Tier II Canada Research Chair, Indigenous Peoples Health and Well-Being

Associate Professor, School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health Professions, Dalhousie University.

Research Interests

My program of research is aimed at preventing chronic diseases, which are disproportionately higher among Aboriginal peoples relative to their non-Aboriginal counterparts within Canada. Working directly with communities, I identify and address key community and societal level determinants, that are often linked to lifestyle factors, that ultimately cause chronic diseases. For instance, cost and availability of nutritious and culturally appropriate foods, which limits food choices, puts people at risk for debilitating, costly, and preventable, chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers.

A key feature of my work focuses on the importance of community engagement and using Indigenous ‘ways of knowing’ (methodologies) to inform the research process – from design to dissemination.

Academic Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy, Interdisciplinary PhD Programme, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. (2004 – 2010).

Master of Arts, Health Education (renamed Health Promotion in 2005), Faculty of Health Professions, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. (2002 – 2004).

Bachelor of Recreation (Honours), minor in Business Administration, School of Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics (Re-named School of Human Kinetics and Recreation), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. (1996-2000).

Academic Positions

Associate Professor, School of Health and Human Performance, Faculty of Health Professions, Dalhousie University. July 2016 – Present.

Associate Research Scholar, Healthy Populations Institute, Dalhousie University. May 2016 – Present.

Academic & Professional Awards

2017

• Tier II Canada Research Chair – Indigenous Peoples’ Health and Well-Being.

2009

• Health Canada/Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health Student Travel Award.
• Population and Public Health Student Travel Award, Canadian Public Health Association.

2008 – 2009

• Doctoral Fellowship, Atlantic Aboriginal Health Research Program.

2008

• Scientific Director’s Award of Excellence, Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
• Research Grant, Joseph R. Smallwood Foundation, Memorial University of Newfoundland

2006

• Fellowship, National Aboriginal Health Organization

2004 – 2006

• Doctoral Fellowship, Atlantic Aboriginal Health Research Program
• Doctoral Fellowship, Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation

2003 – 2004

• Master’s Fellowship, Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research
• Master’s Fellowship, Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation

2002 – 2003

• Master’s Fellowship, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Dalhousie University