Alec Calac

I am a member of the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians. I completed my undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science and Molecular and Cellular Biology at The University of Arizona. There, I was the Chapter President for the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science. After graduating, I completed research and health policy fellowships at the National Institutes of Health and National Indian Health Board, respectively. Currently, I am an MD/PhD student at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. I helped establish the UC San Diego Program in Medicine – Transforming Indigenous Doctor Education (PRIME-TIDE), which prepares medical students to meet the healthcare needs of American Indian and Alaskan Native Tribes and Villages. I work tirelessly as the President-Elect for the Association of Native American Medical Students and Chair for the American Medical Association Medical Student Section Committee on American Indian Affairs, identifying barriers and facilitators to greater inclusion of American Indians and Alaska Natives in medicine and the allied health professions. My research interests are in medical education and workforce development, Tribal public health, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation spread, and social media utilization. I am extremely thankful for the Fellowships that have made my dual degree training possible.