Alexandra Adams highlights health equity work through Indigenous partnerships and storytelling

Physician-scientist Alexandra Adams is being profiled for her long-running work with Native American and rural communities, where she has paired research, mentorship and storytelling to advance health equity. Her career spans more than three decades in medicine and public health, with new projects focused on belonging, community connection and healing.

Why it matters: - Alexandra Adams’ career shows how community-led research can change health outcomes in Indigenous and rural communities. - Her work links medical science with cultural knowledge, which can improve trust, participation and the relevance of health programs. - Her focus on storytelling adds a communication strategy that can carry health messages across generations.

What happened: - Influential Women profiled Alexandra Adams, MD, PhD, on October 27, 2026. - Adams is the emeritus director of the Center for American Indian and Rural Health Excellence at Montana State University. - She has worked for more than 27 years with Native American communities and has more than three decades of experience in medicine, public health and academic leadership. - Adams is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

The details: - Adams led research and outreach for the Center for American Indian and Rural Health Excellence for 10 years. - Her work includes land-based learning exchanges with Māori and Native American communities in the U.S. and New Zealand. - Adams earned an MD and a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. - Part of her medical training took place on the Rosebud Reservation. - She completed her family medicine residency at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. - Adams is a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. - Her research uses community-based participatory methods, with community members involved at every stage. - She has directed numerous community-engaged clinical trials. - Adams has secured more than $40 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health and philanthropic organizations. - She has authored more than 65 peer-reviewed publications. - Her research spans family wellness, obesity prevention, chronic disease, climate change, cancer prevention and the long-term effects of trauma on community health. - Adams co-directs HOPE and CAIRHE 2gether with the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute. - The initiative focuses on cancer prevention and health equity in persistent-poverty regions of the Mountain West. - Adams also serves as board chair of the American Indian Institute, a nonprofit focused on Indigenous wisdom. - She runs family and classroom wellness programs, consulting and film production through Turtle Island Tales LLC. - Adams is developing new projects centered on belonging, community connection and healing. - More information is available through her Influential Women profile, Turtle Island Tales and her personal website.

Between the lines: - Adams’ profile frames health equity as more than access to care; it also includes relationships, identity and place. - Her emphasis on storytelling suggests public health messaging can be stronger when communities help shape the narrative. - Her mentoring focus points to a broader effort to build the next generation of Indigenous and rural health researchers.

What's next: - Adams is transitioning out of university leadership while continuing consulting, film work and community wellness programming. - She plans to keep mentoring young investigators and developing projects on belonging and healing. - Her next phase appears aimed at extending her impact beyond academic leadership through media, outreach and partnerships.

The bottom line: - Adams’ career blends research, culture and storytelling into a model for health equity that centers community voice and long-term partnership.