In our first video from the SK-NEIHR's First Nations and Métis Research Engagement Day, immerse yourself in thought-provoking presentations highlighting groundbreaking studies and a question and answer period on:

Dr. Stacey Lovo: Remote Presence Robotics for Chronic Back Pain Care (0:00 to 7:50)

Dr. Bobby Henry: Métis Identity & Cancer Survivors' Stories (7:52 to 18:44)

Dr. Sarah Oosman and Liz Derocher: Aging Well in Northern Saskatchewan Métis Communities (18:46 to 33:16)

Dr. Caroline Tait: Organ Donation & Transplantation with Indigenous Peoples (33:18 to 45:15)

Q&A Session (45:20 to 1:01)

Enjoy this dynamic session exploring the implications of COVID-19 on food security, pediatric rehabilitation needs, diabetes prevention, telehealth, and mental health among Indigenous communities.

Our lineup includes:

Mojtaba Shafiee: COVID-19's Impact on Urban Indigenous Food Security (0:00 to 11:26)

Hailey Dunn: Pediatric Rehab Needs Assessment in First Nations Communities (11:28 to 24:36)

Marisa Desmarais: Promoting Healthy Living with Cowessess First Nation (24:38 to 34:44)

Rosalie Dostie: Telehealth for Indigenous Pediatric Rehabilitation (34:45 to 45:03)

Charlotte Ross: Indigenous Mental Health & Wellbeing through Language Revitalization (45:05 to 56:35)

Q & A Session (56:36 to 1:05)

Originally recorded June 8, 2023

Hear from Dr. Robert (Bobby) Henry (nominated principal investigator of the SK-NEIHR), Dr. Stacey Lovo, PhD (principal investigator, SK-NEIHR, and Chair of the Communications and Knowledge Translation Committee), Fleur Macqueen Smith (Manager, SK-NEIHR) and other SK-NEIHR staff about the support and funding we offer, including seed funding to develop research partnerships, and knowledge translation to share research findings. More information on our funding is available on the Funding tab of our website. 

Originally recorded November 25, 2021

SK-NEIHR staff Fleur Macqueen Smith and Rhonda Taillon discuss preparing grant budgets. Topics include who you can pay, budget categories, staff and student compensation, materials, supplies and services, and travel. They also touch on how to write budget justification documents and what you're able to do once funding has been awarded.

Originally recorded November 3, 2021

The SK-NEIHR staff hosted this webinar to introduce the network, learn about relationship building through supportive partnerships with researchers and First Nations and Métis communities, and find out how to apply for our Community Partnership research support funds. Due to technical difficulties, the recording of this webinar is not available. However, slides from the webinar and a report from the post-event survey are posted below. 

• Building Research Together slides
• Building Research Survey Report

Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR) Services and Research Supports 

Presenters:
Jason Disano, Director, Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR, https://chasr.usask.ca/)

Dr. Stacey Lovo, Assistant Professor, School of Rehabilitation Science, USask, and Principal Applicant, nātawihowin and mamawiikikayaahk Research Networks (SK-NEIHR)

About CHASR

The Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research (CHASR) is a unique university-based research support and consulting service, housed at the University of Saskatchewan. Operating on a cost-recovery basis, CHASR regularly engages and supports academic-based researchers from a variety of disciplines, backgrounds, and institutions, government and NGO clients, and private sector firms. CHASR supports research projects at all stages. It offers research support and consultation at the design phase; data collection through tools including surveys and focus groups; analysis and processing of data; presentation of results through formats such as written reports and visual maps; and customized training services. 

CHASR evolved from the University of Saskatchewan’s Social Sciences Research Laboratories (SSRL), which opened in 2011, and since that time has worked with clients across Canada and internationally, providing access to eight specialized laboratories and experts in social research methods. Last year, CHASR supported more than 500 researchers spanning more than 350 unique projects. 

Originally recorded April 3, 2020

At this webinar, the first since the launch of the SK-NEIHR, Dr. Caroline Tait discussed developing grant proposals with Indigenous partners. 

