Osage Nation hires new CEO for Health Programs and Services

Dr. Ron Shaw brings 35 years of medical experience and is Board Certified in Internal and Addiction Medicine

Osage Nation Communications


Former Osage Nation Congressman, Dr. Ron Shaw, addresses a crowd at a groundbreaking for the Nation's first elder nutrition and early learning academy site in Fairfax, Okla. Dr. Shaw is Osage from Grayhorse, one of three traditional Osage communities.

Pawhuska, Oklahoma, (Friday, December 29, 2017)---Dr.Ron Shaw has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer/Chief Medical Officer for the Osage Nation. He will assume the new position on January 1, 2018. Dr. Shaw will officially be resigned from the Osage Nation Congress effective December 31, 2017.
“It is time for me to transition to another role in providing for the health of our people,” said Dr. Shaw.
Dr. Shaw’s duties will include directing the Wah-Zha-Zhi Health Center, the Primary Residential Treatment program, the Diabetes program, and the TASC program. The Osage Nation Health Authority Board has oversight responsibility for the Clinic and these programs and Dr. Shaw will be reporting directly to the Board.
Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear said, “The Osage Nation is also announcing a new health center expansion. The existing clinic has 12,500 square feet and is a building that has outgrown its use. The new health center will be between 30,000 to 40,000 square feet. Dr. Shaw is the perfect person to lead us into this next phase of our growth.”
Dr. Shaw, Osage from Grayhorse, has thirty-five years of medical experience and graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine and is Board Certified in Internal and Addiction Medicine. He is the former Medical Director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services and is President of the national Association of American Indian Physicians. Dr. Shaw was elected to the Osage Nation Congress in 2014. He served as Committee Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and the Health Committee.
Dr. Shaw stated, “The time is now for me to make this transition to another level of service to the Osage people and this change in leadership of our health system cannot wait.”

Osage Nation Health Authority Board
The Osage Nation Health Authority (ONHA) was enacted by the Osage Nation Congress through Bill Number ONCA 11-116 on September 30, 2011, and approved by Principal Chief John D. Red Eagle on October 5, 2011. It is the governing board responsible for consolidating and implementing the organizational structure of the Osage Nation Health & Wellness Division. It is organized to make decisions regarding the operations of all services and facilities of the Osage Nation Health & Wellness Division. And provide a framework for planning, direction, coordinating, delivering, and improving health services that are responsive to the community and patient needs and that improve patient care outcomes.
ONHAB consists of five (5) members who are appointed by the Principal Chief with the advice and consent of the Osage Nation Congress. The ONHAB membership must include at least three (3) enrolled Osage tribal members. All board members will serve a term of three (3) years. At the present time, one board position is currently open.

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