Grant: Health System Impact Fellowships - Doctoral Western Canada 1-year

Complications due to preterm birth, which is birth before 37 weeks of gestation, are one of the main causes of death among children under five years of age. Preterm birth can have long-lasting impacts on the infant, the mother, and their families. In British Columbia (BC), the preterm birth rates among Indigenous women are twice as high as non-Indigenous women. A First Nations community on Vancouver Island, BC, has identified an even higher preterm birth rate: in this community, preterm birth rates are three times higher than non-Indigenous women. The reason for these high rates of preterm birth is not known. As a PhD Candidate, I propose to work with leaders at Island Health, a health authority in BC, to find solutions to this high rate of preterm birth. Our primary goal is to reduce the occurence of preterm birth in both the Cowichan Valley Region and in other communities across Canada. To accomplish this, we will pursue the following objectives: 1) review medical records to determine risk factors for preterm birth; 2) review data about Indigenous women's perspectives on risk factors for preterm birth; 3) develop strategies to reduce preterm birth in the Cowichan Valley Region; 4) work with local First Nations communities and Island Health to implement our strategies; and 5) publish evidence-based solutions to improve health systems that can reduce preterm birth among Indigenous women in Canada. While there has been great concern about high rates of preterm birth among Indigenous women, this will be the first study to turn research into actionable solutions for health systems. An advisory committee - composed of representatives from all First Nations communities in the Cowichan Valley Region, as well as Island Health and other health system partners - will guide all of our work.