Allison Kelliher

Dr. Kelliher is a physician, researcher, scholar, educator, leader, traditional healer, and advocate for planetary health. She is the first and only Medical Doctor trained as an Alaska Native healer and is enrolled in her Tribe, the Nome Eskimo Community. Dr. Kelliher holds a co-appointment at the Center for Indigenous Health and the School of Nursing, where she focuses on decolonizing and Indigenizing research and curricula. She is double board certified in Family Medicine and Integrative and Holistic Medicine and has experience providing drug and alcohol treatment in both Arizona and Alaska.

Her research portfolio includes studies on behavior and addiction, including a recent NIDA-funded project in the Great Plains that explores a Tribally derived research agenda prioritizing cultural strengths to address health disparities. Dr. Kelliher’s clinical experience in full-spectrum family medicine spans Tribal, Urban, Indian Health Service, and private practice settings. She established the American Indian Collaborative Rural Research Network (AICoRN) at the University of North Dakota, where she continues to mentor students as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Indigenous Health.

Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of American Indian Physicians and was awarded Alumnus of the Year in 2022 by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Dr. Kelliher contributes to the World Health Organization by serving on the Indigenous Determinants of Health workgroup. Although she has a background in neuroscience, she considers it an honor to have studied with practitioners of Global Healing Traditions since the age of four. This includes her Alaska Native heritage as a Denaa or Koyukon Athabascan healer, alongside practices in acupuncture, reflexology, acupressure, healing touch, herbalism, and osteopathy. Her work builds upon the foundations laid by those who have come before her, striving toward a future where health is recognized as a fundamental human right.