Ten newly minted physicians were honored last week as the Cherokee Nation marked the graduation of its 2026 residency classes in family medicine and pediatrics, adding another cohort of doctors trained to serve rural and tribal communities across northeastern Oklahoma.
The ceremony, held June 26 at the Chota Conference Center, recognized eight graduates of the OMECO/Cherokee Nation Family Medicine residency and two graduates of the OMECO/OSU Pediatrics Tribal/Rural Health Track.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. praised the graduates for the years they’ve invested in training to serve Cherokee communities, calling their work essential to the tribe’s efforts to expand access to quality healthcare in the region.
The family medicine program’s graduating class included Chief Residents Dr. Summer Morrison of Stilwell and Dr. Adam Warren of Webbers Falls, along with Dr. Gregory Blaylock of Wagoner, Dr. Evan Garrett of Durant, Dr. Joy Miller of Shillong, Meghalaya, India, Dr. Vivek Nair of Sunnyvale, Texas, Dr. Erin Shinn of Claremore, and Dr. Skylar Williams of Westville.
Three members of the class — Dr. Morrison, Dr. Shinn, and Dr. Williams — are Cherokee citizens. Dr. Morrison, who will continue practicing with the Cherokee Nation in women’s health and primary care, said training close to home carried special meaning.
“One of the biggest perks of this residency program is that it’s home for me. I’m Cherokee, and I’m from this area, so I got to train where I was raised and give back to this community,” Morrison said, adding that working alongside fellow Cherokee citizens throughout the program made the experience especially rewarding.
The family medicine residency is an 8-8-8 program affiliated with the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah, emphasizing training for rural and medically underserved populations alongside sports medicine, women’s health, and population-based care. Residents work within Cherokee Nation Health Services, the largest tribally operated health system in the country, which handles more than 3 million patient services each year.
Since its first class in 2013, the program has now produced 51 physicians. Roughly 45% of those graduates took their first jobs at tribal or Indian Health Service facilities, 69% stayed in Oklahoma, and about 83% landed in rural or medically underserved areas.
Cherokee Nation Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said completing residency training within the tribe’s own health system reflects the graduates’ commitment to underserved communities, while Dr. Beth Harp, Executive Medical Director for Cherokee Nation Health Services, said the program prepares physicians to carry forward what she described as compassionate, culturally grounded care wherever their careers lead.
The pediatrics track, based at the Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center and W.W. Hastings Hospital in Tahlequah, graduated two physicians this year: Chief Resident Dr. Chase Chapman of Omaha, Nebraska, and Dr. Krisha Chowdhury of San Antonio, Texas. The program held its first graduation in 2025 and has now produced four physicians in two years.
The track trains pediatricians to meet the specific health needs of American Indian and Indigenous children and rural patients, giving residents hands-on experience with the challenges of practicing within a tribal healthcare system.
“Tahlequah has been a great place to train. It’s a beautiful mix of rural and tribal. We have unique challenges here, but we also have unique benefits,” Chapman said. “The Cherokee Nation really does provide a lot for its people and tries to make it as easy for us as possible to meet the needs of our patients.”
