Gary Ferguson, ND

Dr. Gary Ferguson serves as Faculty and Director of Outreach and Engagement at IREACH. Originally from the Shumagin Islands community of Sand Point, Alaska, he is Unangax̂ (Aleut) and an enrolled member of the Qagan Tayagunin Tribe. Dr. Ferguson has an ND from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine and a BS in Spiritual Studies from Multnomah University. In addition, he trained in Addiction Medicine as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, completed an Indian Health Service Healthy Native Communities Fellowship in Community Health with the Indian Health Service, and earned a Foraker Certificate in Nonprofit Management and a Graduate Certificate in Business from the Alaska Native Executive Leadership Program. Formally trained as a Naturopathic Physician, Dr. Ferguson has a passion for healthy communities and a population health approach. He is the co-producer of the Store Outside Your Door – Alaska Native cultural food traditions around how to hunt, fish, gather, and grow. He also currently has several volunteer and professional organization positions, including with the Alaska Traditional Foods Community Advisory Board, Alaska Growth Capital CDFI Advisory Board, the Arctic Council Working Group/Sustainable Development Working Group/Arctic Human Health Expert Group, Alaska Association of Naturopathic Physicians (Member/Past President), American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (Member), American Indian Cancer Foundation (Board Director, Chair), State of Alaska Pain & Opioid Management ECHO (Team Member), The Aleut Corporation (Board Director, Treasurer/Past President), University of Alaska Master of Public Health Advisory Committee, and Washington State University Center for Native American Health Sciences Indigenous Healer Cohort. His prior positions include providing clinical services to his home region at Eastern Aleutian Tribes, serving at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium as Senior Director of Community Health Services, and as Chief Executive Officer at RurAL CAP. Dr. Ferguson’s personal interests include nutrition, traditional foods, botanical/traditional medicines, Indigenous health, hiking, photography, music, travel, outdoor recreation, boating, fishing, hunting, gardening, and reading.

IREACH Programs

• IREACH
  Research Associate Professor and Director of Outreach and Engagement
• Community Health and Aging in Native Groups of Elders Resource Center for Minority Aging Research
  Community Integration Lead
• Native Center for Alcohol Research and Education
  Co-Investigator
• Native-Controlling Hypertension and Risk Through Technology
  Satellite Center Lead
• Natives Engaged in Alzheimer’s Research
  Director of Outreach
• University of Washington Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
  Co-Investigator

Projects

• Native Center for Alcohol Research and Education (NCARE)
  Co-Investigator
• Native-Controlling Hypertension and Risk through Technology (Native-CHART) Consortium Core
  Satellite Center Lead
• Natives Engaged in Alzheimer’s Research (NEAR) Research Project 1 (RP1): INdians Transforming Alzheimer’s Care Training (INTACT)
  Director of Outreach
• Pilot study of a culturally tailored diabetes education curriculum with real-time continuous glucose monitoring in a Latinx population with type 2 diabetes
  Co-Investigator
• University of Washington Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (UW ADRC): Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core (ORE Core)
  Co-Investigator