Early life and education [ edit ]
Research and career [ edit ]
Judith Kaur
Judith Salmon Kaur ( born 1945 ) is an American oncologist who is Director of the Native American Programs in the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center . According to Indian Country Today , Kaur is one of only two Native American oncologists working in the United States .
Early life and education [ edit ]
Kaur is of Choctaw – Cherokee heritage . [ 1 ] At the age of five , her grandmother told her that she was " meant to be a healer ,". [ 2 ] She was the first member of her family to graduate from high school , and , after graduating from Augustana College , started her professional career as a teacher . [ 2 ] Whilst working as a teacher , Kaur had a daughter and got married . Her husband would come home to see her spending her evenings reading Scientific American . [ 3 ] Her husband eventually challenged her to apply to medical school , and in 1975 she was accepted to the University of North Dakota Indian Health Service ' s Indians into Medicine Program ( INMED ) programme , which supports Native Americans and Alaska Natives in pursuing careers in healthcare . [ 4 ] She originally intended to earn her medical degree and move back to the reservation to work in family medicine . [ 5 ] In her third year of medical school , Kaur decided to specialise as an oncologist . [ 4 ] She eventually completed her medical degree at the University of Colorado School of Medicine . [ 5 ]
Research and career [ edit ]
Kaur is committed to ending health inequities for indigenous communities , looking to transform the medical outcomes of people suffering from cancer . [ 4 ] She has focused on increasing participation in clinical trials and supporting indigenous students in pursuing careers in medicine . [ 4 ] As one of the first National Cancer Institute ( NCI ) investigators to collect data on cancer prevalence and perceptions amongst indigenous communities ,