The fellowship may begin September 1, 2012, or January 2, 2013 (negotiable).

To apply, please submit a CV, copy of an unofficial transcript from your PhD program, two letters of reference (including a letter from a PhD program faculty member such as a supervisor), and a cover letter describing your experience and interest in health equity and/or public health services research, fit with the program of research and your goals for the fellowship. Complete application materials are due June 5, 2012.

They should be sent electronically or by courier to:

Bernadette (Bernie) Pauly RN, Ph.D
Associate Professor, School of Nursing
Scientist, Centre for Addictions Research of B.C. (CARBC)

Mailing Address: University of Victoria, Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria, B.C., Canada , V8W 2Y2
Phone: (250) 472-5915
bpauly@uvic.ca

READ MORE about the Post-Doctoral Fellowship

To apply, please submit a CV, two letters of reference (including a letter from a master’s or PhD program faculty member such as a supervisor), unofficial university transcripts, and a cover letter describing your experience and interest in health equity, public health services research, knowledge translation and exchange, your fit with the program of research and your goals for the fellowship. Complete application materials are due June 5, 2012.

They should be sent electronically or by courier to:

Bernadette (Bernie) Pauly RN, Ph.D
Associate Professor, School of Nursing
Scientist, Centre for Addictions Research of B.C. (CARBC)

Mailing Address: University of Victoria, Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria, B.C., Canada, V8W 2Y2
Phone: (250) 472-5915
bpauly@uvic.ca
READ MORE about the Doctoral Fellowship

The institute will be held at the University of Manitoba on June 13 -15, 2012.

This summer institute will provide graduate students and new researchers with the tools to become more competitive
when seeking research fellowship and grant funding. Through a mock peer review experience, participants will learn
about the components that go into strong – and not so strong – funding applications. The seminars will also provide
hands-on experience in preparing fellowship applications, with feedback provided by experienced peer reviewers. The
institute will focus on research in the setting of First Nations, Métis and Inuit health.

The deadline for registration is May 11.

Our NEAHR will be providing accommodations for students in the U of M residence; participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements/costs.

Any questions about the institute or registration can be directed to me at diffeyl@cc.umanitoba.ca.

Additional information can be found by reviewing the MB NEAHR Peer Review Summer Institute 2012-1

The registration form can also be found on our Manitoba NEAHR website at http://goo.gl/csRDi

A group dedicated to improving health outcomes for Canada’s Inuit says it won’t be able to carry on with much of its work because of a loss of funding from Health Canada.

Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada has been working on health prevention and promotion projects since 1984, and for years has received financial support from Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch. Since 2007, the contributions have amounted to about $800,000 per year.

But funding for this year isn’t being granted, the organization said Monday in a news release, because of reductions announced in the federal budget. Projects were to focus on maternal and newborn care, HIV research, midwifery and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

There isn’t enough money to move forward on the projects, which were developed in co-operation with the federal and territorial governments and regional health boards, according to the group.

“Pauktuutit calls upon [Prime Minister Stephen Harper] and Minister of Health [Leona Aglukkaq] to restore these very modest resources that have produced demonstrated positive outcomes,” the group’s statement said.

The organization’s president, Elisapee Sheutiapik, said in an interview with CBC News that she is surprised and frustrated about the news.

“We deliver projects that are from the grassroots, using our own language,” she said, adding that they are very much appreciated by community health workers.

Sheutiapik said her group met with Aglukkaq Monday and will meet again to try to determine if the organization can get funding support from other government programs.

“That gave me a bit of hope,” she said.

Pauktuuit says Inuit communities have high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, addiction and alcohol abuse, violence against women is a prevalent problem, there is a lack of mental health services and that the group is critical to filling in the gaps in access to health services and information.

One of its key functions is to translate health resources into several dialects of Inuktitut, and Pauktuuit says it is the only national organization that addresses Inuit-specific sexual health priorities.

The group was seeking $730,000 from Health Canada for the coming year and it says its ability to do its work will be severely limited by the loss of funding.

‘Strong and healthy people’

The group’s resources are used by individuals, front-line workers and health-care professionals.  The group also says it’s recognized as a credible source of health information that is more likely to be used than products by governments, including Health Canada.

“A strong North within Canada needs strong and healthy people. As Canadian citizens we have the right to the same health status and life expectancy as others, and the federal government has a responsibility to work with us to address the very serious health issues we are facing in our communities,” Sheutiapik said.

Aglukkaq said in an interview with CBC that her department is only cutting funding to groups that do not provide direct health care services.

“My priority was to protect the frontline health care services of all nursing stations in First Nations, Inuit communities throughout Canada as well as to protect the funding to the province and territories who actually deliver front-line health care services and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” she said.

Aglukkaq noted that nursing stations are able to deliver health promotion and prevention programs such as the ones provided by Pauktuuit.

This isn’t the only group upset about losing funding from Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada is laying off four people because of a 20 per cent hit to its budget, and has to cut diabetes and HIV awareness programs.

