Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

We propose to hold a day-long Indigenous women's HIV/Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infection (STBBI) prevention gathering grounded in ceremony and guided by Elder wisdom Indigenous Health Centre of Tiohtià:ke in Montreal. At this gathering, we will consult with Indigenous women about which programs they would like to pursue for STBBI prevention research. Our meeting will be used to plan for an application for a CIHR-funded Team Grant in STBBI focussing on STBBI prevention. The project team is composed of individuals who self-identify as Indigenous and individuals who have engaged in meaningful and culturally safe involvement with Indigenous Peoples. In our meeting and beyond, we emphasize ceremony and grounding the gathering in Indigenous ways of knowing and doing. At our meeting, we will seek representation from First Nation, Metis and Inuit women. Aligned with the values of The Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH), Indigenous peoples are not only involved in all research activities, but they are the leaders of the proposed research. The meeting will respect Indigenous populations' right to self-determination, situating Indigenous women's voices in the development of research projects seeking to improve their health and wellness while leveraging the strengths of Indigenous values, methodologies, and perspectives. Our Nominated PI Principal is Carrie Martin, a Mi'gmaq woman from Listuguj who has spent the past 23 years working in the field of Indigenous women's health, with a particular focus on HIV. Carrie led previous meetings of Indigenous women who identified the needs articulated in this grant proposal. Our Principal Knowledge User (PKUs), Renée Masching, is an Indigenous woman originally from Southern Ontario who has dedicated her professional energies to working with Indigenous Peoples in health-related programs.