Committee on Native American Child Health (CONACH)

The Committee on Native American Child Health (CONACH), offers its expertise to individuals and groups concerned about the issues facing American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children. CONACH members are selected for their willingness to advocate on behalf of Native American children and for their previous experience in working directly with AI/AN children and youth. Committee members maintain contact with tribal, urban, and Indian Health Service (IHS) programs, and keep up with important changes, legislation, and regulations that affect Native American health in general (e.g., the Indian Self Determination and Education Act) and Native American child health (e.g., Indian Child Welfare Act) in particular. The committee meets twice a year - once in Washington, DC, which includes Hill visits and a legislative briefing and once in conjunction with consultation site visits in an Indian Health Service Area. Each meeting addresses the major health and social needs of Native American children and youth and how committee members and pediatricians can address these needs. The Committee helps disseminate research and model programs and promotes the multidisciplinary exchange of ideas through the biennial International Meeting on Indigenous Child Health (IMICH), which is co-sponsored by the Canadian Paediatric Society.

The Committee supports the Indigenous Health Special Interest Group which provides a forum for pediatricians and other care health professionals serving AI/AN children to share successes, strategies and resource to support their care of AI/AN children and youth. 

Learn more about Native American Child Health at the AAP including advocacy issues, educational resources and opportunities to work in this field.

View Policy Statements

Committee Members

Allison Empey MD, FAAP
Chairperson
Portland, OR

Jason Deen, MD, FAAP
Seattle, WA

Catherine Golski MD, FAAP
Tuba City, AZ

Marah Gotcsik MD, FAAP
Anchorage, AK

Andrew C. Hsi MD MPH, FAAP
Albuquerque, NM

Sara Swoboda, MD, FAAP
Boise, ID

Liaisons

Joseph T. Bell, MD, FAAP
Liaison, Association of American Indian Physicians
Castle Hayne, NC

John Pruett, MD, DFAACAP
Liaison, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Green Bay, WI

Stephen Gillaspy, PhD
Liaison, American Psychological Association

Alessandra Angelino, MD
Liaison, Section on Pediatric Trainees
Chapel Hill, NC

Thomas Joseph Faber, MD, MPH, FAAP
IHS Chief Clinical Consultant, Pediatrics
Zuni, NM

Laura Young, MD, FACOG
Liaison, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Wahington, DC

Contact CONACH