We collaborate with groups and communities across Canada working to promote the health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit and Métis women through research and knowledge translation. This work has included collaboration with Indigenous communities on developing community-driven, culture-led Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder prevention strategies; examination of First Nations women’s experiences with the mainstream health care system; collaboration with six First Nations communities in British Columbia to assess smoking in teen girls; and, exploring issues in rural First Nations maternity care.
We have worked with Dr. Colleen Dell, the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, and many others to study how Indigenous traditional culture is understood and practiced in treatment centres engaging Indigenous youth and adults. Learn more here.
Info Sheets and Guides:
Three discussion guides draw upon Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and trauma-informed practice (2018):
- Trauma-Awareness, Sex, and Gender Skills for Trauma-Informed Practice (English, French, Inuktitut)
- Strengths-Based Conversation Skills for Trauma-Informed Practice (English, French, Inuktitut)
- Grounding Skills for Trauma-Informed Practice (English, French, Inuktitut)
Booklet:
- Repairing the Holes in the Net project: Improving Systems of Care for Northern Homeless Women with Mental Health Challenges (2015) – This booklet describes how diverse researchers, health care and social service providers, community advocates, and policy makers worked to find ways to understand the complexity of homelessness and make shifts in whole systems of service delivery within Canada’s 3 northern territories.
Reports:
- Hearing the Perspectives of Aboriginal Girls on Smoking (2009) – In partnership with six Indigenous communities in British Columbia and the University of British Columbia, this report features findings on how age, gender, culture, and context intersect to shape Indigenous girls’ experiences of smoking.
Collaborations and Partnerships:
- A Mustard Seed of Hope (2023) – Created with the Nota Bene Consulting group, this booklet features culturally grounded approaches within wraparound care for pregnant and parenting women dealing with substance use and trauma.
- Cannabis Prevalence in Inuit Communities: A Literature Review (2020) – This report was prepared for Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada. It presents findings from academic and grey literature on cannabis use by Inuit and Indigenous peoples in Canada and effective culturally grounded substance use interventions. Learn more about the project here.
In collaboration with the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation and the Canada FASD Research Network, a consensus statement in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #33 (2017) was developed through dialogue with leading experts in Indigenous health and wellness, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). From that work a series of 5 booklets on Indigenous Approaches to FASD Prevention was developed. Indigenous approaches to FASD Prevention series:
Learn more:
- Visit the Publications page to find related journal articles and other publications of interest.