Dr. Audrey L. Tanksley is a board member of ISAM. She was born and raised on the south side of Chicago in the Fernwood community. Dr Tanksely attended Chicago Public Schools and, upon graduation, continued her education at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences. Following this, she attended Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, IL, and completed a Doctorate in Medicine. Dr. Tanksley returned to the Chicagoland area to complete her Internal Medicine residency training at UIC/ Advocate Christ Medical Center where she served as chief resident. Upon completion of residency, she completed a Medical Education Research Fellowship at The University of Chicago Medical Center. Dr. Tanksley completed the Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center, the Integrative Psychiatry fellowship at the Integrative Psychiatry Institute, and is a trained Mind Body Skills Group facilitator. She is dual board-certified in Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She served as Medical Director of Heartland Alliance Health providing homeless healthcare and participating in the violence prevention program READI Chicago. In 2019, Dr. Tanksley became the Regional Medical Director of Near/Far South Region of Access Community Health Network overseeing six health centers, which during Covid included one mass vaccination site and one mass testing site. She is the current CMO of Integrated Health at Friend Health/HRDI.

 

As a researcher, Dr. Tanksley’s academic work focuses on integrative approaches to substance use disorders, trauma, healthcare disparities, and patient-physician relationships. She served as Primary Investigator on an IDPH Grant creating a video on safe opioid prescribing for new prescribers to the state of Illinois. She is the current President of the Cook County Physicians Association, a local society of the National Medical Association. Dr. Tanksley’s scholarly work has been presented at regional and national conferences, including the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Society for General Internal Medicine. She has been the keynote speaker for the National Kidney Foundation, Student National Medical Association Regional Conference, SIU School of Medicine Black History Month, High Jump academic enrichment program, and Advocate Christ Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency Commencement. Dr. Tanksley serves as a mentor for students interested in careers in medicine and educates the masses on the interface of poverty, violence, and disease.

 

Dr. Tanksley is an active member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. She is a proud wife, mother of two outstanding children, and ‘fur mom’ to two active Terriers.

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