Dr. Jacquelynn Arbuckle named director of Native American Center for Health Professions (NACHP)

Dr. Jacquelynn Arbuckle, clinical associate professor of surgery at UW School of Medicine and Public Health, has been selected to serve as the new director of the school’s Native American Center for Health Professions (NACHP).

Arbuckle_Jac Arbuckle, a general surgeon who practices at multiple UW Health locations, is a native of Spooner, Wisconsin. As an Ojibwe woman, she grew up on the St. Croix reservation.

Arbuckle attended UW-Madison as a Chancellor’s Scholar. She received her medical degree from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health in 1995 and then completed her internship and residency in surgery at the Lahey Clinic in Massachusetts. Arbuckle is board-certified in general surgery.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Arbuckle fill this vitally important leadership role,” said Dr. Robert Golden, dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health. “Our Native American Health Center is a highly valued program, and Dr. Arbuckle’s background, experience, and leadership skills will help accelerate the center’s progress.”

The Native American Center aims to recruit more Native students and faculty and improve their experience on campus; establish strong Native health educational opportunities; and grow the Native health academic programs. The school recently added an Oneida health-center elective for fourth-year students.

NACHP recently developed an Advisory Council that consists of tribal leadership from five of Wisconsin’s tribal communities: Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, Menominee Nation, the Ho Chunk Nation, the Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican Indians, and the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.

A teacher and mentor, Arbuckle is a medical lecturer and surgical instructor and active in the Department of Surgery’s Women and Surgery club where she advises, mentors, and offers support to current and future female surgeons. She has made outstanding contributions to UW by implementing diversity initiatives at the institutional level and by serving as a mentor and role model for minorities, women, and women of color. Currently working to develop the Native American Health Office as part of the Collaborative Center for Health Equity, she continues to reach out by introducing pre-college American Indian students from Wisconsin to health professions.

“Dr. Arbuckle understands the importance of community and family and, specifically, what it means to leave a tight-knit community on a reservation,” says surgical colleague K. Craig Kent, M.D. “Leaving one’s native community is wrought with difficulties as it inherently alters the perception of an individual by the community. Her personal story—as a sister and mother—is woven into her professional approach. This empathy and advocacy is apparent in her treatment of patients and in her training of medical students and residents.”

In addition to being a role model Arbuckle has led efforts to diversity at the racial and gender levels, according to Herbert Chen, M.D., chairman of the Division of General Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin.

“Women are a significant minority in the field of general surgery comprising of less than 5% of all tenured faculty in Departments of Surgery across the country,” he said. “Through Dr. Arbuckle’s efforts the number of women in our faculty and residency has grown to the point where women comprise over half of our surgical trainees in our residency programs and one-third of our faculty members in General Surgery.”

It is believed that Dr. Jackie Arbuckle may be one of a precious few, if not the only female American Indian General Surgeon. Needless to say, this puts her in a wholly unique opportunity to act as a valued role model and mentor to many,” Michael J. Garren, M.D., Professor of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

“I can think of few other physicians who have put such personal commitment into their community, “said Dina Marie Pitta MD Candidate. “She is a mentor that I will continue to learn from and turn to as both my clinical and personal endeavors continue to grow.  I want to take care of patients, take care of their community, and train better and more compassionate future physicians. Dr. Arbuckle does this every day.”

In 2012, Arbuckle was a recipient of the UW-Madison Outstanding Women of Color Awards, in part for her successful efforts to diversify the general surgery faculty and surgery residency program in the School of Medicine and Public Health. That same year, she also received the Outstanding Educator award from UW System.