Originally recorded August 26, 2021, as part of as part of the 2021 Saskatchewan Indigenous Mentorship Network 2021 Annual Gathering 

All research projects at the University of Saskatchewan that involve human participants require approval from either the Biomedical or Behavioural Research Ethics Boards. Nick presents on seeking approval from the Boards. This presentation will include advice about how to answer questions and observations about common mistakes. Nick Reymond has served as the Behavioural Research Ethics Specialist at the University of Saskatchewan since February 2018. Previous to that he was the Ethics Team Leader at the University of Auckland.

Originally recorded September 22, 2020 for the Saskatchewan Indigenous Mentorship Network 

Dr. Caroline Tait shares her tips for graduate students and new investigators on building your academic CV to give yourself a competitive edge during your job search, in applying for grants, and more.

Originally recorded November 8, 2021, as part of the Saskatchewan Indigenous Mentorship Network 2021 Online Writing Retreat 

Jill McMillan, Graduate Writing Specialist, University Library, USask During this workshop we will review the elements of an academic argument, distinguish between claims and facts, and engage with counterarguments to help strengthen our stance. Jill McMillan is a Learning Specialist with the University Library. She primarily supports graduate students, helping them to become more confident and effective writers.

Dr. Nanvy Van Styvendale (University of Alberta), and Jade McDougall (Lecturer, First Nations University and PhD Candidate, USask), Dr. Robert Henry (USask), Dr. Robert Innes (McMaster University) Co-editors of The Arts of Indigenous Health and Well-Being participate in a question and answer session on developing an edited collection with a university press. Editors speak to the process and to what you need to know as a graduate student contributor or graduate student editor.

Originally recorded February 23, 2023 as part of the Ontario NEIHR webinar series 

The effects of intergenerational trauma and continued settler colonialism have resulted in the loss of identity, culture, and language for many Métis people in Canada. Misconceptions about who is Métis and what it means to be Métis continues to negatively impact the understanding of health, wellbeing, and overall experiences of Métis people and communities in Canada.

With a focus on distinctions-based research in Canada, it is of great importance for students, researchers, universities, policy-makers, and funders to understand the Métis lifeworlds. Despite the historical and contemporary exclusion from Canadian society, Métis identities, cultures, and understandings of relationality continue to persist through their presence and sharing of stories.

To better understand Métis experiences, research must be co-designed or co-developed with Métis people as well as recognized Métis national political bodies, if research and policy to improve the health and wellbeing of Métis people is to be effective.

This presentation focuses on the digital storytelling process developed with The StoryCentre Canada, when  COVID-19 measures limited face-to-face research with Métis youth, adults, and elders, whose familial connections are to the Métis homeland, that includes Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Within the research project ‘We know who we are: Intergenerational understandings of Métis identity and well-being using digital storytelling’ six digital storytelling workshops were held in the fall of 2021 to bring three generations of Métis people together to promote belonging, well-being, and cultural continuity. Through these workshops, participants fostered relationships through the development of their digital stories that helped to express their personal experiences of being Métis, while gaining new opportunities for continued learning which strengthened their connections to their Métis culture. Their reflections and experiences highlight how Métis identity is connected to a stronger sense of self, health and wellbeing.

Originally recorded December 2, 2022

It has been a year since the issue of "pretendianism" reached a national and international fervor within academic institutions, with the University of Saskatchewan at the centre. After the events of the last year, we have seen many different initiatives created, often so quickly that we have not had a chance to really think about the impacts that pretendianism has had on students, community, and those in the academy who have often had to do the hard work of bringing these issues to light, often with little support.

In this roundtable discussion, Métis and First Nations women impacted by pretendianism share their perspectives. This discussion was recorded live on December 2, 2022 at the University of Saskatchewan campus, and livestreamed to Facebook.

Hosted by the Saskatchewan NEIHR network, funded by CIHR (skneihr.ca).

