Michael H. Trujillo (born 1944) is an American physician who was the first full-blooded Indigenous person to serve as the director of 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 ...

, the arm of the

United States Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

, which deals with the health of Native Americans and Native Alaskans.

Biography

Michael H. Trujillo was born in 1944, to Ruchanda (née Paisano) and

Miguel Trujillo Miguel H. Trujillo (1904–1989) was an American activist from Isleta Pueblo, who was instrumental to the case ''Trujillo v. Garley'' in 1948; before the case, New Mexico, like many other states, had a ruling that "Indians not taxed" were not legall ...

. Trujillo and his older sister, Josephine Waconda were enrolled as members of their mother's tribe, Pueblo of Laguna. Their father was enrolled at the

Pueblo of Isleta Pueblo of Isleta ( , ; ) is an unincorporated community and Tanoan pueblo in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States, originally established in the . The Southern Tiwa name of the pueblo is (Shee-eh-whíb-bak) meaning "a knife laid o ...

. Trujillo earned a bachelor's degree in biology in 1966, a BA degree in history and political science in 1967, a master's degree in microbiology and biochemistry in 1970, and his MD degree in 1974 from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. He also received a master's degree in public health administration 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 ...

in 1984. His medical specialties were family and internal medicine. After completing his schooling, Trujillo served as the chief medical officer of the Portland office of the

(IHS). In 1993, he was selected to become the director of the IHS by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

and his appointment was confirmed by the US Senate. The appointment made him the first full-blooded American Indian to head the IHS, and gave him the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in the

Public Health Service Commissioned Corps The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHSCC; also referred to as the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service) is the Uniformed services, uniformed service branch of the United States Public Health S ...

(PHSCC).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trujillo, Michael 1944 births living people Activists for Native American rights American Indigenous rights activists Native American activists Physicians from New Mexico 20th-century Native American people 21st-century Native American people Laguna Pueblo people University of New Mexico alumni United States Department of Health and Human Services officials Clinton administration personnel