Shane Keepness is Saulteaux and Cree from the Muscowpetung First Nation, near Regina, Saskatchewan, in Treaty 4 territory. He has certificate in Indian Health Studies, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health and Science. He is currently pursuing his Masters in the Indigenous Governance Program at the University of Victoria. This upcoming summer, Shane will be working on his community governance project which is geared towards sustainable livelihoods by farming and gardening and hunting to a lesser extent, while establishing a food sustenance economy that is suitable for a healthy traditional diet. Shane is also this year’s recipient for the 2013 Merck Graduate Fellowship that will be supporting his research project which will allow him to be working full-time in his community. He recently acted as one of 5 student facilitators for CAHR’s annual Summer Institute in Aboriginal Health and is the newest member of CAHR’s Student Advisory Committee, where he will work with other UVic students and CAHR to assist in the development and implementation of new strategies to engage and assist students studying or interested in Aboriginal health on campus. He hopes to add experience from his community-based research in his home community.

The Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN) is looking for individuals to sit on our National Research Advisory Committee (NRAC). Since 2006, NRAC has guided the research work of the CAAN Research and Policy Unit (RPU), assuring that it undertakes and produces HIV & AIDS community-based research that is methodologically-sound, culturally-appropriate, respectful, and relevant. NRAC will now be mandated to also oversee the work of the new Aboriginal HIV & AIDS (AHA) Research Centre, housed at the CAAN RPU in Dartmouth Nova Scotia. Full Details

Introducing the AHA Centre – CAAN is very excited to announce that we were successful in our research funding application for the Aboriginal HIV & AIDS Community-Based Research Collaborative Centre(AHA Centre) for a five year grant of $1.5 million! This funding will support community-based research development across the country and emphasizes regional work with national coordination. The Research and Policy Unit will continue to undertake research projects while the AHA Centre will support our community stakeholders to lead and engage in research.  happy to announce that we will be housing the Western Research Manager for the new AHA Centre. Full Details

Are you researching air quality solutions in BC? Apply to the BC Clean Air Research Fund (BC CLEAR) for a grant of up to $20,000. Researchers from academic institutions, government organizations, First Nations, industry, consulting and non-government organizations are eligible to apply to the fund.

Research Project Eligibility

All applied research projects that have direct relevance to air quality management within British Columbia are eligible for support from the BC CLEAR Fund. Applied research includes “original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge to help understand and solve air quality management issues.” In general, this would include furthering understanding on the nature of air quality, the physical processes involved (atmospheric, emissions, transformations), the effects on the environment and humans, and air quality management systems.

How to apply

Please complete an application form online by visiting the BC CLEAR Fund website at http://www.fraserbasin.bc.ca/programs/clear.html . The deadline for applications is Friday, October 26, 2012 . The website contains further information on project selection criteria, the application process and previously funded projects.

BC CLEAR Fund

BC CLEAR provides grants to support transformative research of strategic importance for the management of air quality in British Columbia. The Fund is sponsored by the BC Ministry of Environment and is jointly managed with two other parties — Metro Vancouver and Environment Canada (EC), and is administered by the Fraser Basin Council.

For additional information, please contact:
Elizabeth Henry
Email: ehenry@fraserbasin.bc.ca
Tel:(604) 488-5363
Fax: (604) 488-5351

Dear Colleagues,

After almost five years with the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research (CAHR) and the preceding three years with the Aboriginal Health Research Group, Dr. Jeff Reading will begin a one year position with the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, in Alice Springs and Melbourne Australia.

Jeff’s position will be focused on global and national Indigenous health research and he hopes to strengthen the CAHR’s Global Indigenous Health program and enhance international collaborations for the University while abroad. Jeff will retain his position of Professor at UVic and will return to that position on August 1, 2013.

From all of us at the Centre, we would sincerely like to thank Jeff for all his time and dedication to Aboriginal health as well as the unlimited guidance and leadership he has provided to all of the staff and students here at CAHR; he will truly be missed.

At this time, we would also like to announce that Dr. Charlotte Reading has been appointed to a one year term as Interim Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research. Charlotte is an Associate Professor with UVic’s new School of Public Health and Social Policy and brings decades of experience working in such areas as: health inequities and the social determinants of Aboriginal health, human sexuality, Aboriginal women’s health and HIV/AIDS. Charlotte has been very active with CAHR over the past year and leads the Aboriginal Health Research Network Secretariat, which is hosted by CAHR. Charlotte hopes to further expand the Centre’s engagement with students and faculty as well as enhance relations with community members and other Research Centres here at UVic. For more information about Charlotte’s research, please see http://cahr.uvic.ca/about-us/people/centre-director/

Karen Hall is a Master’s student at the University of Victoria within the Studies in Policy and Practice Program. In addition to her graduate studies she recently completed a two-year fellowship with the Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to innovative and equitable public policies and dialogue about the North. The Jane Glassco Arctic Fellowship was designed to provide support to young motivated Northerners, especially Aboriginal Northerners, to understand policy development in Canadian and Northern contexts, with an emphasis on cultural continuity and traditional knowledge. Eleven fellows were selected from the Northern territories of the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik and Nunatsiavut. Throughout the duration of the two- year fellowship, the fellows traveled to each of the main territories, including Ottawa, to learn about policies with various Northern leaders, academics and politicians. The fellows produced two research projects- (1) an individual policy-focused paper investigating a Northern issue of their choice and (2) a group research paper.

Karen’s individual policy-focused paper conceptualized the factors around creating an Aboriginal health centre in the Northwest Territories that would support and facilitate Traditional Healing. The group project examined the learning environments (within the formal learning environment and beyond) that has fostered and supported “leaders” in Northern Canada.

To view these papers please visit http://gordonfoundation.ca/node/552

CAHR is conducting an anonymous survey on people’s response to the Lancet article “Canada curbs Aboriginal health leadership”. The article discusses the highly controversial topics of reducing Aboriginal health funding and recent changes under Canada’s current Conservative government. The survey responses will be used to write a report on people’s opinions about the article.

Please read the article and complete our anonymous survey!

Article link here

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60928-3/fulltext

Survey link here

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6V5SWXG

Please share this article and survey with your friends, family and colleagues. Your help is needed for CAHR to complete this project!

“Crisis on Tap: First Nations Water for Life” has been selected for the APHA Film Festival during the 140th APHA Annual Meeting (October 27 – October 31, 2012) in San Francisco, CA.  The documentary will be part of the International Health Films Session scheduled for Monday, October 29th, 2012: 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm.

For more information on the APHA Annual Meeting
http://www.apha.org/meetings/AnnualMeeting/

For more information on the APHA Film Festival
http://www.apha.org/meetings/highlights/Films.htm