Bret Benally Thompson, MD

Dr. Benally Thompson is an enrolled tribal member of the White Earth Ojibwe and is a Clinical Associate Professor in Palliative Care at the UW Health Department of Medicine, and also serves as the Director of Indigenous Health and Cultural Guidance at NACHP. From the very start of his tenure at UW, Dr. Benally Thompson has shared his knowledge, expertise, mentorship, teachings, and culture with so many within our organization to not only advance medical
education, but to also foster a welcoming and nurturing environment for all learners, in particular American Indian/Alaska Native students. He has been a pivotal contributor to establishing NACHP, which was founded in 2012. Over the past decade, Dr. Benally Thompson served as a founding member of the NACHP advisory council and now holds the position as its Principal Investigator of the Indians into Medicine (INMED) grant. Additionally, Dr. Benally Thompson serves as a founding course co- director for the first American Indian health focused course to be offered at UWSMPH, as well as Principal Investigator of two Wisconsin Partnership Program grants – Food Sovereignty with the Oneida Nation and Increasing Indigenous Representation in Medicine through Innovation, Academics and Engagement (IIMAGIN) awards. Each of these leadership roles are in addition to his on-going service as a Palliative Care physician providing end of life care for his patients and is a well-respected expert and leader in his department.

Beyond Dr. Benally Thompson’s contributions to academic medicine, he also provides exceptional mentorship and guidance to aspiring future physicians, current medical students, residents and fellows. Knowing the importance of mentorship in his own journey into medicine, Dr. Benally Thompson is a tireless advocate for students. He often holds regular office hours, monthly lunches and talking circles with students, provides shadowing, and serves as a mentor for UWSMPH’s mentorship program called Building Equitable Access to Mentorship (BEAM). He also serves as the advisor for the UWSMPH Association of Native American Medical Students (ANAMS) chapter, as well as co-advisor for UW-Madison’s American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) undergraduate student chapter. Dr. Benally Thompson’s service to AISES also runs much deeper than his role as advisor as a long-standing and dedicated member of the national AISES community where he currently serves on the Council of Elders, alongside his beloved wife, Antoinelle Benally Thompson.