OUR MISSION & VISION

Mission: We Are Healers supports the next generation of Native Americans in navigating health career pathways. Together we transform systems and uplift Indigenous approaches to health.

We accomplish this through our four core values: Inspire, Connect, Advise, Ascend.

Vision: We envision a world where Native excellence in health and healing is visible, celebrated, and expected — and where health systems honor sovereignty, reflect Indigenous knowledge, and center Indigenous identities.

OUR CORE VALUES & KEY STRATEGIES

  • We INSPIRE Native youth to pursue health careers and to achieve their greatest potential

  • We ADVISE health profession schools and programs on best practices to recruit and retain Native students

  • We CONNECT Native youth to enrichment opportunities to achieve their health career aspirations

 

Since 1980 every minority group has seen increases in students attending medical school, except for Native Americans.

Native American medical school enrollment has dropped by 30 percent since 1980
 

As of 2022, only 0.17% of American Indians and Alaskan Natives were MD-granting medical school matriculants.

We Are Healers aims to change this by inspiring Native youth to pursue careers in health care, connecting them to resources, and advising health professional schools and programs on how to recruit and retain Native students.

DIRECT IMPACT

As the only national nonprofit with our logic model, from late 2022 to the end of 2023, we will have mobilized over $150,000 in educational and workforce development opportunities for AI/AN health students.

  • In under one year, we have grown our Healing Circle Cohort (HCC) from 4 AI/AN health students to 10, ages 18-30

  • High School Seniors to Residents—an additional 33 HCC applicants are receiving mentorship, wellness trainings, and roundtable discussions to mitigate loss of follow-up, cultural disconnect, and further perpetuation of harmful health outcomes.

  • Through this initiative we have witnessed an increase in AI/AN students enrolling in health-related educational programs that follow non-traditional and traditional pathways to achieve their dreams.

DIGITAL OUTREACH

We Are Healers is a proud partner with Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and We R Native to empower Native voices through the INSPIRE text-mentoring campaign. This two-year project, supported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, spotlights 6 Native health professionals in public health pathways.

Through our social media campaigns we have reached 240,000 people online with the stories of Native role-models.

Additionally, we have connected our cohorts to mentors and Native health leaders at Oregon Health & Science University, Northwest Native American Center of Excellence, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, and Seattle Indian Health Board.

As it pertains to improved performance and preparation for standardized examinations, We Are Healers provided cohorts with Blueprint membership; a tutoring service that offers preparatory courses, private tutoring, and practice examinations for medical schools—as well as Amboss, an online platform that compartmentalizes medical knowledge for students, residents, and physicians. These resources are typically unobtainable due to the financial hardships that befall our targeted communities.