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 of the Chippewa tribe and is the first

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

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, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

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 Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

, after which she matriculated into

University of Minnesota Medical School The University of Minnesota Medical School is a medical school at the University of Minnesota. It is a combination of three campuses located in Minneapolis, Duluth, and St. Cloud, Minnesota. The medical school has more than 17,000 alumni as of 2 ...

. 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 Duluth ( ) is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population was 86,697 at the 2020 census, m ...

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 Native ...

(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 Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 census. According to 2022 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 15,946, makin ...

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 institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...

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 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 American people 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native American people Native American physicians 21st-century American physicians 21st-century American women physicians White Earth Nation people White Earth Nation women