Staunch Supporter of First American Health Care Inducted into American Academy of Nursing

Judy Goforth Parker, Ph.D., APRN, CNP, FACHE, has dedicated more than half her life to bettering the health of others. Her servant’s heart and hardworking mindset were rewarded in 2024 when she was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Induction into the academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career. Fellows are selected based on their contributions and impact to advance the public’s health.

Dr. Parker was selected by former colleagues and friends Emily Jones, Ph.D., RNC-OB, FAHA, FPCNA and Melissa Craft, Ph.D., APRN-CNS, AOCN, FAAN.

“Without their support, this would not have happened,” Dr. Parker said in regard to Dr. Jones and Dr. Craft nominating her for the award. “You don’t do anything just on your own. There are people around you supporting you.”

Dr. Parker, a Chickasaw citizen, is an experienced administrator with a demonstrated history of working in the health field who has more than 25 years of nursing education. She completed a master’s degree in nursing and advanced practice nursing at the University of Oklahoma and has a doctor of philosophy in nursing from Texas Woman’s University.

“I consider myself a lifelong learner,” Dr. Parker said. “I’m always looking for more to do.”

Dr. Parker also completed postdoctoral studies in health policy at the inaugural cohort of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Her focus included curriculum development in health policy for young Chickasaw scholars, development of health impact assessment and health impact checklist tools, development of a quarterly health policy newsletter, and coauthoring a scholarly policy article about mortality in American Indian and Alaskan Native women.

Although nominated for the Academy of Nursing, Dr. Parker still had plenty of work to do on her own to assume the title.

“The application was daunting,” Dr. Parker said. “It had a lot of questions that required self-reflection on what my contributions have been to nursing. I worked on it for a year. It was a long process.”

Enduring the intimidating application was worth it. Dr. Parker was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing as a Fellow during the 2024 Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2024. The theme for the conference, “Courageous Transformations Towards an Equitable Future,” demonstrated the power of academy members and policymakers, like Dr. Parker, who envision health care that meets the needs of all people.

“I think they did a really great job acknowledging the accomplishments of all these different nurses, and I enjoyed seeing what people had done and the impact they had made throughout their career,” Dr. Parker said.

Induction into the academy represents the highest honor in nursing. The 2024 Class of Fellows represents a cross section of nursing’s most dynamic leaders from 37 states and 14 countries who are significantly impacting their systems and communities. 

Dr. Parker has been an integral part of the Chickasaw Nation health system for decades and currently serves as the Chickasaw Nation Commissioner of Health Policy.

“In my role, I advocate for the improved health of Chickasaw citizens,” Dr. Parker said.

The position requires Dr. Parker to be a part of many state and national committees focusing on First American health policies, where she often endorses programs and methods meant to improve health care among Chickasaw and other First American people.

Dr. Parker served as an elected Chickasaw Nation legislator for five, three-year terms from 1994 to 2009. She was a staunch supporter of health issues within the tribal legislative body.

“My first official activity as a legislator was observing Governor Anoatubby receive the ceremonial keys of the Carl Albert Indian Health Facility, Oct. 1, 1994,” Dr. Parker said.

First opened in 1980, the Carl Albert Indian Health Facility provided 30 years of health services to Chickasaw citizens. The facility was an integral part to the Chickasaw Nation becoming the first federally recognized tribe to successfully compact with Indian Health Service (IHS) for the provision of health care.

“That was the beginning of an era of real change for the Chickasaw Nation as we began managing our own health system,” Dr. Parker said. “For those 15 years I served as a tribal legislator, I got to observe the changes that were taking place in Chickasaw Nation health.”

After the Chickasaw Nation Medical Center (CNMC) opened its doors in 2010, the Carl Albert Indian Health Facility was renamed the Carl Albert Service Center. The multiuse facility now houses a large majority of the Chickasaw Nation Department of Interior Services.

Dr. Parker stepped down from her legislative role to assume the role of administrator for the Chickasaw Nation Department of Health (CNDH) from 2009 to 2014. In 2014, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby appointed Dr. Parker to his cabinet. With this change, her position shifted from administrator to Chickasaw Nation Secretary of Health. While serving as secretary of health from 2014 to 2018, Dr. Parker helped guide CNDH through some of its earliest stages of growth.

Although Dr. Parker has had a prosperous career in the medical field, her real accomplishments lie within the people she’s helped along the way.  Asked about her greatest achievement in the medical field, Dr. Parker addressed her love for teaching.

“I spent 24 years teaching nursing students, and I still continue teaching,” Dr. Parker said. “I get to participate in the department of health internship program and teach young nurses, people who are very new in their careers. To me that has a lasting impact. When I’m no longer teaching those students, they’re still out there in the field and contributing to improving the health of people.”

However, her greatest lifelong achievement has nothing to do with her line of work.

“My children, my grandchildren, my family and my relationship with God – that’s all a part of who I am,” Dr. Parker said.

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