AIM-HI Network Experiential Internship for Graduate Students

Title: Women in Research: A Power Ed course for Indigenous students on health, environment, and participatory action research methods

Supervisor: Dr. Janelle Baker

Timeline: 4 months (May-August 2021)

Description: This project will be the creation of a short, open-access course on health, environment, and community-based participatory action research between May–August 2021. Many northern Indigenous youth are now experiencing ecological grief due to the changes they see on the land from climate change and misappropriation of their ancestral territories. This short course is an opportunity to inspire young Indigenous women who are at risk for experiencing ecological grief and gender-based vulnerabilities and violence to use their own life experiences to become health and environmental researchers in their communities. Mostly Indigenous female researchers who have life (her)stories, skills, and experience in research that transcends boundaries will provide content for the course. They will share content that can address the very real health and environmental crisis northern and Indigenous youth face in their lifetimes. The researchers will share examples of successful health and environment research projects and will focus on how community-based participatory action research methods have had a foundational role in their research. Students will be given real life examples of decolonizing, action-based research and will work through research project design so that they gain confidence in planning research projects that are relevant to them in their communities.

Title: Indigenous component of the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (I-HeLTI)

Supervisor: Dr. Richard Oster

Timeline: 4 months

Description: Indigenous component of the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (I-HeLTI) study is jointly led by the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre and University of Alberta researchers, who are leading research on the development, implementation, testing and evaluation of Indigenous-focused early interventions (preconception, pregnancy, infancy and early childhood) designed to improve health outcomes for Indigenous communities in Alberta.     

Title: Mentoring Indigenous Leaders in Health Research, Policy and Practice: Education Modules for Academic Mentors

Supervisors: Dr. Adam Murry, Dr. Cheryl Barnabe and the AIM-HI Network Executive

Timeline: 4 months (May-August 2021)

Description: This project is a collaboration between the Alberta Indigenous Mentorship in Health Innovation (AIM-HI) and Indigenous Primary Health Care and Policy Research (IPHCPR) Networks, and will involve the creation of education modules centered on the Indigenous Mentorship Model developed by Drs. Adam Murry and Lynden Crowshoe.

The modules will provide faculty members (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) who are interested in mentoring Indigenous scholars with knowledge and skills in additional domains of mentorship that support Indigenous scholars’ success as leaders in health research, policy and practice careers. The format of this program is envisioned to be a mix of pre-recorded videos, discussion boards with reflection questions, and live sessions to work through case examples and enhance mentorship skills.

The role of the graduate student intern will be to assist in developing the program, working with education experts and the holders of content knowledge of the model, to create module outlines. The intern will also coordinate activities such as recording sessions, developing syllabi and teaching resources.