Wabanaki-Labrador Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research

Indigenous peoples within the Atlantic region (Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqiyik) have been collectively known as 'the people of the dawn' or Wabanaki. Joining with Northern partners in Newfoundland and Labrador, and building on established networks and relationships, this program will form the Wabanaki-Labrador Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (Wabanaki-Labrador NEIHR). With the creation of the Atlantic Indigenous Mentorship Network in 2017 (IMNP - CIHR), our expanding team of Indigenous health research scholars, leaders, and advocates (supported by a Senate of Elders and Knowledge-Holders) are mobilizing and building capacity for health research mentorship and funding opportunities for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students in the region. A natural extension of this work is the development of a region-wide Network that will support community-led Indigenous health research. Funds acquired through this development grant will be used to undertake community research roundtable sessions and a systematic realist review of research happening within the region. This information will be used to identify community health research priorities and culminate in a Community-University Research Summit. The research summit will provide community and university partners the opportunity to generate and augment new and existing research projects that would be funded in the region. It will also determine a governance structure and its composition, as well as develop principles and best practices for research engagement that will be expected to be undertaken by all research teams supported by the Wabanaki-Labrador NEIHR. Upon completion of these activities, we will be able to assess the readiness, viability and research priorities areas of an Indigenous health research network within both the Wabanaki and Labrador regions.