Grant: Operating Grant: Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research- Dev Grants

The Mi'gmag and Maliseet (Wolastoqiyik) have traditionally joined together as the Wabanaki, the keepers of the Eastern Doorway. The network grant will assist in the development of the Wabanaki Eastern Door Children's Health Network and enable us to get together to discuss our shared areas of concerns and research priorities. The Eastern Door multi-disciplinary team model in Elsipogtog First Nations (FN) has been operating for 12 years; they have successfully undertaken community research using the expertise of traditional healers in the community as well as local health and educational professionals. Evidence shows that community research using this collaborative 'two-eyed seeing' model has worked to improve children's health and well-being in the community. Education and health directors in the largest Wabanaki communities have expressed their support for developing local capacity using the Eastern Door multi-disciplinary team model. At this point in time the FN communities have the capacity to form clinical research teams; many of the team members have roots in their respective FN communities. The clinical teams in each community, employing the 'two-eyed seeing' multi-disciplinary team model, would serve as structures to support the Wabanaki network research and improve local clinical practice. Developing the research capacity of local health and educational professionals will help successfully develop a viable network. This grant will give us the opportunity to gather together to articulate our shared vision and then find points of collaboration. Finding sources of core funding will be key in ultimately building a sustainable FN children's health network of all FN communities in the region. This preliminary work will lead us to prepare a full NEIHR grant application and presentation of our project at a gathering to be held within the year.