Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Previous and ongoing work clearly articulate the deeply harmful roles of colonialism and racism in continuing to systemically exclude Indigenous Peoples from accessing equitable healthcare and supports. Gendered impacts of colonialism are embedded within pre-existing social and structural violence and inequities (e.g., racism, stigma, violence, discrimination) and shape the needs, access, and utilization of health services for Indigenous women, gender diverse, and Two-Spirit Peoples. Climate change has created new challenges and Indigenous Peoples are highly vulnerable to it's impacts. Indigenous knowledge on climate change and health-related impacts have been largely overlooked in research and policy. The intersecting challenges of health inequities, social and environmental injustices, and climate change calls for ways to create healthier and sustainable futures for Indigenous Peoples. The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to evaluate the ongoing impacts of racism and climate change on health inequities, access to healthcare and lived experiences of Indigenous women, gender diverse, and Two-Spirit Peoples. This study will utilize Indigenous research, structural violence, planetary health, and intersecting stigmas frameworks to examine the underlying systemic drivers (e.g., systemic racism, healthcare and climate change policy) of health-related inequities and access among Indigenous women, gender diverse, and Two-Spirit Peoples. The project will leverage a CIHR-funded mixed-methods cohort of Indigenous women, gender diverse, and Two-Spirit Peoples in Vancouver, BC (PI: Bingham) and utilize mixed methods and braiding analysis to triangulate Indigenous knowledge, survey, and qualitative data. Findings will be translated for local Indigenous communities, and nationally to provide novel insights into ways that we can create safer healthcare spaces, address health inequities, and prepare for climate related impacts on Indigenous health and health access.