Moderator: Dr. Robert Henry, PhD, Executive Director, nātawihowin and mamawiikikayaahk Research, Training and Mentorship Networks (Saskatchewan NEIHR), Assistant Professor, Indigenous Studies, University of Saskatchewan, citizen, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan

Opening and Closing Comments: Terri Hansen-Gardiner, knowledge keeper in residence, Saskatchewan NEIHR; citizen, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan

Roundtable participants:

Jamie LaFleur, BA(Hons) in anthropology, Masters student in Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan; Research Assistant with Dr. Heather Foulds, Kinesiology; member, Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Saskatchewan

Dr. Winona Wheeler, PhD, associate professor, Indigenous Studies; organizer, Indigenous Women’s Collective, member of Fisher River Cree Nation, Manitoba

Tracey Robinson, organizer, Indigenous Women’s Collective; member, Ahtakakoop Cree Nation, Saskatchewan

Dr. Caroline Tait, PhD, medical anthropologist and outgoing professor in psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan; incoming professor of Social Work, University of Calgary; Founding Principal Investigator, Saskatchewan NEIHR; Nominated Principal Investigator, NEIHR National Coordinating Centre; citizen, Métis Nation-Saskatchewan

Originally recorded Thursday, April 15, 2021

The nātawihowin and mamwiikikayaahk Research Network, (SK-NEIHR), hoested a three-part Racism in Healthcare webinar series.

This, the first webinar in the series focused on the ways in which Indigenous patients naviagate our current health system, what processes and pathways they interact with when faced with a racist encounter, how complaints are managed within the health system and across regulatory bodies, and what response mechanisms exist to redress racismm at the systems level.

This session was facilitated by Dr. Holly Graham, RN, BA, BScN, MN, PhD, R.D, Psychologist, Indigenous Research Chair in Nursuing, Assistant Professor, University of Saskatchewan and opened by Knowledge Keepr Judy Pelly. Dr. Veronica Mckinney, MD, CCFP, an Indigenous physician and Director of Northern Medical Services, provides a lay of the land for healthcare in the province.

Panel members (below) were then invited to respond, situating their responses within their own organizational context.

• Dr. Susan Shaw, MD, FRCPC, CCPE, Chief Medical Officer, Saskatchewan Health Authority
• Allan Adam, BA, Chief Executive Officer, Athabasca Health Authority
• Cindy Smith, RN, Executive Director, Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association
• Andre Letendre, Cultural Systems Advisor, First Nations and Métis Health, SHA
• Dr. James Stempien, BSc, MD, FCFP, CCFP-EM, CCPE, Provincial Department Head Emergency Medicine, University of Saskatchewan
• Bonnie Brossart, Chief Executive Officer, Saskatchewan Medical Association
• Dr. Karen Shaw, MD, Registrar and Chief Medical Officer, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan

Suggested Readings to guide your thinking:

1. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
2. In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care, November 2020             Full Report & Summary
3. Tait CL, Mussell W, Henry R. Micro-Reconciliation as a Pathway for Transformative Change: Applying a reconciliation strategy to the everyday relationships Indigenous peoples have with the human service sector. International Journal of Indigenous Health, 14:2 (2019). https://doi.org/10.32799/ijih.v14i2.31928 

Additional Suggested Readings:

• Boyer Y, Bartlett J. External Review: Tubal Ligation in the Saskatoon Health Region: The Lived Experience of Aboriginal Women. July 2017. 
• The Indigenous Health Writing Group of the Royal College. Indigenous Health Primer. Ottawa, ON: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, 2019. 
• Logan McCallum MJ, and Perry A. Structures of Indifference: An Indigenous Life and Death in a Canadian City. University of Manitoba Press, 2018. 

Originally recorded March 31, 2021

Dr. Veronica McKinney, MD, CCFP, Métis Nation — Saskatchewan Health Minister Marg Friesen, and Knowledge Keeper Judy Pelly discuss COVID-19 vaccination in Saskatchewan. This event was co-hosted by the SK-NEIHR: nātawihowin and mamawiikikayaahk Research Networks  and Métis Nation—Saskatchewan. Greg Riehl RN, MA, Research Manager of the NEIHR National Coordinating Centre moderates this webinar which includes includes a brief information session, followed by a Question and Answer period.

Dr. Veronica McKinney is the Director of Northern Medical Services, which provides healthcare services to 40,000 people living in Northern Saskatchewan through agreements with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada, the Saskatchewan Health Authority, and the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. McKinney, who has Cree and Métis ancestry, is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan’s medical school, and she has decades of experience as a front-line practitioner, professor, and health care leader in Saskatchewan. She was named Physician Leader of the Year by the Saskatchewan Medical Association in 2020. Dr. McKinney believes strongly in her traditional cultural teachings and applies them to her practice of medicine. She is a strong advocate for Indigenous people’s health, having witnessed and experienced the inequities firsthand.