In response to the cut to the Native Women’s Association of Canada, Health Canada stated in an email, “The priority is to protect front-line health services for First Nations and Inuit communities. As this organization does not deliver health-care services to communities, no direct services will be affected.”

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/story/2012/04/16/pol-health-cuts.html

Ottawa, ON (April 13, 2012)–The Health Department of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) is extremely distressed and concerned over Health Canada’s decision to cut all funding for projects aimed at improving the health of Aboriginal women in Canada. Few people in the world are in greater need of human rights protection than Indigenous peoples. Although governments have a duty and responsibility to ensure the welfare and safety of all their citizens, Indigenous peoples are often the target of policies designed to erode or suppress their rights and distinct cultural identities. Canada is no exception!

NWAC has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to address shameful inequities that continue to plague Aboriginal women’s health in Canada. Aboriginal women are the least healthy and suffer the greatest chronic health conditions than any other segment of Canadian society. The burden of ill health affects them as individuals, their families, communities and the health system as a whole. However, Aboriginal women lag far behind the rest of the Canadian population in both of these areas.

Health Canada has advised NWAC today that it will not support its national innovative health programs or policy work, some of which have been held up as “best practices” in health, in order to preserve direct services to First Nations living on reserve only. Currently the vast majority of Aboriginal women (more than 70%) do not live on reserves, rather in rural and urban centers. This budget shows that for the most part, Aboriginal women’s health is not a priority for this Government.

Aboriginal women raise their families most often single handedly and in poverty situations (over 40% of Aboriginal women live in poverty). Further, it is well known that Aboriginal women carry the burden of ill health and have the highest rates of chronic disease. They experience unacceptably high levels of violence and abuse, Aboriginal women are newly diagnosed with HIV at over three times the rate of their non-Aboriginal counterparts, have atrocious disparities in suicide rates, and live on average almost six years less that non Aboriginal women.

Yes, more is needed to help local communities struggling with health disparities, but cutting the head off the national voice for Aboriginal women’s health shows a lack of commitment to address the issues that affect the most marginalized population in this country — a country that is envied by many other nations across the globe for its ‘great’ health care system and quality of life.

“NWAC is calling on the public to demand that the Federal Government of Canada re-think its choices and give Canadians the information they need to understand the impacts of this budget and re-think this devastating decision. Today’s cuts to Aboriginal health and well-being will be tomorrow’s burden.” says Native Women’s Association of Canada’s President, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell.

For more information contact:
Claudette Dumont Smith
Executive Director
Native Women’s Association of Canada
Tel: (613) 722-3033 ext. 223 Toll Free: 1-800-461-404

http://www.nationtalk.ca/modules/news/article.php?storyid=53065

The Department of Integrated Studies in Education invites applications for a tenure-stream appointment at the rank of Assistant Professor.

Qualified candidates will hold a doctoral degree in pedagogy or the equivalent, with experience directly related to teaching in First Nations and Inuit contexts and will be able to demonstrate a research program related to this area.  Knowledge of Canadian First Nations and Inuit communities will be an asset. The successful applicant will be expected to assume Directorship of the Department’s First Nations and Inuit Education program, which includes liaison with partners throughout Québec. Responsibilities will include teaching and student-teacher supervision at the B.Ed. level as well as teaching and thesis supervision in our MA and PhD programs. The anticipated start date is September 1, 2012.  Experience working in schools and an ability to function in French will be assets for this position.

Review of applications will commence April 15, 2012.

READ MORE

NationTalk had the pleasure of speaking with Allison Fisher, Executive Director for the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health. With the Wabano Mamawi Centre coming along greatly, Allison tells us some updates and says a thank you to all the NationTalk listeners who have supported the fundraising campaign. Ensuring Wabano can build this Centre of Exellence in Aboriginal Health Care that will bridge traditional knowledge and culture with contemporary care. Listen for more and thank you for getting involved! http://www.nationtalk.ca/modules/webshow/singlelink.php?lid=307

The Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health is an award-winning charity that is a leader in community-based, holistic health care; bridging Native cultural practices with Western medicine to combat poverty and illness in Canada’s First Peoples. In just over a decade, Wabano has become a premier health care facility in Canada – garnering international recognition for its innovative and successful approaches to wellness. Each year, Wabano provides professional services and cultural events to over 10,000 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people – opening their doors to serve and build capacity in the entire community.

Years of dreaming, planning and lobbying for an expanded facility to serve the needs of Ottawa’s large and growing Aboriginal populations became a reality with an announcement on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 by federal and provincial officials.

In the words of Wabano’s Executive Director, Allison Fisher, ‘On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health and the more than 30,000 Aboriginal people that call Ottawa home – I wish to thank the government of Canada and the government of Ontario for the opportunity to create a “new beginning” for Aboriginal people in this city – a “new beginning” based on a shared action – working together to build a powerfully expressive space that will embody the heart, unique identity and strength of Canada’s citizens and its Aboriginal peoples.’

This new building expansion project is a powerfully expressive space that will adjoin Wabano’s existing building. It will include a cultural gathering space, afterschool programs for children, social enterprise activities for young mothers, family counselling, and social and community development initiatives designed by the renowned Aboriginal architect Douglas Cardinal.

