Indigenous Health, Education, and Resources Taskforce
Our Goal is to amplify, herald, and sustain systems level solutions by uniting allies, organizations, institutions, and communities dedicated to improving AIAN educational and health outcomes.
Our Background
The Indigenous Health, Education, and Resources Taskforce (IHEART), is a national collaborative, formed in 2021 to address the scarcity of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities in the health professions. IHEART is an AIAN led collaborative consisting of a national coordinating committee and regional networks to amplify, herald, and sustain systems level solutions by uniting allies, organizations, institutions, and communities dedicated to improving AIAN educational and health outcomes. It includes about 350 health professions educators, learners, organizational leaders, and community members who are committed to AIAN communities and workforce diversity.
IHEART operates as a national collaborative body led by the Association of American Indian Physicians, American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Association of Native American Medical Students, Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Indian Health Service. We aim to foster Indigenous-led, culturally responsive networks that can advance systems change to enhance the engagement, matriculation, retention and graduation of AIAN individuals interested in the health professions.
Our Objectives
- Develop regional infrastructure to identify educational pathways programs to support and encourage American Indian/Alaska Native students to enter into the health professions workforce;
- Establish connections within each region to build a network of programs for students and practitioners from kindergarten through practice;
- Establish a sustainable series of national meetings to support existing and develop new pathways programs;
- Develop and maintain a map of regional AIAN educational pathways programs;
- Develop, study, and continually update, a database for demonstrating outcomes from participants in pathways programs, including but not be limited to:
- Healthcare profession graduation rates
- AIAN healthcare professionals return to AIAN communities, healthcare facilities or academia to address AIAN population health needs and solutions
- Successful programs
- Demonstrating strategies for what works and what does not.
- Creating toolkits/templates to use in creating pathways programs in other communities.
Poster Proposals :
CALL TO ACTION! IHEART is hosting a poster session to showcase innovations and share effective policies and practices centered on health workforce development for and about American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Poster sessions may include health workforce data and research, policy initiatives, and or institutional and community programs across the educational and training pathway to a health profession. To be considered, submit a brief abstract that includes the research, policy and program goals, findings, and lessons learned.
Proposals Due: August 15
Submit proposals to: Stephanie Dobos – sdobos@AAIP.org
Our Regions
Upcoming and Recent Events
September 2025 Summit with NIHB
CALL TO ACTION! Across healthcare professions, there is stagnant or declining workforce numbers. Healthcare workforce shortages are only projected to worsen, adding burden to areas already facing disproportionate access to healthcare services. Native communities...