Grant: Planning Grants - Priority Announcement: International Research Collaborations

Imbedded in the philosophy of Indigenous peoples is the belief that healthy land and healthy people are synonymous. This view has largely been marginalized in traditional academic and scientific research circles. With emerging global issues such as climate change and environmental contamination, the intimate connection between health and environment has started gaining attention among the world's leading health researchers. Currently, though, there is a paucity of scientific knowledge and data on the issues, complexities and potentials of such relationships; most health research, policy and practice are still heavily imbued with the idea that social and environmental impacts on health are separate and unrelated concerns. While holistic models of Indigenous health are gaining support from some researchers, there is still a need to develop new knowledge, attitudes and skills through working with and learning from Indigenous peoples (Stephens, Parkes, and Chang, 2007). The proposed three-day symposium (to be held in Vancouver March 2011) invites leading eco- and Aboriginal health researchers to discuss current issues and themes in the areas of Indigenous ecohealth and knowledge translation. The 21 invitees will build on the momentum established during a variety of 2010 events: a meeting of ecohealth and Aboriginal health researchers in Vancouver in January; a meeting between UNBC and Te Ropu Whariki researchers in New Zealand in April; a meeting held at the CPHA meeting in Toronto in June on small water systems; and the Ecohealth 2010 conference held in London, UK in August. Ultimately, we as researchers, hope to bring to the forefront the relationship between the land and health, as well as develop a research agenda to fuel later collaborations in ways which are consistent with Indigenous research methods and knowledges.