In September of 2011, the members of the Aboriginal Health Circle Forum of the Champlain Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN) met and agreed that the first step in addressing the gap in mental health services for Aboriginal youth should be the assessment of the needs and service capacity in the region. The Aboriginal Health Circle Forum received funding from the Champlain LHIN to conduct a research project with the goal of identifying the needs and the gaps in the mental health and addictions services for Aboriginal youth in the Champlain Region. The funding has been given to Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health as the lead on this initiative.

Program information: Call for proposal

Total awards: Maximum of $75,000 is available for this research project

Eligibility & selection criteria: Aboriginal researchers or researchers with an extensive experience studying Aboriginal issues.

Key dates:

Tasks                                                                                Due Date
Request for Proposal                                                   March, 2012
Proposal Due                                                                  April 30, 2012
Selected Presentations (Interviews)                    May 2012
Results of Competition Announced                      May 31, 2012

For additional information please view the Call for Proposals and the Proposal Definitions

Contact:
Marianna Shturman Ph.D., C.C.P.C.
Director of Mental Health Services & Clinical Therapist
Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
299 Montreal Road, Ottawa, ON K1L 6B8
Tel. (613) 748-0657 Ext. 224
Fax: (613) 749-1195
E-mail: mshturman@wabano.com

The Indigenous Fellowship Programme was launched in 1997 by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the context of the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. The aim of the programme is to give indigenous persons the opportunity to gain knowledge on the UN system and mechanisms dealing with human rights issues in general and indigenous issues in particular. Trained participants are better equipped to assist their organisations and communities in protecting and promoting their rights. This training programme is available in 4 languages: English, Spanish, French and Russian.

Please note that the deadline to receive applications for the 2013 English speaking Indigenous Fellowship Programme is: Tues  May 1, 2012.

We strongly encourage you to send your applications (by post or fax) well before the deadline. Please also note that given the high number of applications that we usually receive, we are not anymore in a position to print scanned applications. Therefore, scanned applications sent via email will not be taken into consideration.

For further information on OHCHR Indigenous Fellowship Programme or to find the application form, you can visit our webpage by clicking on these two links:

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/indigenous/fellowship.htm

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/Pages/IFP.aspx

IPHRC would like to congratulate Elder Betty McKenna on her 2012 Saskatchewan Health Excellence Award in the “Health of a Population” category. She was nominated by IPHRC researchers Dr. Carrie Bourassa and Dr. Mary Hampton for her involvement in numerous health projects and her commitment to promoting health, wellness and culture in the Aboriginal community.

“Elder Betty is one of the most amazing individuals in our community,” says Dr. Bourassa. “She gives of herself for the betterment of her community on a daily basis. She has provided guidance to me not only professionally but personally as well. The ceremonies she holds are open to all and she graciously shares her knowledge and wisdom in order to help those who are on healing journeys. I cannot think of a more worthy recipient of this award.”

In her typical forward-thinking fashion, McKenna recognizes the importance of health research but remains humble about her contributions.

“This is truly a collaboration of my peoples’ traditional health knowledge interwoven with the best practices of western health,” says McKenna. “For our communities, this means a healthier people and success in the future for all Saskatchewan citizens. It is an honour to serve my people in this capacity but I am not alone in seeing that we are all in the same canoe. We all need to paddle.”

Elder Betty McKenna is from the Anishnabae Nation, Shoal River Band and is very knowledgeable about many traditional teachings which she has learned from her grandmother and from teachings of various other elders. She is the Elder in Residence, First Nations and Métis Education at the Regina Public School Board as well as the guiding elder for RESOLVE (Research and Education to End Violence and Abuse) Saskatchewan, provides leadership to many research projects including: Completing the Circle: End of Life Care with Aboriginal Families with Dr. Mary Hampton and Dr. Carrie Bourassa, Understanding from Within: Developing Community-Driven and Culturally Safe Models for Understanding and Responding to Neurological Conditions among Aboriginal Women with the Native Women’s Association of Canada, Rural and Northern Response to Intimate Partner Violence with Dr. Mary Hampton and Aboriginal Grandmothers Caring for Grandchildren with Kerrie Strathy, Dr. Carrie Bourassa and Dr. Wendee Kubik, to name a few. She is also co-author on several peer reviewed publications and sits on two graduate committees at the University of Regina.

“Betty McKenna is a recognized and renowned elder among First Nations people, ” adds Dr. Hampton. “As a non-native woman, I have learned so much that has healed me as a person and has a woman, thanks to the generous sharing that Elder Betty has given me…the guidance and teaching she offers provides healing to so many.”

For more information about this story, please contact:

Cassandra J. Opikokew
Knowledge Translation & Communications
Indigenous Peoples’ Health Research Centre (IPHRC)
CK 115 University of Regina
3737 Wascana Parkway
Regina, SK S4S 0A2
Ph: (306) 337-2510
Cell: (306) 537-2043
Fax: (306) 585-5694
Email: Cassandra.Opikokew@uregina.ca.