Dr. Miles Rudd, M.D.
April 2008
2008 IHS Physician of the Year
Clinical Director, Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center
Dr. Miles Rudd is Clinical Director of Warm Springs Health and Wellness Center, located on the reservation of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, OR. While working with IHS and serving at Warm Springs since 1994, Dr. Rudd has found personal and professional fulfillment at home practicing family medicine in a rural, public health setting.
Dr. Rudd originally planned to spend only a few years working as a Tribal physician in Warm Springs, intending to complete his service obligation and then to begin a private practice in his home state of North Carolina. His IHS Loan Repayment Program (LRP) award obligated him to serve three years, but the fulfillment he found serving the community at Warm Springs encouraged him to stay in the community for 13 years.
Not only did Dr. Rudd’s LRP award benefit him by relieving his educational debt and the financial pressures of getting started in medical practice, it helped his community by enabling him to stay and form long-term relationships with patients. Dr. Rudd cites LRP as a major factor in bringing continuity of care and improved health outcomes to his Warm Springs community.
During his time with IHS, Dr. Rudd has made a personal impact on the Tribal community, working at the local, state and national level to improve health care delivery and access for Tribal members. He is known for his effort to reduce local deaths due to automobile accidents, an endeavor that led the Tribal Council to pass a crucial seat belt law in 2001.
Within IHS, Dr. Rudd has played a leadership role in many efforts, including Chairman of the IHS National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, a group that strives to make quality, affordable medications more available for AI/AN people. He is also a leading regional consultant for IHS in combating tuberculosis as well as a leader and adviser to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on the use of the IHS Electronic Health Record.
Dr. Rudd is also well regarded for his involvement in the local medical community. Over the years, he has served in the leadership of the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) in numerous positions, including president in 2002.
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