An ElevateMeD Panel Discussion
Join us on Saturday, November 21, 2026 at 9:00 AM PT for a panel discussion on The Future of Native Health in recognition of Native American Heritage Month, led by Aaron Bia, MD, ElevateMeD Board Member and Legacy Scholar.
ElevateMeD exists to inspire and equip future generations of physicians to lead with excellence, compassion, and purpose. Native communities, while rich in history and culture, continue to experience disparities in health outcomes and access to healthcare. Dr. Aaron Bia will moderate an open and honest conversation focused on advancing health equity for Native and Indigenous communities.
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Dr. Aaron
Bia
Navajo Indian Health Service
Family Medicine Physician
Moderator, ElevateMeD Board Member & Legacy Scholar
Aaron Bia, M.D. is a member of the Navajo Nation from Canyon De Chelly, AZ. Dr. Bia is an attending Family Medicine physician working in his tribal community with the Indian Health Service. He completed his residency from the University of Utah in 2024 and was a part of the inaugural class of ElevateMeD Scholars in 2020. His passion for medicine stems from his grandfather who is a Navajo traditional healer and Dr. Bia continues this legacy as a healer.
Dr. Emily Plumage Boyd
University of Alabama Birmingham
Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Resident Physician
Panelist & ElevateMeD Legacy Scholar
Emily Plumage Boyd, MD is Nakoda from Ft Belknap Montana. She grew up in the small town of Pierre, South Dakota. She graduated Cum Laude from the University of Utah with a Degree in Athletic Training. Before attending medical school she spent two years working in research first at the University of Utah then at Vanderbilt University. She earned her Medical Doctorate from The Ohio State University. She is now a resident in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Alabama Birmingham. Outside of the busy life of residency she enjoys paint by numbers, walks with her dogs, and spending time with husband and first child that she welcomed last year.
Dr. Allison Kelliher
Association of American Indian Physicians, President
Family Medicine and Integrative Medicine Physician
Panelist
Dr. Allison Kelliher, MD, is a double board-certified physician in family medicine and integrative medicine and an Alaska Native traditional healer, with decades of experience across rural and urban practice, academia, and Tribal health systems. An enrolled citizen of the Nome Eskimo Community with Koyukon Athabascan (Dene) roots, she is recognized as the first physician in her Tribe. She directs the Indigenous Healing Program at Tanana Chiefs Conference's Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center in Fairbanks, Alaska, advancing holistic, culturally safe, and cost-effective care, including Indigenous medicine practitioners. She previously served as Associate Faculty for Indigenous Knowledge and Practice Systems at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and founded the American Indian Collaborative Research Network (AICoRN) at the University of North Dakota, where she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Indigenous Health. She also holds affiliations with the University of Washington and the University of Alaska Anchorage, and her scholarship spans Indigenous determinants of health, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, substance use disorders, and culturally grounded models of care. Her work has been recognized with the American Board of Internal Medicine's John A. Benson Jr., MD, Professionalism Article Prize (2024) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Distinguished Alumna Award (2022), and she is the current President of the Association of American Indian Physicians.
The 2026 Explosion of a Dream weekend (September 18-20) featured our sixth annual Scholars Summit and our eighth signature fundraising event, Explosion of a Dream in support of the ElevateMeD Scholars Program. Guests and ElevateMeD Scholars gathered from across the country for the third year in a row at the Camby Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona!