Grant: Fellowship - PA: First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis Health

Indigenous women in Canada bear a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted and blood borne infections (STBBI), this is particularly the case for women who live in challenging northern geographies. There are many reasons for this inequity including past and continued colonization, ongoing and intergenerational trauma, gendered racism violence, poverty and lower rates of education and employment. Economic and geographical challenges very much affect access to health care for northern rural women. This project aims to better understand factors contributing to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes for First Nations women in northern rural Manitoba. This project started first with community engagement, relationship building and listening to the voices of key representatives and aims to integrate traditional knowledges and community/women's voices. Our aims are to assess STBBI testing preferences and the role of the genital microbiome in SRH outcomes using community-based and women's-centered approaches.