River Cornelius, MD

• University of Washington School of Medicine – MD
• Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency – Seattle Indian Health Board

Bio

River Cornelius, MD (they/them) is an Oneida (Turtle Clan) and Two Spirit physician trained in family medicine. After completing their undergraduate studies at Harvard University with degrees in molecular and cellular biology and global health and health policy, Cornelius went on to graduate from the University of Washington School of Medicine. There they completed the Indian Health pathway and took on leadership through Medicine Wheel Society and the Addiction Medicine Interest Group. They contributed to curriculum change regarding both addiction medicine and missing and murdered Indigenous women and people and participated in research describing potential protective factors in Indigenous communities regarding substance use. They completed their training through the Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency (Seattle, WA) with their continuity clinic at the Seattle Indian Health Board. During their residency, they assisted with establishing a standardized prenatal chart review and expanded 2SLGBTQ+ care at their clinic and took on leadership as an OB lead resident during their last year.

Cornelius has spoken on Two Spirit health disparities on multiple occasions including the International Meeting on Indigenous Child Health (Oklahoma City, 2023) and the Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress (Vancouver, B.C., 2022). However, some of their most formative experiences centered around consistently volunteering for land rehabilitation and reclamation for the Snoqualmie Tribe throughout medical school and residency, an experience that provided personal growth and grounding.

Clinical Interests

Cornelius’s clinical interests include reproductive health and obstetrics, Indigenous health, 2SLGBTQ+ health, and addiction medicine.