Warne named Director of Indians into Medicine program at School of Medicine & Health Sciences
GRAND FORKS, N.D.—Donald K. Warne, M.D., M.P.H., has been named Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Director of the Indians into Medicine (INMED) program at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS). Most recently the Chair of the Department of Public Health in the NDSU College of Health Professions, Warne assumes the role of INMED Director long held by Eugene Delorme, JD, who retired in June 2017. Joycelyn Dorscher, M.D., has served as interim INMED director since last year.
Among other duties, in his new role Warne will support the needs of American Indian healthcare students on the University of North Dakota campus; help provide reservation communities with culturally competent healthcare providers; maintain strong relationships between the SMHS and tribal communities in North Dakota and the surrounding region; and contribute to the School’s scholarly, service, and teaching missions.
“I look forward to the challenges and responsibilities of helping to engage and train the next generation of American Indian healthcare providers,” said Warne (right). “I am also deeply honored to hold these positions at the School, and I hope to build upon the great work of our previous generations’ leaders, scholars, and healers. I cannot imagine a better opportunity and fit for me personally and professionally.”
An enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe in Pine Ridge, S.D., Warne received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1995 and his Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University in 2002. A prolific scholar and grant writer, Warne is also Senior Policy Advisor for the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board and former Senior Fellow of American Indian Health Policy for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for Health Policy at the University of New Mexico.
In addition to being a member of the American Public Health Association, American Medical Association, and Association of American Indian Physicians, Warne served in a leadership capacity for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the American Cancer Society. He maintains several board certifications and has won several awards and honors over the last two decades for his work on American Indian health issues.
“We are so fortunate to have Dr. Warne join us at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences,” said Joshua Wynne, M.D., M.B.A., M.P.H., dean for the SMHS and UND’s vice president for health affairs. “He is a well-respected administrator, a revered teacher, and an esteemed researcher who has recognition in international, national, regional, and local arenas. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Warne, whose experience, talent, and depth will lead the School’s continued efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Established in 1973, INMED is a national program designed to help support more American Indian health professionals dedicated to practicing in underserved and rural areas, including but not limited to reservations. INMED services include academic and personal counseling for students, assistance with financial aid application, and summer enrichment sessions at the junior high through professional school levels.
Warne will begin at the SMHS on May 16. A reception welcoming him to the School will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the West Atrium of the SMHS building on Friday, May 25, 2018.
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Brian James Schill
Assistant Director, Office of Alumni & Community Relations
University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
701.777.2733 direct | 701.777.4305 office
brian.schill@UND.edu | med.und.edu