Community Research Associates join PILAR Tobacco Project

Last month, six Community Research Associates from five BC First Nations communities attended a training workshop at Simon Fraser University as part of the Promoting Indigenous-Led Approaches to Respecting (PILAR) Tobacco Project led by Faculty of Health Sciences professor Kelley Lee and Dr. Evan Adams from the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA).

Laura Evans (Adams Lake Indian Band), Edward Joe (Cowichan Tribes), Jamie Pierre and Kristina Leon (Katzie First Nation), Shelby George (Tla’amin First Nation), and Warner Naziel (Witset First Nation) will work closely with the project team to understand perspectives and needs related to tobacco use within their communities.

"I am pleased to welcome our new team members who will play a key role in the project's activities within the five communities," says Lee. "With the FNHA, we are committed to understanding how the public health community can better support Indigenous health and wellness through engagement with communities in research projects such as this one."

The SFU project team includes associate professor Scott Venners (quantitative surveys), Dr. Julia Smith (qualitative methods), Tim Michel (Project Coordinator), and Jennifer Fang (Project Administrator). Krista Stelkia (Manager, Health and Wellness Research, Office of the Chief Medical Officer) coordinates project support by the First Nations Health Authority. The project team also includes PhD candidate Kody Doxtater, MSc student Sheryl Thompson and undergraduate student Juliet Fowler.

Project findings will support the development of community-led and culturally appropriate approaches to commercial tobacco use.  The project is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Respecting Tobacco Program of the First Nations Health Authority.