Mary Fairbanks
Teacher and Nurse in Bemidji, Minnesota
Dr. Mary is a Professor of Nursing at Bemidji State University. In 1985, as a Commissioned Corps officer with the US Public Health Service, Mary began her nursing career with Indian Health Service. In 2009 she retired as a CAPT from the Commissioned Corps and started a second career in education when she left her assignment with the Indian Health Service. Her nursing career with Indian Health Service included nursing roles in small rural hospitals, a Tribal health program and IHS regional headquarters. Her clinical experience is in various units of inpatient, outpatient, emergency as well as home care and public health. While director of a Tribal public health nursing program, she developed a comprehensive community health program. As the Director of Nursing at an Indian Health Service hospital, she focused on strengthening the nurse work force in number and quality to achieve optimum patient outcomes. At the regional office she consulted for Indian health care programs on performance improvement, health promotion and disease prevention. She was a member of the National Indian Health Service Nurse Council for five years. She gained experience from leaders throughout IHS including nurse executives, tribal leaders, and other health care professionals on Indian health care policy and Indian health issues. As a USPHS officer, she had special deployment training for public health emergencies and has deployed for a rural high school shooting and for Hurricane Katrina. Mary has a Master's Degree in Nursing with a Minor in Public Health from the University of Minnesota where she also completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree with a focus in public health nursing. Her practice interest is in stress relief and career interest is in increasing American Indians into nursing. She teaches community health nursing, leadership & management, nursing informatics, communication and family nursing. She is a citizen of the White Earth Band of Ojbwe of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, is married, and has three children.