Physician, attorney and health policy advocate, Michael is Managing Director, Programs, at Nia Tero, working with Indigenous peoples around the world to nurture and support Indigenous guardianship of Earth’s vital ecosystems. Michael is originally from Oklahoma. He is a proud, enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. He works enthusiastically but with focused urgency around the nation and the world looking for ideas and innovation that will help build a better, just and healthier future for all on a rapidly warming planet.Before coming to Nia Tero, Michael had 15 productive years as a senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In 2003-2004, Michael was an RWJF Health Policy Fellow with Senator William Frist, MD, then Majority Leader where, among other things, he was the Senator’s lead staff person for the “Closing the Health Care Gap Act” (S2091). Prior to that, Michael was an attending physician and the chief of medical staff at the Seattle Indian Health Board, a community health center serving urban American Indians and Alaska Natives. Michael holds a JD from Stanford Law School and an MD from the University of Washington. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Association of American Indian Physicians. He serves on the Fred Hutch Cancer Center board of advisors, and the boards of the Seattle Indian Health Board, We Are Healers and the Princeton Buddhist Meditation Group.

Physician, attorney, and advocate for a healthy future for all, Michael Painter has been a senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation since 2005. To Michael, a healthy future is one where humans thrive in harmony with all living things and serve as sacred protectors of our home. He and his colleagues scour the nation and the world looking for great ideas that can help us build that just and equitable future on a warming planet. In 2003-2004, Painter was an RWJF Health Policy Fellow with Senator William H. Frist, MD, then Majority Leader. Prior to that, he was the chief of medical staff at the Seattle Indian Health Board, a community health center serving urban American Indians and Alaska Natives. Michael holds a JD from Stanford Law School and an MD from University of Washington. Michael is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.• At RWJF described as a visionary and an intellectual engine. Reputation as an intellectual risk-taker with broad ranging curiosity and avid collaborator. Leads colleagues into new, uncharted areas fearlessly with good cheer and great humor.• Tireless and relentless dedication to nurturing health equity.• Areas of inquiry have included value transformation in health care, health data infrastructure, adoption of electronic health records, health adisparities, artificial intelligence in health, climate change and health, reconnecting people with nature to advance health, biophilic design and, global innovation exchange.• Passionate about working for and with Indigenous people.• RWJF liaison to TED, TEDMED and Skoll World Forum. Co-host for two globally live-streamed TEDMED sessions, 2016, Palm Springs, CA. Member of TEDMED Editorial Advisory Board.• Lead on major RWJF project (2005-2007) — “Aligning Forces for Quality", (2005-2011), $300 million, 10 year effort.• Program officer for RWJF Health Policy Fellows program (2006-present).

Duties with Senator Frist included drafting and negotiating legislation, developing health policy strategies, coordinating stakeholder input, preparing for hearings, drafting speeches, opinion letters and press releases. Subject areas include: health care quality, health and health care disparities, health information infrastructure and uninsurance solutions. Major responsibilities: • Lead staff person for Senator Frist’s Closing the Health Care Gap Act of 2004.• Outreach regarding the Closing the Health Care Gap Act of 2004.• Planned and moderated Senate Republican Conference Minority Health Quality Forum—Forum participants included U.S. Senators and agency leaders from Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, NIH, AHRQ and others.• Major drafting and preparation role for Sen. Frist’s 2003 “Shattuck Lecture” and subsequent New England Journal of Medicine article, “Health Care in the 21st Century” without attribution.• Major drafting role on “Overcoming Disparities in U.S. Health Care,” published in Health Affairs with attribution.

Member of Seattle Indian Health Board—Board of Directors—October 1992 through March 1995 • Board Representative to Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Summit on Native American Health Care Reform, Washington, D.C. (March 15-16, 1993).• Alternate Commissioner on Seattle Indian Services Commission (January 1994-March 1995). Resident Physician—July 1995 through June 1998. • Established primary care practice based at SIHB • Lead for Ryan White funding to develop clinic’s HIV team, including dedicated RN care manager, patient registry and infectious disease specialist referral link for clinic’s HIV patients. Attending Physician—August 1998 through December 2004. • Practice included adult, pediatric and obstetric medicine and teaching of medical residents and students. • Chief of Medical Staff.• Physician lead on clinic award winning Diabetes Team. • Physician lead on clinic HIV Team.• Clinical instructor appointment at University of Washington.• Completed University of Washington, School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine Faculty Development Fellowship, 2000-2001. Prepared course curriculum entitled: “Practical Legal Tips for the Primary Care Physician”.• Annual panel participant for “Images of the Physician” discussion for University of Washington Introduction to Clinical Medicine course for second year medical students.• Annual participant in Native America Calling radio talk show: “Men’s Health” hour segment.Chair of Washington State Department of Health Collaborative on Adult Preventive Services – June 2002 through November 2003.Medical educator and consultant—primary care HIV/AIDS management with the NW AIDS Education and Training Center and Tribal BEAR Project—March 2002 through August 2003.

Associate attorney-corporate real estate transactions.