Dougherty Tsalabutie

Helping Tribal Members Join the Healthcare Field

By Alicia St. Denis

As director of the National Center for American Indian Health Professions (NCAIHP) at the Mesa campus in Phoenix, Arizona, Dougherty Tsalabutie (BS 92) has made it his mission to assist American Indians and Alaska Natives to join and thrive within the healthcare field.

Tsalabutie was born and raised as a member of the Pueblo Zuni tribe in southwestern New Mexico, and his upbringing was a significant influence on his life and work.

“The Pueblo Zuni community is a very close-knit family. They hold onto their traditional values and customs with lots of history,” Tsalabutie explained.

It can be challenging for American Indians and Alaska Natives students to leave their tribe to attend a university. Even as an ENMU undergrad, Tsalabutie’s recognized his desire to serve fellow Native American students and became the American Indian adviser.

After Tsalabutie graduated, he returned home to get more involved on the Pueblo and regain his status as a Zuni community member. Tsalabutie worked in a jewelry store on the reservation that taught him customer service skills and aligned with his innate ability to help others.

In discovering his talents, Tsalabutie decided to leave his tribe to work for the University of New Mexico, where he assisted in building a satellite campus on the Pueblo Zuni reservation.

“It is a great inspiration that I could do something so beneficial for the community,” Tsalabutie said.

His ambitions quickly made him realize he did not just want to help only his people but all American

Indians and Alaska Natives students struggling to find their paths. After earning a master’s degree in Public Health Administration, Tsalabutie worked for Arizona StateUniversity and later became the director of the NCAIHP at A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri.

Three weeks before the COVID 19 pandemic’s onset in early 2020, Tsalabutie’s team managed to complete a pre-admission workshop for anyone interested in attaining a healthcare degree, reaching out to all tribes across the Indian country. They have begun to connect with other higher education institutions on possible MOUs and joint endeavors for a seamless transition into a healthcare program.

“The possibilities are endless on what we can provide for any potential student: mentorship, resources, rotation assistance into rural America and serving as an advocate for any student,” Tsalabutie explained. “In-house, weare trying to establish American Indian and Alaska Native concepts, lifestyle and awareness of our difference in culture, languageand similarities, to better bridgethe gap of our uniqueness withinmainstream society.”