OSU Center for

Health Sciences, Tulsa

The Association of American Indian Physicians has named an OSU Medicine student to serve as the fi rst medical student ever appointed as an osteopathic medicine liaison for the Association of Native American Medical Students.

Brandon Postoak, a second-year medical student at the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa, was appointed to a oneyear term as liaison, with the goal of encouraging more Native Americans to consider a career in medicine and other health professions.

Postoak is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation from Allen. His smalltown upbringing has prepared him for this new role.

“Growing up in rural Oklahoma – it’s easy to limit yourself and your life’s goals,” said Postoak. “I was lucky things fi nally clicked in junior college, and I realized my passion for human science and made becoming a physician my life’s goal. I want to help other Native American students fi nd that spark.”

The Association of Native American Medical Students is a student organization representing tribal graduate health profession students throughout the U.S. and Canada.

ANAMS strives to increase the number of Native American students in health professions and serves as a resource network for all Native Americans currently enrolled in allied health profession schools.

ANAMS and AAIP have long established partnerships with allopathic medical schools. Postoak is part of a new strategy to attract more osteopathic medical students to both organizations and to the medical profession.

“Improving health care resources is essential to curing the problems of our people,” Postoak continued. “Many natives are caught in a cycle that promotes poor health. I am committed to take the educational steps necessary to step outside that cycle and someday— as a physician — return to my people to provide a pathway to better health and wellbeing.”

About Oklahoma State University Center for

Health Sciences

Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences educates osteopathic physicians, scientists, allied health professionals and health care administrators for Oklahoma, with an emphasis on serving rural and underserved Oklahoma. OSU-CHS offers graduate and professional degrees, with over 1,000 students enrolled in academic programs in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, the School of Allied Health, the School of Health Care Administration, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Forensic Sciences. OSU-CHS operates a network of clinics in the Tulsa area, offering a multitude of specialty services including cardiology, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry and women’s health.