The Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA) proudly announces that Dr. Richard Bunio, Director of Medical Services, was invited to speak at the 2025 American Hospital Association (AHA) Rural Health Care Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas, held February 23-26. The annual conference convenes over 1,000 rural health leaders committed to advancing rural health care and improving access for patients in underserved communities.
Dr. Bunio joined an esteemed panel for a session titled “Engaging Tribes and Tribal Perspectives in Health Workforce Training.” Other panelists included Bryan Hodge, DO, Chair, Department of Community and Public Health, Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), Lori Rodefield, Director of GME Development, Wisconsin Collaborative for Rural Graduate Medical Education, and Matthew Tobey, MD, MPH, Director, Rural Medicine Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
The session addressed the critical need for expanding the rural health care workforce, particularly within American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, where access to culturally competent care is limited. AI/AN individuals are disproportionately affected by health disparities, yet only 1% of U.S. medical students identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. In response to this challenge, there are few tribal graduate medical education (GME) programs, leading to a persistent shortage of providers with the knowledge and cultural awareness necessary to care for these communities effectively.
Dr. Bunio highlighted CIHA’s partnership with MAHEC and the CIHA-MAHEC Internal Medicine Rural and Tribal Health Track, an innovative residency training program designed to develop well-rounded internists dedicated to serving rural and historically marginalized populations.
“This program is a crucial step in ensuring that we have physicians who are not only well-trained in internal medicine but also deeply connected to the communities they serve,” said Dr. Bunio. “Through immersive training at Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority and other rural sites, residents gain hands-on experience in primary care while learning to incorporate cultural humility and community-based approaches into their practice.”
The CIHA-MAHEC Internal Medicine Rural and Tribal Health Track is designed to provide a strong foundation in internal medicine while emphasizing rural health throughout its three-year curriculum. Residents in this program participate in immersive rotations at Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority and rural clinical sites, build and manage their own patient panels in a continuity clinic at CIHA, gaining extensive primary care experience, work closely with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) to develop cultural awareness and humility essential for providing compassionate and effective care, and receive guidance from dedicated preceptors, advisors, and mentors who support their professional growth.
This program aligns with the core mission of both CIHA and MAHEC, fostering a pipeline of skilled providers who are well-equipped to address the unique challenges of rural medicine. By integrating this specialized training into residency education, CIHA and MAHEC are ensuring a sustainable workforce that will make a lasting impact on Native and rural communities.