Grant: Summer Program in Aging

I am a Mississauga Nishnaabekwe, currently completing a PhD in clinical psychology at Lakehead University under the supervision of Drs. Christopher Mushquash and Jennifer Walker. My work is grounded in a wholistic understanding of health, recognizing how individual, community, societal, and environmental determinants shape brain health and aging. My Master's research examined cultural perspectives of dementia prevention, assessment, and post-diagnosis care among First Nations people in Northwestern Ontario. Community members described risk and protective factors as connected to the health of air, water, and land, and shared that aging well involves land-based relationships, traditional foods, medicines, and intergenerational relationships. Building on this, I am leading a review examining research on the impact of culture and modifiable risk factors for dementia among First Nations people nationally. Preliminary findings suggest that cultural identity, land-based activities, and traditional practices are protective. These insights highlight the interacting nature of climate change and dementia risk among First Nations people regionally and nationally, and the need to use wholistic models to address risk reduction, well-aligned with the SPA 2026 theme. As part of my doctorate, I am co-leading a national and community-driven project that aims to develop a bundle of culturally grounded brain health assessment tools for Indigenous people. As part of this, I will build a wholistic model of prevention and healthy brain aging for Indigenous people. I am also a co-investigator on a Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration and Aging Research Team, focusing on improving dementia risk reduction health guidance for Métis people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This work may incorporate information on climate change risk. Collectively, my work will continue to contribute to wholistic models of brain health that are well-aligned with the SPA 2026 theme.