Jason F. Deen

MD (Blackfeet)

Dr. Jason Deen (Blackfeet) is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Washington, in the Divisions of Cardiology.  He is the director of UW Medicine’s Center for Indigenous Health.  He is a graduate of the American Indian Health Pathway through the Center of American Indian and Minority Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School.  Deen serves as the Vice Chair for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Department of Pediatrics, Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Native American Child Health, and co-Chair of the American College of Cardiology’s Internal Medicine Pathway program, leading the Indigenous cohort.  As a Multiple Principal Investigator of the Strong Heart Study, his main research interests are cardiovascular health disparities in American Indian communities and cardiovascular risk stratification in American Indian youth.

Dr. Patricia Capo

Faculty

Dr. Patricia (Tricia) Capo, MD, FACOG, is an ObGyn physician at Alaska Native Medical Center and Southcentral Foundation in Anchorage, Alaska. She graduated from Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and completed her residency training at The Mayo Clinic and Greenville Hospital System in South Carolina. Tricia has an inherent passion for Indigenous women’s health. She is a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and grew up on the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota. As a physician and a patient in the IHS system she hopes to provide a unique perspective and strive for quality care for Indigenous people.

CDR Tina Pattara-Lau

Lead Faculty

CDR Tina Pattara-Lau, MD, FACOG, is the Maternal and Child Health Consultant with the IHS Office of Clinical and Preventive Services. In this role, she serves as subject matter expert, develops national programs and policies, and collaborates with federal and community resources to optimize patient access to quality care. She began her IHS career in 2015 as an OB/GYN at Phoenix Indian Medical Center, Parker and Peach Springs Indian Health Centers, and Valleywise Health Medical Center. During the COVID-19 pandemic she developed modified guidelines for OB/GYN care including delivery of telehealth prenatal care, vaccine education for patients, and multidisciplinary simulation training for Obstetric Readiness in the Emergency Department.

Tina graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with degrees in Molecular and Cell Biology and Psychology. She commissioned into the US Public Health Service in 2007 and received her medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2011. She completed her OB/GYN residency at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, is board certified, and a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

CAPT Stacey Dawson

Lead Faculty

CAPT (Ret.) Stacey Dawson, PhD, MSN, CNM, graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Baccalaureate degree in nursing and joined the Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant.  Her initial inspiration to become a nurse midwife occurred when she attended a specialized OB course instructed by nurse midwives at Langley AFB, VA. Stacey transferred from the Air Force to the Public Health Service and served as an immigration health nurse. She earned her MSN from Frontier Nursing University, transferring to the Phoenix Indian Medical Center as a nurse midwife, and later, the Chief of Midwifery Services. Stacey completed her PhD in Nursing Education from Capella University, moving to the IHS Phoenix Area Office as a Maternal Child Health Consultant that same year. She served 2 years as the Women’s Health Consultant at IHS HQ then retired from the US Public Health Service after 23 years of total uniformed service. She has recently rejoined in her previous IHS HQ role, as a civil servant and is looking forward to continuing her prior work. She enjoys working with students in various capacities and loves teaching and learning something new every day!