Tribal Doctor Receives Prestigious AFN Award

By Southcentral Foundation Corporate Communications

Tribal Doctor Colleen Anagick.

Colleen Anagick received the Alaska Federation of Natives 2024 President’s Award for Health at the AFN Convention Oct. 18.

Of Inupiaq, Yupik, and Irish heritage, Anagick has improved community wellness through her 27 years of commitment to Alaska Native-led health care, first as a behavioral health clinician and more recently as a Tribal doctor.

Anagick began her work at Alaska Native Medical Center the year the new building opened as the largest Indian Health Service facility in the country. It was the year Alaska Native people made plans for completing customer-ownership of the entire Anchorage-based Tribal health care system.

“Generations of customer-owners have benefited from Colleen’s work here at Southcentral Foundation,” SCF President and CEO April Kyle said. “She has many strengths as a provider, including keeping traditional values at the core of the customer-owner experience.”

Over the years she worked as a crisis clinician on the Behavioral Urgent Response Team, her strong Indigenous identity helped her meet the whole-person needs of those experiencing behavioral health challenges. In her current role as a Tribal doctor in the Traditional Healing Clinic, Anagick provides traditional counseling and healing touch and facilitates the Women’s Talking Circle. Her respect for culture and her ability to connect with others as they share their stories have made it possible for her to provide effective, comprehensive supports.

Southcentral Foundation congratulates Anagick for earning this AFN recognition and appreciates her decades of wellness work in support of the SCF Mission.