GeriScholars Participant Works to Improve Elder Care in a Tribal Community
Family physician Dr. Patricia Chico recently joined the Indian Health Service Geriatric Scholars (GeriScholars) Program. Through the program, she is advancing a project to help boost enrollment for tribal elders and strengthen care in her clinic.
Dr. Chico serves at the Warner Mountain Indian Health Project in Fort Bidwell, California. The clinic sits on the current and ancestral lands of the Gidutikad Band of the Northern Paiute Tribe. Working in this rural Tribal community has strengthened her commitment to relationship-based care and to making services easier for elders and families to access.
As a GeriScholars participant, she is leading a project called “A Win Win: Increasing Enrollment for IHS Recipients and Providers in a Frontier Tribal Community.” She hopes the effort will make it easier for elders to receive consistent, coordinated care.
Dr. Chico has always valued caring for patients across their entire lifespan. That commitment naturally drew her toward geriatric care and, ultimately, to the GeriScholars Program.
Her dedication to community-centered care began early. She grew up in southwest Chicago in a multigenerational Mexican American family. Her mother, the first U.S.-born member of the family, worked as a nurse and later as a nurse practitioner. Watching her mother advocate for families shaped Dr. Chico’s own approach to medicine.
“Her example pushed me to care for my patients in the same way,” she said. “People who are often overlooked still show strength and determination. My job is to connect them with the support they deserve.”
In 2018, Dr. Chico moved to California and began practicing in rural settings. Her work has taken her from Yosemite to the Redwoods and along the Northern California coast, deepening her understanding of the challenges and strengths within these communities.
Dr. Chico also values the collaborative nature of the GeriScholars Program. Hearing about other clinicians’ projects gives her practical ideas she can bring back to her community.
She brings lived experience, clinical skill, and a strong commitment to community-centered care. Her work supports elders, strengthens families, and helps build healthier futures across generations.
The 2026 GeriScholars Program is accepting applications for this cohort. Apply today on the Alzheimer's Program's website.
Caption: Dr. Patricia Chico is a participant of the Indian Health Service Geriatric Scholars (GeriScholars) Program.
Option A: Offers up to $750,000 in the first year to one awardee to expand dementia care through mini-projects, training, and technical assistance.
The Alzheimer's Association has books, videos, activities, and other resources that parents, families, caregivers, and teachers can use to navigate the disease. Visit the 