Grant: Applied Public Health Chair - LOI

Aboriginal people in Canada continue to generally experience poorer health status than non-Aboriginal people. Mobilizing and empowering communities, in partnership with other agencies, is known to be an effective means of addressing these health issues. This research program will examine the value of youth participation in the development and successful implementation of community health programs and interventions. The goal of this research program is to develop, implement, evaluate and disseminate the results of a program of research activities to promote Aboriginal youth as agents of change for community wellness in the Northwest Territories. This will be done as a partnership between researchers (including trainees), knowledge users and other partners at the community, territorial and national levels. The program activities will initially be implemented with youth in the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the City of Yellowknife, then evaluated for viability and potential transferability to other communities. The Applied Public Health Chair applicant, Dr. Cindy Jardine, has a national and international reputation for excellence in the fields of health risk communication, participatory research and Aboriginal health. She has conducted several successful CIHR-funded projects with Aboriginal youth in the Northwest Territories, and has a well-established relationship with the research collaborators. The Chief Public Health Officer with the GNWT Dept. of Health and Social Services is the decision-making collaborator. The primary integrated knowledge translation strategy is the involvement of a diverse group of health and education collaborators at the beginning and throughout the research process. End-of-grant strategies will involve workshops at multiple levels (community, territorial, international); peer-reviewed manuscripts, presentations and community level reports; and incorporation of knowledge into international PhD programs on circumpolar health.