Photo from the first workgroup held at the 2023 51st Annual AAP Meeting.
The Native American Surgical Society was founded by 2 Native surgical residents and four attending surgeons of various subspecialties and tribes who recognized the urgent need for representation, mentorship, and resources for Native Americans in surgery. Inspired by discussions at the 51st and 52nd Annual Association of American Indian Physicians Meetings, the co-founders collaborated to develop actionable solutions to address the systemic underrepresentation of Native surgeons and established NASS in 2023.
NASS Co-founders (COUNCIL)
Lyndsay Kandi, MD
Cayuga Nation
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Dr. Kandi was born in western New York and grew up in a rural village on Lake Ontario before moving to Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 12. She studied Biochemistry and Psychology at Arizona State University and spent 3 years post-graduation working in healthcare-related fields. Shortly after the birth of her daughter, Dr. Kandi went to medical school at the University of Arizona (Tucson). She is now a PGY-2 resident plastic surgeon at the University of Chicago Medical Center and hopes to improve access to reconstructive surgery for Natives.
J. Caleb Shahbandeh, MD MPH
Chickasaw Nation
General Surgery
Dr. Shahbandeh is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa School of Community Medicine and a past President of the Association of Native American Medical Students. Currently, Dr. Shahbandeh is a resident surgeon in the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Tasce Bongiovanni, MD MPP MHS
Navajo Nation
Trauma Surgery
Dr. Bongiovanni is a trauma surgeon and critical care specialist who cares for patients with acute surgical needs or who are critically ill at UCSF Medical Center and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. In research, Bongiovanni studies pain control in the postoperative period, focusing especially on older adults. She also conducts health services research with the aim of improving quality and access to care for vulnerable populations. Her primary research goals are developing patient-centered care and improving outcomes for surgical patients. She is a member of the Navajo Nation and serves as Chair of the Native American Health Alliance and faculty advisor to the UCSF branch of ANAMS.
Lori Alvord, MD
Navajo Nation
General Surgery
Dr. Alvord is a surgeon and author, and the first member of the Navajo tribe to be board-certified in surgery. Her bestselling memoir, The Scalpel and the Silver Bear, tells the story of her journey from the Navajo reservation to the operating room and of her work to combine Navajo philosophies of healing with western medicine. Dr. Alvord’s interests include Native American health, ceremony medicine, and the creation of healing environments. Dr. Alvord earned her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1979, received her doctorate of medicine (MD) at Stanford University School of Medicine in 1985, and completed her residency in general surgery at Stanford University Hospital. In 2018, Dr. Alvord was awarded the J.E. Wallace Sterling Lifetime Achievement Award by the Stanford University School of Medicine Alumni Association.
Vanessa Jensen, MD
Navajo Nation
General Surgery
Dr. Jensen is the Chief of Surgical Services at the Tse’hootsooi’ Medical Center, Fort Defiance Indian Hospital in Fort Defiance, Arizona. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery with the University of Arizona (U of A) College of Medicine Tucson and Phoenix campuses. She obtained her medical degree and completed her general surgery residency in Tucson a the U of A College of Medicine and the University Medical Center, now known as Banner-University Medical Center.
Dr. Jensen has had the rewarding experience of working among her Navajo communities. She has dedicated over a decade to serving her hometown of Tuba City, in the western Navajo Nation, and continues her serve in the eastern Navajo Nation in Fort Defiance, Arizona. Her work is a testament to the harmony she has found between Western medicine and traditional Navajo beliefs, a balance she credits to her supportive family.
Nizhoni Denipah, MD
Navajo, Pueblo,
Hopi, Assiniboine Nations
ENT
Dr. Denipah is an otolaryngology-head and neck surgery specialist in Santa Fe, NM and has over 10 years of experience in the medical field. Dr. Denipah has extensive experience in Otologic Conditions & Procedures. She graduated from University of New Mexico in 2013. She is affiliated with Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.