Dorothy A. Rhoades, a Kiowa Tribe member and University of Oklahoma College of Medicine professor, has been named the 2026 Physician of the Year by the Association of American Indian Physicians.

The honor carries a family legacy.

Her father, Everett R. Rhoades, helped establish the AAIP in 1971 and is the organization's last living founding member, according to a University of Oklahoma news release. The elder Rhoades, also a Kiowa Tribe member, went on to become the first Native American director of the Indian Health Service, a role he held for 11 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The AAIP presented the award at its 54th Annual Meeting & Health Conference, held Sept. 17-20 in Oklahoma City at the OKANA Resort & Waterpark.

"I was deeply honored and humbled to receive this award," Rhoades said in the OU release. "Throughout my career, AAIP has provided encouragement, mentorship and a community of colleagues who share a commitment to improving the health of Indigenous peoples."

Rhoades serves as the inaugural director of the Native American Center for Cancer Health Excellence, housed within the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. In that role, she has expanded the cancer center's outreach to tribal communities and increased tribal partnerships, the university said. She also created the Stephenson Cancer Center's Tribal Advisory Council.

The center's approach is built on research, outreach and education, workforce training, access to care and health systems improvement, Rhoades said. She described the work as grounded in "bidirectional partnerships, mutual respect and a steadfast commitment to tribal sovereignty."

Rhoades has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and led or contributed to 29 research projects and grants focused on tobacco use and cancer prevention and screening. Much of that work has been done in collaboration with Tribal Nations, the university said. She has also served twice as secretary of the AAIP Executive Board and mentored early-career Indigenous researchers.

Earlier in 2026, Rhoades received the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board's Building Resiliency in Indian Country Award for her career in service to Native health outcomes.