Indigenous scholar brings BC Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research to SFU

The British Columbia Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (BC NEIHR) - one of nine Indigenous-led networks across Canada that support research leadership among Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) communities, collectives and organizations (ICCOs) - will be transiting to Simon Fraser University (SFU) as its new host institution over the next five year under the leadership of Dr. Krista Stelkia.

“I’m thrilled to be bringing the BC NEIHR to SFU,” says Nominated Principal Investigator (NPI) and Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) Assistant Professor, Dr. Krista Stelkia. “This is an incredible opportunity for us to invest in, mentor and support the next generation of Indigenous health scholars and further transform the research landscape to respect the self-determination of Indigenous peoples and communities in Indigenous-led health research”

Formed in 2020, the BC NEIHR network focuses on capacity development, research and knowledge translation, and creates supportive research environments for Indigenous health research led by, and grounded in, Indigenous communities in BC. The BC NEIHR offers a variety of programs and supports for emerging researchers in BC, including supporting ICCOs with developing their research activities, offering graduate funding to Indigenous trainees, and supporting the dissemination of research findings of BC Indigenous investigators.   

On October 9^th, 2024, the Government of Canada announced the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) renewed funding of BC NEIHR and eight other NEIHR organizations across Canada, committing $37.6 million to all nine organizations for an additional five years to 2029.

“The NIEHRs are supporting a national research agenda that benefits not just Indigenous Peoples, but all health research in Canada,” observes the Honourable Mark Holland, federal Minister of Health.

For the next five years, the BC NEIHR will transition to a new home at the Centre for Collaborative Action on Indigenous Health Governance (CCAIHG), the first-of-its-kind Indigenous health governance research centre, nested in the FHS at SFU on the unceded traditional Coast Salish territories of the Tsleil-Waututh, Kwikwetlem, Squamish, and Musqueam Nations. Since 2022, the BC NEIHR has developed a collaborative partnership with the CCAIHG through various research capacity-bridging initiatives, training opportunities for Indigenous graduate students, and co-hosted several gatherings including the Indigenous health research ethics in clinical research symposium and SFU Indigenous graduate student writing retreat.

Stelkia, who is taking over the role of BC NEIHR NPI from predecessors Dr. Charlotte Loppie and Dr. Jeffrey Reading, looks forward to advancing Indigenous health research mentorship and capacity development within Indigenous communities and organizations across BC. “BC NEIHR is helping to transform the research environment in BC to supporting the self-determination of Indigenous peoples in health research. My team and I will be continuing this important work of supporting ICCOs and Indigenous graduate students in finding their place within health research and provide them with the tools to assert their own self-determination over their own Indigenous-led health research.” 

The BC NEIHR and CCAIHG teams look forward to formally launching the network in January 2025 at SFU with the announcement of their website, new funding programs, knowledge exchange events, and networking initiatives.