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and UCI tells us there are no Qualified Native American Doctors

People Spotlight: Dr. Charles Knife Chief

By Staff Reports 7/6/2008
Last Modified: 7/6/2008 3:02 AM
Medical director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?articleID=20080706_48_E2_hDrCha672369

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma has named Dr. Charles Knife Chief as medical director.
Knife Chief is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. He has spent nearly 25 years practicing medicine, and was most recently the OB/GYN for Associated Women's Specialists in Tulsa.

He first was with a group practice, Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, in La Jolla, Calif., then had a solo OB/GYN practice in Claremore, and was a a staff OB/GYN physician at Claremore Indian Hospital.

A native of Pawnee, Knife Chief said most of his family still live in his hometown. He said he has been active in the Native American culture his entire life, attending powwows in Oklahoma and throughout the United States — local dances and ceremonies.

"I started dancing when I was three years old, and danced competitively until I was 20 years old," Knife Chief said. "I was a member of an Indian dance troupe that performed throughout the country, sharing our culture and heritage with non-Indians."

A graduate of Magnolia High School in Anaheim, Calif., Knife Chief earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Utah, and his medical degreefrom the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

He is a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a member of the Association of American Indian Physicians. He is a past member of the American Medical Association, the Oklahoma State Medical Society and the Rogers County Medical Society.
Charles and his wife of more than 35 years, Kimberly, have five living children and a special needs daughter, Kelly, who died while on a heart-lung transplant list.

Their oldest daughter, Heather, is a Realtor in Claremore; son Andrew, an ex-Marine, is graduating from Oklahoma City University this fall; daughter Sarah is starting her fourth year of orthopedic residency in Oklahoma City; daughter Elizabeth is completing cosmetology training; and daughter Haley will be attending the University of Oklahoma in the fall. They also have four granddaughters and one grandson.

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