Message From the Director Thomas Sequist, MD, MPH
Careers in medicine are open to Native American students.
The Four Directions Summer Research Program is focused on creating Native American leaders in medicine, public health, and biomedical science. For nearly 20 years, we have worked to create a network of future health professionals from around the country. We are looking for students with significant potential --- students who are searching for the knowledge and mentoring to get to the next level in their career path. Our program provides access to those resources, both during the summer and beyond as you pursue your dream of becoming a physician, or a public health leader, or PhD scientist, or many other careers.
We created this program based on our own experiences of getting into medical school. We pursued medical school without an understanding of the process. FDSRP is designed to provide our students with a very clear roadmap for their career. We give our students practical insights and answers to questions such as:
- How do I get ready to apply for medical or graduate school?
- What are schools looking for in applicant?
- How will I afford this education?
- What is it like to be physician? How about a public health official or a research scientist?
The FDSRP program is the beginning of a journey. The journey is designed to build applicable skills, inspire self-awareness, and demonstrate that careers in medicine are open to Native American students.
Tom'sBiography
Dr. Sequist is committed to improving the health of Native communities
Dr. Thomas Sequist has worked with the FDSRP since 1995 and currently serves as the program’s director. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Sequist is a member of the Taos Pueblo tribe in northern New Mexico, where his mother was raised on the reservation. It is this background that has driven him to develop programs to improve the health of Native communities. In addition to his involvement with FDSRP, Dr. Sequist is the medical director of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Outreach Program with the Indian Health Service. This program sends experienced physicians from Brigham and Women’s Hospital to do volunteer work on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico to expand access to health care for patients in this community.
Dr. Sequist is a practicing primary care physician at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, a Boston-area physician group practice, where he is also the Director of Research. His research interests are focused on improving quality of care and eliminating racial disparities in health care. As part of these research activities, he works with the leadership of the Indian Health Service to examine quality of care within this large health care system.
Read more about Dr. Sequist.