American University of Sovereign Nations is honored to have signed a MOU on 4 May 2013, with the Dr. Susan LaFlesch Picotte Memorial Hospital & Museum located on the Omaha Nation sovereign land, in Walthill, Nebraska. Dr. Susan LaFlesch Picotte (June 17, 1865 – September 18, 1915) was the first Native American Indian woman to become a physician in the United States.

In the early 1900’s, using her own money – not federal monies – she built her own hospital for the community. The Susan La Flesch Picotte Memorial Hospital was the first Native American hospital in US history. Dr. LaFlesche was from Ponca, Iowa and of Anglo-American descent; she was raised by her parents on the Omaha Nation Reservation. She attended college at the Hampton Institute, and obtained her M.D. degree from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).

Dr. LaFlesche was a fiercely dedicated physician; a true pioneer – earning the highest degree of respect of her patients and her community.

Dr. Susan LaFlesch Picotte Memorial Hospital MuseumToday, the Dr. Susan LaFlesch Picotte Memorial Hospital is a Museum; the Curator is a Native American member of the Omaha Nation, Karen Marie Hardenbrook. In addition to signing our First collaborative agreement with the Dr. Susan LaFlesch Picotte Memorial Hospital & Museum, Karen joined our Board of Trustees.

The signing of our First Academic Collaborative Agreement with the Dr. Susan LaFlesch Picotte Memorial Hospital & Museum is a monumental step for the AUSN School of Medicine – it uniquely differentiates and distinguishes our medical school from other medical schools in the United States and clearly illustrates and evidences our deep commitment to providing for the healthcare and welfare of all Indigenous Peoples of the World, and the peoples of all Native American Sovereign Nations.