$43 M plan for Indigenous health research launched at U of S

The Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health, based at the University of Saskatchewan, aims to support Indigenous people and their communities to drive Indigenous health research over the next five years.

“To truly address the serious health inequities that exist in comparison to the general Canadian population, Indigenous people need to lead the Indigenous health research in Canada,” Dr. Carrie Bourassa, IIPH’s scientific director, said in a news release.

The federally funded institute's strategic plan will guide research investment of roughly $43 million to 2024.

A significant change will see Canadian Institutes of Health Research cash go directly to Indigenous communities, enabling them to control the research and the sharing of new health knowledge with their communities.

“As we work in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples, communities, researchers and agencies to improve the health of Indigenous Peoples, it is imperative that we recognize Indigenous knowledges and be respectful of Indigenous values, cultures and ways of knowing,” Bourassa said in the release.

Rather than focusing on addressing specific diseases, the strategy will be to look at underlying factors that influence wellness and resilience such as Indigenous self-determination, community wellness, and environmental factors.

The strategy also aims to increase the number of Indigenous researchers and communities engaged in research, foster Indigenous research mentorship, and examine land-based healing strategies such as use of traditional medicines.

This approach will contribute to better health outcomes and more effective health services and products, Bourassa said.

Other programs the IIPH will support include the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative which looks at the interaction of environmental and genetic factors prior to and during conception for diseases that include diabetes, cardiovascular disease and respiratory diseases.

Margaret Kisikaw Piyesis of the CIHR-funded All Nations Hope Network in Regina, a collective of Indigenous people, organizations and agencies focused on HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis C, supports the plan.

“I’m excited that this new plan opens the door for Indigenous communities to access CIHR funds so that as Indigenous people we can look for health solutions for Indigenous communities,” Kisikaw Piyesis said in the release.