Grant: Chair: Women Heart/Brain Health - Ind. Women's Heart/Brain Htlh (Early Career)

There is a gender gap between men and women in health promotion, diagnosis, treatment and research with women falling behind in all areas. For Indigenous women, this inequality is more severe because of many culture-related factors. For example, they experience extreme poverty, poor access to health, education, healthy food and clean water. They also experience a fifty-three percent higher death rate compared to non-Indigenous women in Canada. Also, they are coping with racist government policies such as Residential Schools that continue to have and impact todya. Finally, Indigenous women often live in high-stress situations due to their roles of strong leaders in society being changed with the impact of European cultural ways. Furthermore, health care professionals (HCPs) are generally not prepared to work with Indigenous people. The way that they provide health information to Indigenous women is often not sensitive to these women's cultural needs. Health science programs and courses are lacking necessary information to make sure that HCPs are working with Indigenous populations in a culturally competent way.