Indigenizing Health Research Ethics in BC

Project Title: Indigenizing Health Research Ethics in British Columbia with Indigenous Communities, Collectives and Organizations: Co-Create Wise Practives & Distinctions-Based Ethical Protocols in Indigenous Health Research 

Nominated Principal Applicant: Dr. Krista Stelkia

Principal Investigators: Dr. Jeffrey Reading, Tara Erb, Anita Manshadi, Dr. Cornelia Wieman, Terri Fleming, Dr. Danièle Behn Smith, Dr. Lisa Bourque Bearskin, Dr. Roderick McCormick, Dr. Daniel Sims, Dr. Robert Hancock, and Dr. Laura Arbour

Project Description

The overarching goal of our project is to improve and advance Indigenous health research ethics practices and protocols in British Columbia (BC) to be more culturally safe and grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems and distinctions-based guidelines.

Our specific aims are to:

1. Conduct a scoping review to identify, synthesize, and map current wise practices and distinctions-based ethical guidelines, protocols, and practices used by Indigenous Communities, Collectives, and Organizations (ICCOs) and Research Ethics Boards (REBs) within Indigenous health research in BC.
2. Explore the perspectives of research ethics partners (ICCOs, REBs, and Indigenous Health Researchers (IHRs)) on gaps, barriers, and experiences in Indigenous health research ethics processes and ways to address them.
3. Facilitate a convening space for research ethics partners (ICCOs, REBs, and IHRs) to engage in dialogue and to co-create solutions and ethics resources as tools to improve and advance Indigenous health research ethics.

The expected outcomes of this project are:

• A digital repository, interactive mapping, and systematic catalogue of ICCO and REB ethical guidelines, protocols, and wise practices (hosted by the CCAIHG at SFU);
• Co-developed Indigenous health ethics resources (i.e., wise practices, distinctions-based guidelines, transformative learning materials) for research ethics stakeholders to use as tools to improve and advances Indigenous health research ethics;
• Calls to Action that outline recommendations for systems transformation to advance Indigenizing health research ethics;
• Establishment of a collaborative BC network of scholars, institutional leaders, ethics professionals and ICCOs working to advance Indigenous health research ethics; and
• New evidence to help support REBs with the ethical review of Indigenous health ethics applications.