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Current Fellows
Adolescent Health
Leah Spatafore
Bloomberg Fellow
Leah Spatafore works as a pediatrician in the Community Health Services Department for Indian Health Service - Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, New Mexico. In this role, she provides healthcare in school-based health clinics and gender-affirming medical care for youth and adolescents. Leah hopes to continue to empower youth experiencing marginalization by lifting up their voices through healthcare education, literacy, and advocacy. Prior to working for Indian Health Service, Leah completed her medical training at the Johns Hopkins Harriet Lane Pediatric Residency Program. Leah completed a tribal health rotation in Tuba City, Arizona during her residency which led her to pursue career opportunities in Native American/Indigenous health.
The Indian Health Service, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The provision of health services to members of federally-recognized Tribes grew out of the special government-to-government relationship between the federal government and Native American tribes. This relationship, established in 1787, is based on Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, and has been given form and substance by numerous treaties, laws, Supreme Court decisions, and Executive Orders.