Originally recorded Thursday, March 18, 2021

Speakers:

Originally recorded October 8, 2020.

Dr. Caroline Tait has developed a hybrid model for communities holding funds as part of the Saskatchewan NEIHR network, to increase communities' access to research funds and discusses the pros, cons, and other considerations during this webinar. 

This event was co-hosted by the NEIHR National Coordinating Centre, the nātawihowin and mamawiikikayaahk Research Networks (SK-NEIHR), and the Manitoba NEIHR network Kishaadigeh: Indigenous Self Determination through Research for our Future Generations.

Originally recorded April 9, 2020

Dr. Simon Lambert discusses how past disasters and responses in Indigenous communities can give us insight into responses to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Indigenous communities are simultaneously vulnerable and resilient to environmental and technological hazards. This vulnerability stems from their political and economic oppression. Their resilience comes from their intimate knowledge and relationships with their lands, waters and ecosystems. Indigenous Disaster Risk Reduction is a strategy of Indigenous development, an expression of Indigenous Rights, and a collaborative interface with non-Indigenous society.

Originally recorded August 24, 2021

Suicide and Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma: Some Political Roots of Suicide

The effects of unresolved trauma can be carried across generations through different pathways: psychological, physiological, cultural, social. In this talk, Dr. D'Aragon concentrates on the psychological level, with a focus on how individual development, conjugal relationships and family dynamics can be burdened by the consequences of “unresolvable, colonization related” traumatic losses in prior generations.

He discusses a few situations where a family is affected by suicide today while having lost a family member through institutions like hospital, Residential School or lack of justice two, three, or even four generations ago. These are situations where families were left uninformed and powerless: the acknowledgment of their loss often denied and the context to allow bereavement stolen from them. He describes a few family interventions referring to a Transgenerational Analysis Model as part of a team process involving individuals, family members, extended family and community members.

Normand D'Aragon has been working as a registered psychologist in Quebec since 1983. He has been involved as a practitioner and trainer in a number of First Nations and Inuit communities of Northern Quebec for over 25 years. In his clinical practice with persons at risk of suicide or families struggling with traumatic grief, he has been using a transgenerational analysis model taking into account the family history in its social, cultural and political context. 

Originally recorded May 8, 2019, as part of the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine's Indigenous Health Speaker Series 

Dr. Caroline Tait talks about her perspectives of cultural safety, from more than 20 years of doing community-based research with Indigenous people. 

Originally recorded May 5, 2019 as part of the University of Saskatchewan's Indigenous Achievement Week 

Kim TallBear, author of Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science (2013), is Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies, University of Alberta. She is also Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Peoples, Technoscience, and Society. In addition to studying genome science disruptions to Indigenous self-definitions and the colonial ethics historically of genomic and other physical sciences, Dr. TallBear studies colonial disruptions to Indigenous sexual relations. She also studies and promotes Indigenous scientific and cultural challenges to settler-colonial study and objectification of Indigenous populations and our social and cultural practices. In this talk, she discusses decolonizing science and technology. 

Originally recorded November 21, 2018 as part of the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine's Indigenous Health Speaker Series 

In this talk, Dr. Holly Graham discusses ahkameyimok (resilience). In the Plains Cree language ahkameyimok means “never give up, keep on going, persevere”.  Dr. Graham covers the Five Ws and H (What, Who, Where, When, Why, and How) related to ahkameyimok and explores ways to enhance personal resilience. Dr. Holly Graham is a member of the Thunderchild First Nation. She has worked as a Registered Nurse (RN) in a variety of northern communities, in addition to various other health care environments since 1985. At the time this was recorded, Dr. Graham was an Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing, University of Saskatchewan. 

Originally recorded on October 24, 2018 as part of the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine's  Indigenous Health speaker series 

Join Dr. Michelle Johnson-Jennings in this presentation on transforming historical trauma narratives to improve community health. At the time this was recorded, Dr. Johnson-Jennings, PhD (Choctaw Nation Enrolled Tribal Member) was  the Canada Research Chair (CRC Tier II) Nominee in Indigenous Community-Engaged Research and associate professor in Indigenous Studies, and in Community Health and Epidemiology, at the University of Saskatchewan.