Our Team

Contact

• bcneihr@sfu.ca
• krista_stelkia@sfu.ca
• 778.787.7562

Dr. Krista Stelkia

Nominated Principal Investigator

Dr. Krista Stelkia is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and Director for the Centre for Collaborative Action on Indigenous Health Governance, a partnership between SFU FHS and First Nations Health Authority (FNHA). She is Syilx/Tlingit from the Osoyoos Indian Band in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Stelkia is an interdisciplinary Indigenous health researcher whose research primarily investigates the structural determinants of Indigenous peoples’ health and wellbeing. With a background in health sciences and criminology, Dr. Stelkia’s research has critically explored structural racism and health, social justice, wellness indicators in public health reporting, connection to land as a determinant of health, and police oversight and accountability. Dr. Stelkia received her PhD in Health Sciences from SFU where her research examined the complex and intersecting ways in which structural racism influences chronic disease and overall health and wellness of First Nations in Canada. Dr. Stelkia has over 15 years of professional experience working with First Nations communities and organizations, most recently in the Office of the Chief Medical Officer at the FNHA. She joined the Faculty of Health Sciences as an Assistant Professor in September 2022.

Dr. Cornelia (Nel) Wieman 

Principal Investigator, First Nations Health Authority

Dr. Nel Wieman is the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) in British Columbia, where she has worked for the past 7 years.  She is Anishinaabe (Miishipaawitiik First Nation, Treaty 5 Territory) and lives, works and plays on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples – the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. She completed her medical degree and psychiatry specialty training at McMaster University. Canada's first female Indigenous psychiatrist, Dr. Wieman has more than 25 years of clinical and senior leadership experience, working with Indigenous (FN/M/I) people both in-community and away from home. Dr. Wieman served as the President of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (IPAC) from 2016 - 2022.

Dr. Rheanna Robinson

Principal Investigator, University of Northern British Columbia

​​Dr. Rheanna Robinson, Associate Professor, Dept of First Nations Studies, Faculty of Indigenous Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). Dr. Robinson is an Indigenous (Métis) scholar and a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation. She has expertise in Indigenous Disability Studies and Indigenous Education and is committed to community-based research. As a lifetime resident of northern BC, Dr. Robinson is guided by relationship and the Four R’s (Respect, Relevancy, Reciprocity, and Responsibility) in her work at UNBC and beyond.

Dr. Nadine Caron

Principal Investigator, University of British Columbia

Dr. Caron was born and raised in Kamloops, BC, and completed her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University, her Medical Degree at the University of British Columbia, her Masters of Public Health from Harvard University, and her Postgraduate Fellowship Training in Endocrine Surgical Oncology at the University of California. Since 2005, she has worked as a General and Endocrine Surgeon at the University Hospital of Northern BC. She is a Professor at UBC’s Northern Medical Program, and an Associate Faculty member at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Public Health, an Adjunct Professor at UNBC, an Associate Faculty at UBC’s School of Population and Public Health and BCCA Scientist, Genome Sciences Centre. Dr. Caron’s research focus involves access to equal health status, health care services for marginalized populations, including Aboriginal, northern and rural. Additionally, Nadine is the Co-Director of the UBC Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health.

Dr. Jeffrey Reading

Principal Investigator, Simon Fraser University

Dr. Reading has more than two decades of experience enhancing knowledge in Indigenous health issues, both in Canada and globally. He obtained a Master of Science (1991) and Doctor of Philosophy (1994) in Community Health Sciences, (now the Dalla Lana Faculty of Public Health) at the University of Toronto. He was the inaugural Scientific Director of the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research from 2000 to 2008. Jeff led a movement calling for a national advanced research agenda in the area of Aboriginal Peoples’ health and led the CIHR cross-cutting initiative in rural and northern health research. Jeff’s broad interests in research in Public Health has brought attention to issues including but not limited to the social determinants of health, environmental issues including the provision of safe potable water, health promotion and disease prevention, heart health, diabetes, tobacco misuse and accessibility to health care among Aboriginal Canadians. Jeff has played a pivotal role in the introduction of Canadian ethics guidelines for Aboriginal health research. In 2016, Jeff was appointed the Inaugural BC First Nations Health Authority Chair in Heart Health and Wellness at St. Paul’s Hospital based at Simon Fraser University, renewed in 2021 for 5 years to 2026.

Dr. Robert Hancock

Principal Investigator, University of Victoria

Dr. Rob Hancock (he/him/his) is Cree-Métis from Treaty 8 territory on his mother’s side, from the Monkman family, and English Canadian on his father’s. He was born and raised, and is grateful to be living and working in lək̓ʷəŋən territory. He is the Associate Director Academic in the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria. Trained as a historian of anthropology, Dr. Hancock’s research and teaching focuses on Indigenous-state relations in northern North America, Métis Studies, and Indigenous post-secondary education. He teaches courses on Indigenous research and community engagement methods for cohorts of Indigenous students. He was an active member of the Indigenous Mentorship Network of the Pacific Northwest as both a mentor and a mentee, and has been part of the BC NEIHR team at UVic since its launch.

