A proposed Indigenous School of Medicine in Rapid City received $1M grant to explore the feasibility of opening new medical school in South Dakota for Native American students
The school would be the first of its kind in the nation, said Donald Warne, a physician, co-director for the Center for Indigenous Health at Johns Hopkins, and member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
Warne envisions weaving traditions, ceremonies and cultures into the accredited school and its curriculum. Rather than cramming students full of information within four years, the school would prioritize wellbeing and competency — which would allow students to take longer to complete the program if needed, Warne said.
The approach allows students to bring their full cultural selves into their medical training, he added.
“There is still a sense we have to check our culture at the door to become a cookie-cutter doctor as opposed to maintaining who we are,” Warne said. “There are still students who feel they aren’t adequately represented or supported in medical school.”
The proposed Indigenous School of Medicine received a $1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct a feasibility study and business plan, along with a $100,000 NDN Collective capacity building grant. Warne hopes to start enrolling students in 2030. The location within Rapid City has not been finalized.