Key Leaders

RADM Michael D. Weahkee [PDF - 98 KB], an enrolled member of the Zuni Tribe, is Acting Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The IHS is the principal federal health care advocate and provider of health care services for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

RADM Chris Buchanan [PDF - 49 KB], an enrolled member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, is Deputy Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The IHS is the principal federal health care advocate and provider of health care services for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Elizabeth A. Fowler [PDF - 65 KB], a member of the Comanche Nation with descendancy from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is the Deputy Director for Management Operations for the Indian Health Service (IHS). The IHS, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is the principal federal health care advocate and provider for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

RADM Michael Toedt, M.D., [PDF - 42 KB] serves as the Chief Medical Officer of the Indian Health Service. The IHS, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is the principal federal health care provider for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Jonathan Merrell, RN, BSN, MBA [PDF - 53 KB], an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma by Delaware descent, is the Acting Deputy Director for Quality Health Care for the Indian Health Service.

P. Benjamin Smith, [PDF - 109 KB] an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, is the Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs for the Indian Health Service (IHS). The IHS, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Rear Adm. Kevin Meeks [PDF - 52 KB], a member of the Chickasaw Nation, is the Deputy Director of Field Operations for the Indian Health Service (IHS). The IHS, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is the principal federal health care advocate and provider for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

CAPT Brandon Taylor [PDF - 112 KB], an enrolled member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation, is the Chief of Staff for the Indian Health Service. As the Chief of Staff and a member of IHS senior staff, Taylor oversees the coordination of key Agency activities and supports the Office of the Director in a broad range of duties related to the development and implementation of IHS initiatives and priorities.