Dr. Esther Tailfeathers, a member of the Blood Tribe, was born and raised on the Blood Reserve in southern Alberta. A graduate of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, she completed her Family Medicine residency at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Over her career, she has provided care in many First Nations communities, including nearly 20 years of service on the Blood Reserve, work in the Emergency Room on the Blackfeet Reservation, and service in the remote northern community of Fort Chipewyan. Until June 2023, Dr. Tailfeathers was the Medical Lead of the Indigenous Wellness Core for Alberta Health Services. She is particularly proud of leading a relief mission to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, where a team of Blood Tribe paramedics, nurses, and healthcare workers cared for over 2,000 patients.

In recent years, her work has focused on responding to the fentanyl and opioid crisis that began affecting her community in 2014. Dr. Tailfeathers has been deeply involved in harm reduction strategies, treatment initiatives, and addressing the upstream social determinants of health on the Blood Reserve, making this the cornerstone of her efforts for the past decade.

Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Tailfeathers is most proud of her two children: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, an award-winning actor and filmmaker, recognized with a Canadian Screen Award for Night Raiders and an Outstanding Directorial Achievement award for Little Bird, and Piinaakoyim Seen From Afar, a Blood Tribe council member and recent heavyweight boxing champion.