Staff Bio
Captain (Capt.) Damion Killsback, PharmD, MPH, a Northern Cheyenne Nation native, serves as the Director for the Office of Tribal Affairs and Strategic Alliances (OTASA) in the Public Health Infrastructure Center at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Role at CDC
As Director of OTASA, Capt. Killsback serves as the main advisor to policy-level officials regarding public health issues affecting American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. He is dedicated to upholding the agency's focus on working with AI/AN communities to ensure they receive public health services that help keep them safe and healthy.
Previous experience
Capt. Killsback has over 20 years of experience in clinical pharmacy, public health, and administration, and work dedicated to AI/AN healthcare, health policy, and public health issues. Prior to this role, he served as the Chief Executive Officer for the Northern Cheyenne Service Unit in the Indian Health Service.
His additional previous leadership roles include the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Acting Director for the Division of Policy and Data, and AI/AN Policy Lead. Capt. Killsback held the position of Senior Advisor for Tribal Affairs and was the lead of the Tribal Affairs Team. During his time there, he played a key role in establishing the Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity Tribal Advisory Committee. Additionally, he served as the Office of Minority Health's Tribal Liaison for all Tribal Affairs activities, including the Health and Human Services Secretary's Tribal Advisory Committee, the Interdepartmental Council on Native American Affairs, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Work Group.