HEALTHstory Months

The HEALTHstory Month series explores how history has shaped health, medicine, and health care in the United States. Aligned with nationally recognized cultural awareness months, the series examines the experiences, contributions, and histories of different communities and considers how that history continues to shape health and medical practice today.

By understanding the historical and cultural contexts of health and medicine, we strengthen our ability to serve people from different backgrounds effectively, an important part of professionalism and intercultural excellence.

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, explore Native perspectives on health and healing, the role of story and worldview in care, and how Indigenous approaches can broaden our understanding of health and inform patient-centered clinical practice.

About Dr. Baines

Dr. Jonathan Baines (Tlinigit/Tsimshian) holds dual bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and microbiology from Arizona State University, as well as combined MD and PhD degrees in Tumor Biology from the Mayo Clinic MD/PhD program. He is a physician-scientist, educator, and family physician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Board-certified in family medicine, he practices across the continuum of care, and brings experience from a rural practice in the Mayo Clinic Health System.  

At Mayo Clinic, Dr. Baines serves as Medical Director of the Native American Pathway Programs, supporting recruitment, mentorship, and learner success for American Indian and Alaska Native students. He teaches in the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine Residency. He also serves on the admissions committee and contributes nationally to holistic, mission-aligned admissions practices as a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Advancing Mission-Aligned Principles Advisory Committee. Within Mayo Clinic, he is a member of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.  He is a founding member and Vice President of the Indigenous School of Medicine - an initiative working to build the first fully Indigenous-owned and Indigenous-led medical school in the United States.