Dr. Esther Tailfeathers is a family physician and an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the Cummings School of Medicine, and the assistant dean, Indigenous Health within the Indigenous, Local and Global Health Office (ILGHO).
Born and raised on the Blood Reserve (Kainai First Nation) in Southern Alberta, Dr. Tailfeathers earned her medical degree from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and completed her family medicine residency at the University of Alberta. Dr. Tailfeathers has worked in many rural settings, including the Blood Reserve, Fort Chipewyan, Paul First Nation and the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. A passionate physician leader, Dr. Tailfeathers has helped advance culturally safe care and improve access to health services for Indigenous peoples, while also advancing mental health and addiction recovery. She helped to develop the Indigenous Health Commitments: Roadmap to Wellness strategy for the province and led the Blood Tribe’s response to the opioid crisis efforts that inspired the award-winning documentary Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy.