest Native American Center of Excellence.

• Developing, implementing and managing initiatives such as the Tribal Health Scholars, the Wy’East Pathway, the Indigenous Faculty Forum, and others programs that will increase the number of American Indians and Alaskan Natives who:

o Seek careers in the health professions;

o Matriculate and graduate from the M.D. program at OHSU;

o Are recruited as house officers at OHSU; and

o Are hired and promoted within the faculty ranks of the OHSU School of Medicine.

• Assist in providing leadership in all programmatic and policy issues relating to Native American Health.

• Collaborate with the assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion on programs and initiatives, as appropriate.

Dr. Brodt expressed gratitude to the dean for this recognition.

“I look forward to ushering in a new dawn in medical education where American Indian and Alaska Native health are elevated within the wider context of academic medicine,” he said. “The dean’s trust and faith in me and the NNACoE team is humbling. We acknowledge her advocacy and voice in ensuring that these efforts flourish at OHSU and beyond.”