SAIO 50 for 50: Dr. Melissa Begay
This Week's Spotlight: Dr. Melissa Begay ('01, B.A. Psychology)
Dr. Begay (Diné) was raised on the Navajo Nation. She is Towering House (Kinyaa’áanii) clan born for Black Streak through Forest (Tsi’naajinii). Dr. Begay practices at the New Mexico VA Sleep Center and is an Assistant Professor in the University of New Mexico Department of Pulmonology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine.
She is a board member of the Association of American Indian Physicians and the UCLA Biodesign Innovation Council, a past board member of We Are Healers, and a member of the Gold Humanism Society. Dr. Begay was recently recognized as a Hometown Hero by Senator Martin Heinrich for her work in assisting Native communities during the pandemic. In her free time, Dr. Begay serves as the Creative Director for Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. and explores the Southwest in her 60's Land Cruiser.
In addition to her Stanford degree, Dr. Begay received her M.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine and a Fellowship in Sleep Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.