Dr. Roderick McCormick

Principal Investigator, Thompson Rivers University

My research chair is Indigenous child and maternal health and education, my broad area of research is in Indigenous health. My professional experience is in Counselling Psychology and Indigenous mental health. For the past 15 years I have engaged in Indigenous health research capacity building and advocacy at provincial and national levels. For over 10 years, I ran the BC Aboriginal Capacity and Developmental Research Environments (ACADRE), the Network Environment for Aboriginal Health Research (NEAHRBCYT), and Kloshe Tillicum. On the advocacy front I am the co-founder/leader of the National Aboriginal Health Research Steering Committee: Kawatsire. I am developing a new centre at TRU called: All my Relations. This centre will be a national Indigenous family and community health research and training centre to identify, research and further develop and implement best practices in Aboriginal family and community health and healing.

Contact

• bcneihr@sfu.ca
• tara_erb@sfu.ca

Tara Erb

Senior Network Coordinator

Tara is of mixed Moose Cree First Nation from Moose Factory and French European ancestry and grew up in Toronto, Ontario. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of Victoria (UVic) and a Master of Arts in Sociology (UVic), with a research focus on facilitating Indigenous cultural safety and anti-racism training. Tara is currently completing her Ph.D. in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University under the supervision of Dr. Krista Stelkia with a research focus on Indigenous Cultural Safety in Research Environments/Structures, specifically ethics and ethical processes. Her research interests include Indigenous health and wellness, Indigenous cultural safety, anti-Indigenous racism and social theory.

Currently, Tara is the Network Coordinator of the BC NEIHR residing as a guest on the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEC peoples territory.

Contact

• bcneihr_admin@sfu.ca

Contact

• jimenachalchi@uvic.ca

Jimena Garcia

Facilitator Lead

Jimena Garcia (Achalchiuitl) is a Global Leadership Master (M. A) student in Royal Roads University. Her research is focused on Indigenous-led recovery, revitalization and practice of traditional medicine, healing, and well-being practices. She has studied and practiced Indigenous medicine in multicultural contexts, bridging intercultural partnerships, and creating products and educational campaigns for women’s health.

Contact

• juliannebarry@uvic.ca

Elder Roberta Price

Coast Salish, Snuneymuxw and Cowichan, Nations

For close to four decades, Elder Roberta Price has actively shared her leadership, wisdom, and teachings at UBC; the Richmond, Delta, and Burnaby School Districts; Kilala Lelum Health Centre; local hospitals and the National Indigenous Council on Diabetes. Her work supports both Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members in achieving improved health care outcomes. A member of the Coast Salish Snuneymuxw and Cowichan Nations, her ongoing involvement and leadership in research projects have been key to advancing the decolonization of health care and fostering cultural safety and equity for Indigenous patients. In 2021, she received an honorary degree from UBC, recognizing her substantial contributions to society.

Elder Barb Hulme

Métis

Barbara Hulme is honoured as a founding member of the Métis Nation Greater Victoria. “Barb”, as she is affectionately known, is a mentor, a knowledge keeper and now, a trusted elder in the Métis community. Through teaching and mentorship at the University of Victoria Barb supports Métis students at the First People’s House. Her mentorship is part of a much wider, more diverse effort, on Barb’s part, to improve the Métis community. She has also volunteered in her local Métis office as an administrator, historian, citizenship coordinator and genealogy advisor for more than 13 years.

Dr. Evan Adams

Tla'amin First Nation, First Nations Health Authority

Evan Tlesla Adams is a two-spirit, Coast Salish physician from Tla’amin First Nation near Powell River, BC, Canada.

Dr. Adams completed his Medical Doctorate at the University of Calgary and a residency in the Aboriginal Family Practice program at UBC in Vancouver. Dr. Adams has a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the Deputy Provincial Health Officer for BC (2012 to 2014), the Chief Medical Officer of the First Nations Health Authority (2014-2020), and then the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of First Nations & Inuit Health Branch, Indigenous Services Canada (2020-2023).

Dr. Evan Adams plays a dual role with the BC NEIHR as a GC member and Principal Investigator for BC NEIHR.

He will spend a year (24/25) as a Harkness (research) Fellow at the John A. Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu, HI. On a personal note, Evan is married to Allan, and they have 6 children.

Janene Erickson

Nak’ Azdli Whut’en First Nation

Janene Erickson is Dakelh, from Nak'azdli Whut'en, a First Nations community in northern BC, an adopted member of the Takaya Wolf Clan, FNHA family. As a 'customer-owner', she proudly serves First Nations people through her current role as Executive Director, Indigenous Health, at the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).

