Grant: Team Grant: STEPS - Strengthening Public Health Systems in British Columbia

This Indigenous-led research addresses all 4 funding objectives through a tripartite co-leadership model examining the 4 PHS building blocks-governance, workforce, service delivery, and data practices-within 3 Indigenous health organisations. We generate system-level evidence on embedding Indigenous Knowledge Systems within PHS through: 1) Tsawout First Nation Community health center hub, addressing governance authority and traditional medicine integration; 2) Rainbow Medicine Society, a collective of traditional practitioners examining workforce recognition and data sovereignty where traditional healing intersects with public health infrastructure; and 3) Shakes the Dust Hope Consulting, embedding Indigenous-governed approaches within child and family wellness services. Our partners serve as living laboratories testing how Indigenous jurisdiction can be structurally embedded while remaining accountable to Nation-specific priorities. Through Knowledge Holder-Learner mentorship, we co-develop and test governance templates, workforce role descriptions, service-delivery pathways, and Nation-governed data protocols operationalising Indigenous jurisdiction. Our intergenerational model builds capacity among Indigenous Knowledge Holders, youth learners, nurses, public health decision-makers, and researchers across 60-90 circle encounters, with structured graduate intern training in Indigenous research methodologies and systems analysis. Knowledge mobilization occurs through quarterly mentorship circles and biannual gatherings, culminating in community-cleared multimedia resources, policy directives for CNA, NCCIH, and NCCDH partners, and UVic curriculum alignment workshops-closing research-policy-practice gaps. Our design centres Indigenous rights throughout: rights-holder decision-making authority, OCAP/CARE-aligned data sovereignty, context mechanism outcome analysis, and interdisciplinary, intersectoral collaboration.