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2026 Rare Disease Summit - October 7th
Tahlequah, OK - Registration NOW OPEN!

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Conference Date

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Until the Event

October 7, 2026 8:00 am (CT)

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About the Summit

Cherokee Nation Health Services is hosting a Rare Disease Summit, bringing together specialty physicians, healthcare professionals, and community members to address rare diseases affecting our tribal citizens.

This event will cover key medical topics and some classified rare diseases. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with experts through a Q&A panel featuring a neurology specialist, fostering open discussions and deeper insights. Our goal is to raise awareness and enhance support for rare diseases that impact our reservation and the wider Cherokee Nation.

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2026 Summit Speakers

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.
Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner
Deputy Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation
Canaan Duncan
Deputy Secretary of State
Dr. Beth Harp, MD
DO Health Services Executive Medical Director
Prashant Kaushik, MD
Rheumatologist
Jennifer Baysinger, MSN, RN
Registered Nurse
Dr. Smaranda Galis, MD
Specialty: Neurology
Shari Nelson Arceneaux, BSN, RN
Newborn Screening Educator
Lacy Eidson BSN,RN-BIO
Marianna Wetherill, PhD, MPH, RDN/LD, DipACLM

2026 Summit Schedule

Registration & Breakfast

  • 9:00 am - 9:45 am
  • Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center (CNOHC) Community Room ABC

Welcome and Opening Remarks

  • Canaan Duncan – Deputy Secretary of State
  • Chuck Hoskin Jr. – Principal Chief
  • Bryan Warner – Deputy Principal Chief
  • Beth Harp, DO, MHA – Chief Medical Officer.
  • 9:45 am - 10:15 am
  • Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center (CNOHC) Community Room ABC

Keynote Address
What is Rare Disease? Prevalence, Population Impact, and Why It Matters

  • Sydney Martinez, PhD, MPH
  • 10:15 am - 11:00 am
  • Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center (CNOHC) Community Room ABC

Break

  • 11:00 am - 11:15 am

Lunch

  • 11:15 am - 12:00 pm
  • Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center (CNOHC) Community Room ABC

Resource Fair

  • 11:15 am - 12:00 pm
  • Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center (CNOHC) Community Room Hallways

Breakout Session

Rare Disease Empowerment & Advocacy

  • Leah Campbell
  • Sky Collins
  • 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm
  • Cherokee Nation Outpatient Center (CNOHC) Conf. 2A/2B

Breakout Session

Food as Medicine

  • Marianna Wetherill, PhD, MPH, RDN/LD, DipACLM
  • 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm
  • Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences at Cherokee Nation Lecture Hall – Floor 1

Breakout Session

Oklahoma Newborn Screening Program

  • Shari Arceneaux, RN
  • 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm
  • Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences at Cherokee Nation Lecture Hall – Floor 3

Break

  • 1:00 pm - 1:15 pm

Breakout Session

Genetics and Rare Disease

  • Lacy Eidson, BSN, RN
  • Renee Botts, RN
  • 1:15 pm - 2:00 pm
  • Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center (CNOHC) Conf. 2A/2B

Breakout Session

Genetics and Rare Disease

  • Danielle DeMarzo-Burdsall, MD, FACMG
  • 1:15 pm - 2:00 pm
  • Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences at Cherokee Nation Lecture Hall – Floor 1

Breakout Session

Neurology Rare Disease

  • Smaranda Galis, MD
  • 1:15 pm - 2:00 pm
  • Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences at Cherokee Nation Lecture Hall – Floor 3

Break

  • 2:00 pm - 2:15 pm

Breakout Session

Nutrition for Rare Disease Management

  • Tonya Swim, MBA, RD/LD
  • 2:15 pm - 3:00 pm
  • Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center (CNOHC) Conf. 2A/2B

Breakout Session

Reversing Systemic Inflammatory Diseases with Intense Lifestyle Medicine

  • Prashant Kaushik, MD
  • 2:15 pm - 3:00 pm
  • Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences at Cherokee Nation Lecture Hall – Floor 1

Breakout Session

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Rare Disease

  • Meagan McCall, DO
  • 2:15 pm - 3:00 pm
  • Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences at Cherokee Nation Lecture Hall – Floor 3

Break

  • 3:00 pm - 3:15 pm

Closing Plenary

Speaker Q&A Panel

  • Moderated by Beth Harp, DO (Chief Medical Officer)
  • Panel - TBD
  • 3:15 pm - 3:45 pm
  • Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center (CNOHC) Community Room ABC

Location

Address:

Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center
19600 E Ross St. Tahlequah, OK
United States

  • Phone: (539) 234-2273
  • Email: cherokeerdsummit@cherokee.org
Website:

cherokeerdsummit.com