The Indigenous Cognitive Health Program (ICHP) is an initiative within the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging to build up capacity within the network to support healthy, respectful, dementia research partnerships between Indigenous communities and/or organizations and researchers. The ICHP, led by Jennifer Walker (Co-lead of Team 18), will support CCNA team liaisons to develop a foundational understanding of collaborative research with Indigenous populations. Through ongoing support and mentorship of CCNA investigators, the ICHP will: provide foundational knowledge on developing relationships and engaging with Indigenous communities and health organizations; provide resources and opportunities to learn about culturally safe approaches to research; and explore Indigenous data sovereignty principles.
Webinar series
Over the next few months, the Indigenous Cognitive Health Program will offer the following three webinars.
- Understanding and Honouring Indigenous Data Sovereignty (January 25th, 2024)
- Culturally Safe Indigenous Health Research Partnerships in Practice (December 13th, 2023)
- Indigenous Brain Health and Aging Research in Context: Perspectives from the MIND Care and WISE Care Projects (October 23, 2023):
Speakers:
Sebastien Lefebvre, Research and Development Coordinator, Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services
Sebastien is a settler ally from Sudbury, ON, on Robinson-Huron Treaty Territory. Prior to joining the Maamwesying NSCHS team, he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from Laurentian University. He joined Dr. Walker’s research team at Laurentian University as a research assistant and transitioned to Maamwesying NSCHS full-time as a research and development coordinator to continue the particularly important work being undertaken in the field of healthy aging at home.
Michael-Ann MacLean, Research Program Coordinator, Noojmowin Teg Health Centre
Migizi Miigwun Kwe ndigoo, Maang ndodem – Loon Clan, Wiikwemkoong ndoonjiibaa. Within the role of Research Program Coordinator, Michael-Ann also works with communities on Mnidoo Mnising – Manitoulin Island in Health and Wellness programming including art therapy, Traditional and Visual arts.
Moderator:
Dr. Jennifer Walker, Associate Professor, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, & Impact, McMaster University
Dr. Jennifer Walker is a Haudenosaunee member of the Six Nations of the Grand River and a health services researcher. She holds a Ph.D. in Community Health Services (Epidemiology) from the University of Calgary. Her research program has two priorities: aging and dementia in Indigenous populations, and Indigenous data sovereignty.
The Indigenous Cognitive Health Program Webinar Series draws upon experiences from two Indigenous, community-led research projects—MIND Care and WISE Care—to explore what culturally safe Indigenous brain health and aging research looks like in practice. Each of the three webinars corresponds to a step on the Indigenous Cognitive Health Program’s Pathway to Culturally Safe Indigenous Health Research Practices.
MIND Care and WISE Care are collaborative research projects led by Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services and Noojmowin Teg Health Centre, Indigenous-governed healthcare organizations located on the North Shore of Lake Huron and on Manitoulin Island, respectively.
For more information about the Indigenous Cognitive Health Program, please contact Kassandra Loewen at loewenk@mcmaster.ca, or visit our website.