Whitney Peterson, MD

 I was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Texas before completing my undergraduate at Oklahoma State University. I worked as a medical assistant in a primary care internist office in Stillwater, OK, where I was first exposed to primary care in a more rural setting. As a member of the Cherokee Nation, I utilized tribal health facilities for my personal primary care needs during my undergraduate years, where I learned more about the health disparities that indigenous populations face. I attended medical school at Georgetown University, where I continued to pursue my interests in public health within medically-underserved communities as an AHEC Scholar. After completing a family medicine rotation with IHS in Gallup, NM, I was inspired by the physicians with whom I worked and desired to return to the southwest to complete my residency at UNM. I chose family medicine because I believe that its broad-spectrum training would allow me to serve all patients of all ages and identities, especially within marginalized populations. Additionally, I am drawn to the many unique opportunities in family medicine to become involved as a leader in community health. My interests in family medicine include reproductive health, addition medicine, and indigenous health.