Grant: Chair: Indigenous Research Chairs in Nursing - Quebec

Health inequities still persist for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. One of the root causes of these inequities is systemic racism, resulting from ongoing effects of Canada's long history of colonialism. Ongoing colonial beliefs about and attitudes towards Indigenous people influence the ways in which they are treated in the health care system today. Consequently, many Indigenous people do not trust mainstream healthcare services and do not feel safe using them. Indigenous patients are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage of disease, to discontinue or avoid treatment. Understanding how to create structural change through actively counteracting racism and racialized ways of interacting with Indigenous peoples at individual and organizational level within health care systems is essential for creating a more inclusive, equitable, and healthier society. This Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing will promote Indigenous health equity and culturally safe health care through decolonizing nursing education and practice. The objectives of the Chair are to, 1) advance knowledge on the development and evaluation of interventions aiming at decolonizing nursing education and practice, 2) mobilize knowledge on approaches and interventions to foster health equity and culturally safe health care for Indigenous Peoples, 3) build Indigenous research capacity of students, mentees, and researchers in culturally safe health care and Indigenous health equity. This Chair will enable Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, stakeholders and practitioners to co-construct knowledge on the best approaches for promoting Indigenous health equity and culturally safe nursing education and practice. It will contribute to building local capacity of Faculties, Schools, and Universities to decolonize their education programs, and will provide tools to decision makers and policy-makers working in regional health authorities to integrate a cultural safety approach to nursing and health care.