Residency Program
Director of Medical Education/FM Residency Director
Cama’i! (Hello!)
Welcome to the PTHA Family Medicine Residency Website. I’m thrilled you have come to this page to learn more about our unique family medicine training program.
My name is Amy Chabitnoy and I have the pleasure to be the program director for our residency. I am Suqpiaq and Unangax on my father’s side and Pennsylvania Dutch on my mother’s side. I grew up just outside of Hershey, Pennsylvania. I went to undergrad at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA and then attended medical school at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. I completed my residency training at the Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency Program/Seattle Indian Health Board in 2019 and remained on as a community faculty attending at SIHB before transitioning to the Residency Site Director role at SIHB before joining the faculty at PTHA in 2023.
Our residency program is honored to be hosted and welcomed by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. In our unique clinic setting, our residents and attendings care for American Indian/Alaskan Native patients representing 202 different tribes, all living within Pierce County. Our training and medical practice incorporates western medical training with traditional/herbal medicine and osteopathic principles/OMM to treat patients and their families in a holistic approach. We continue to care for our patients in the inpatient setting at Tacoma General Hospital, while taking care of patients from the larger Tacoma area as well on the various inpatient rotations.
Traditional Indian Medicine and community involvement are fundamental pillars of our program. We incorporate and welcome Elders and traditional knowledge keepers to our didactics and our residents are welcome and invited to participate in traditional community events such as Canoe Journey and Community Sweats. Our program is proud of our osteopathic recognition and is building a foundation for allopathic residents to gain additional training in osteopathy to enhance their clinical practice. Our residents are all trained in auricular acupuncture and routinely incorporate acupuncture and OMT visits into their daily clinic schedules. We also have a robust addiction medicine curriculum with residents caring for patients on their panel in our medication assisted treatment program. Our clinic is fortunate to have the support of behavioral health, clinical pharmacists, social work, dental, community nurse home navigators, and exercise training all within the same campus.
I am excited to share our program and our care model with you and welcome you to reach out to us with any questions.
Quyanaa, (Thank You)
Amy Chabitnoy, MD
Sugpiaq, Unangax
She/Her
PTHA FMR Program Director
Director of Medical Education
achabitnoy@eptha.com
Clinical Director Welcome
haʔł sləx̌il
(Good day) in Twulshootseed, the local dialect spoken by Salish speaking people.
My name is Minaq, I am Yupik, from southwest Alaska. My English name is William Chythlook, I was born and raised in Aleknagik, Alaska to my parents and grandparents who are originally from the Bristol Bay region. I want to thank you for visiting the PTHA FMR site and we hope that this means you share in our interest to enhance the health of American Indians and Alaska Natives in a culturally appropriate way! I am currently the Clinical Director at PTHA and the previous Program Director.
We are a unique and exciting program that focuses on training healers. We heavily incorporate osteopathic medicine and Traditional Native American practices into our curriculum. We are a dynamic program that builds a solid foundation in family medicine training, while also allowing residents flexibility in experiences to tailor their education to their future practice. We are constantly updating our curriculum to reflect the changing landscape of family medicine.
The PTHA FMR is honored to be hosted by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, historically known amongst Salish tribes, as the spuyaləpabš, “generous and welcoming behavior to all people (friends and strangers) who enter their lands.” The Puyallup Tribe of Indians have lived and thrived in the shadow of the mother of the land, Mount Tahoma, for thousands of years. Living off the gifts supplied by Her, the salmon that swam in her rivers, the wild game, berries that thrived under the cedar trees which were also used to build homes, tools and canoes for transportation.
We are excited that you have taken the time to look at our program and hope that we get a chance to share with you our passion for advancing Native Health not only here in the shadow of Mount Tahoma, but all across Indian Country.
ʔəsk’ʷədiitubułəd čəd (I am grateful for you)
Quyana, (Thank you)
William (Minaq) Chythlook
Yupik
He/Him
PTHA Clinical Director
Additional Residency Program Details
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Our mission as a Family Medicine Residency with Osteopathic Recognition is to provide full-spectrum, high quality education with exceptional faculty who promote wellness and culturally appropriate care in a community-based, supportive environment. We strive to be integrative and teach strategies for working with Native American Traditional Medicine approaches to prepare our residents to care for underserved Native communities.
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Puyallup Tribal Health Authority is the health care division of the Puyallup Tribe, located in Pierce County in Tacoma, Washington. PTHA is considered an urban underserved tribal clinic, and serves all eligible Native Americans from any North American tribe living within Pierce County. PTHA was the first tribal clinic in the United States to enter into a “638 Self-Determination” contract with Indian Health Services, meaning the tribe is responsible for running its own medical program. Since its founding, PTHA has grown to offer mental health, substance abuse treatment, dental services and podiatric treatment as well, alongside an onsite pharmacy and medical laboratory.
PTHA created the country’s first tribal AOA family medicine residency program back in July of 2011, and received the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accreditation in July 1st 2018. We accept applications from both osteopathic (DO) and allopathic trainees (MD).
Here at PTHA, you will experience a cultural, traditional, and welcoming family environment. The Puyallup Tribe is well known for its hospitality and welcomes anyone who comes to visit and work for their members and on their lands. You will learn how to interact with a unique group of peoples, those of Native American descent who come from all backgrounds. You will be exposed to traditional Native Medicine, and offered specific education on cultural practices for different tribes. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for and learn from tribal patients and colleagues in our Family Medicine Residency Program. We are driven to help develop the best health care providers for Native Peoples. We strive to bring awareness of the health disparities in tribal communities, empower our residents to help address them, and to create sustaining bonds between generations of residents and patients alike.
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Residents at PTHA train primarily at two core sites (MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and the Takopid Clinic), as well as rural training at Indian Health Services Sites across WWAMI regions. Obstetric training in the first year of training occurs at both Tacoma General and in Auburn, WA. Opportunities for rural electives are available as well.
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While PTHA was founded and is maintained by the Puyallup Tribe, we welcome all eligible Native Americans, of any age (who reside in Pierce County) to receive care at our clinic. About 30% of patients are Puyallup, but over 300 tribes are represented in our patient population. Residents will work with these patients in our Takopid building, as well as at Tacoma General Hospital. In the hospital you will care not only for Native patients but also those from the greater Tacoma community, serving both adults and children (at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital). Patients come from all walks of life, and across the spectrum of health.
Contact Our Residency Program
Puyallup Tribal Health Authority
2209 East 32nd Street
Tacoma, WA 98404
Taylor Miller
Residency Program Coordinator
tmiller@eptha.com
Amy Lind, MBA
Residency Program Manager
alind@eptha.com
P: 253-441-2634