This article profiles Susan LaFlesche Picotte, the first Native American woman doctor in the United States. Several accounts record that at a very young age Picotte witnessed an incident involving a Caucasian doctor who refused to care for a dying Native American woman. Picotte was inspired by that incident to become a physician, ultimately becoming the first Native American woman to earn a medical degree. In addition to her medical career, Dr. Picotte was a public health advocate and a civil rights activist. Picotte became a spokesperson for her people, battling government bureaucracy and working for economic, social, and spiritual advancement of Native Americans. Picotte dedicated her life to the service of others; Picotte is without a doubt the true American heroine.