Janene applies her Masters in Public Health to her work in health system partnerships facilitating better health outcomes for First Nations people, grounded in governance and championing the BC First Nations Perspective of Health & Wellness and Cultural Safety & Humility. A co-author and facilitator of the 'Remembering Keegan: A BC First Nations Case Study Reflection', she is an advocate to address with urgency the issues raised from the In Plain Sight Report; addressing Indigenous-specific racism in healthcare. Janene was appointed to the board of the BC College of Nursing Professionals and also serves on the Inquiry Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. An adjunct professor with the School of Population & Public Health at the UBC Faculty of Medicine, Janene brings her lived experiences, the teachings she's learned, and the education she's earned to her work and strives to do life with an open heart and open mind.

Tabatha Berggren

Métis, Métis Nation BC

Tabatha Berggren (she/her) is deeply committed to her work. She is British on her paternal side; her maternal side is Scottish from the Andrews clan, and Métis from family lines St. Germaine, DeGear, Bélanger, and Bellehumeure. She is a proud Métis Nation BC Citizen and gratefully lives with her husband and three children (ages 9, 8, and 6) on ancestral and treaty Tla’amin Territory in the qathet Region. Tabatha is a proud parent of a child with disabilities and, through advocating for her family, discovered a passion for health research. She found a passion for health research through advocating for her family. Tabatha serves MNBC as the Health Research and Evaluation Manager, having previously worked in policy and data for a treaty nation and non-profits. She also served as charter community president in the qathet region from 2019-2023. Tabatha is passionate about the intersection of accessibility in health systems, disability in Indigenous populations, and Indigenous children’s health. It is an honour to join the BC NEIHR and work towards increasing equity in research for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit populations.

Leslie Varley

Killer Whale Clan of the Nisga's Nation, BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres

As the Executive Director of BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, she and her team support the 25 member centers providing front line services to Indigenous people. Previously Leslie held the Indigenous health portfolio at Provincial Health Services Authority where she led the San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training, a facilitated, online decolonizing anti-racism training program offered to the health, social and justice sectors in three Canadian provinces. Leslie’s community work has focused on ending violence against women and girls. As an Indigenous advocate she has had roles in both provincial and federal governments, and within and for Indigenous community. A member of the Killer Whale house of the Nisga’a Nation, Leslie holds the name T’en De-entkwill Allugigat, meaning “One who leads Indigenous people”. She has a Master’s in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and resides in beautiful Lekwungen territory in Victoria, BC.

Jasmine Feather Dionne

Métis and Nehiyaw from Nistawoyou (Fort McMurray, AB)

Jasmine Dionne is Métis and nehiyaw from nistawoyou (Fort McMurray, AB). Jasmine is our Indigenous student representative and currently acts as the co-chair of the Governing Council. They come from and have relations with the Dionne, Tremblay, Mackenzie, and Cardinal families. Jasmine’s doctoral research is premised on strategizing solutions to gender-based violence in their home territorial region of sakaw wayiniwak (Boreal Forest- Métis Region 1 in Northeastern Alberta). The objective of their research is to look at and understand how the diplomatic practices of the Cree, Dene, and Métis in this region emphasize networks and politics of care, protection, and kinship and apply these to the issue of gender-based violence. Jasmine looks forward to bringing a gendered approach to Indigenous health and wellness.

Dr. Billie Allan

Dr. Billie Allan (School of Social Work, UVic) is the acting Indigenous Sex and Gender Champion (ISG), educator, mentor, consultant, facilitator, and advocate to our team. In this role, Dr. Allan promotes and integrates Indigenous sex and gender (ISG) considerations throughout the life of the BC NEIHR in the following ways: 

• Provide considerations for ISG through every stage of BC NEIHR initiatives.
• Facilitate discussions of ISG issues with team members, Governing Council members and partners.
• Provide ISG resources such as strategies for advancing sex and/or gender inclusion and responding to resistance to integrating sex and gender considerations.
• Provide training for team members and trainees on ISG theories, methods and reporting guidelines. Provide advice on filling out CIHR application sections on sex and gender.
• Help develop, evaluate and reflect on the advancement of ISG equity in training, mentorship and funding applications.
• Advocate for gender parity and inclusion among teams and partners.
• Consult with Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations (ICCOs) and students about how to include ISG in research design, methodology and analysis, including how ISG will be understood and interpreted.
• Inform budget considerations from an ISG perspective (e.g. inclusion of child and/or family care costs to support participation).
• Support the development of an approach for considerations of ISG in knowledge sharing activities.
• Act as an advocate on ISG issues in knowledge sharing/mobilization activities (e.g. advocate for the integration of ISG as part of manuscript reviews for journals).