Charles (Chuck) Branch Receives Prestigious National Scholarship

First year medical student, Chuck Branch has been awarded the American Medical Association Foundation's - 2007 Minority Scholars Award. Branch is one of eleven recipients selected from 113 students Dorscher-Branch-Watson nominated by medical schools across the country. He is the only Native American to receive the award this year. Only one other Native American student has received the award since it was established in 2004. Branch will receive a $10,000 scholarship and will attend the AMA national conference in June.

(Pictured: Chuck Branch, center, Dr. Joy Dorscher, left, and Dr. Kathy Watson, right, at the 2006 White Coat Ceremony.)

“Our Medical School seeks to attract and to support American Indian men and women as future physicians who will integrate traditional ways with Western medicine. We prepare them to serve the critical health needs of our communities in Minnesota and the region. Chuck Branch is a wonderful example; he carries a fire for American Indian culture and health in everything he does,” said Deborah Powell, M.D., Dean of the University of Minnesota Medical School.

The Minority Scholars Award was established in collaboration with the Minority Affairs Consortium (MAC), with support from the Pfizer Medical Humanities Initiative. Nominees must be a current first or second-year student and a permanent resident or citizen of the U.S. Eligible students of minority background include African American/Black, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, Alaska Native and Hispanic/Latino. Each medical school is invited to submit up to two nominees.

"We are pleased to recognize the outstanding achievements of Charles Branch, and to provide him with substantial financial assistance for medical school," said Peter Carmel, M.D., AMA Foundation President. "The AMA Foundation is committed to introducing more minorities into the medical profession in order to better reflect the needs of our diverse society. We must ensure the cost of medical education remains within reach of our most talented students."

According to the AMA Foundation, the selection committee chose Branch because of his commitment to improving minority health status, community involvement, scholastic achievement and financial need.

Branch's goal as a Native American physician is to "advocate for Native American patients in regard to Health and Healing by acknowledging the value of both Western Medicine and Traditional Medicine in maintaining physical and spiritual well being." Aside from time with his family and studies, Branch is the Drum Keeper/Lead Singer of the Center of American Indian and Minority Health Drum, and he works with middle school Native American boys teaching Native culture, among other volunteer initiatives.

Born and raised in San Francisco, CA, Branch earned bachelor degrees in both anthropology and Native American Studies from the University of California at Berkeley and went on to earn his master's degree in anthropology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Between there and medical school, Branch was a paramedic/firefighter for ten years. He is married to Shannon Wesley, M.D. who is also Native American and has finished her first year at the family practice residency in Duluth. They have a 2-1/2 year old son Travis, with another son due in August.

The mission of the University of Minnesota Medical School -- Duluth Campus is to educate students who will practice family medicine and other primary care specialties in rural Minnesota and American Indian communities; to provide high-quality academic and clinical education programs for professional, graduate and undergraduate students, and to create distinguished research programs in health sciences. Located on the UMD campus, the University of Minnesota Medical School-Duluth Campus is a branch of the University of Minnesota Medical School, based in the Twin Cities.

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