scholarly journals Try Bravery for a Change: Supporting Indigenous Health Training and Development in Canadian Universities

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantelle Richmond
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Health Training ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
Research Environments ◽  
The University

The persistence of egregious inequities signals that we are at a critical juncture regarding the health of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Now is the time to seriously reflect on the relationships between Indigenous realities, public policy, and the role of Indigenous research environments therein. Addressing the complexity of contemporary Indigenous health inequity requires a fundamental reorientation in the ways we conduct and think about research. This commentary explores the transition currently taking place in Indigenous health training and development in Canadian universities, with a focus on Ontario’s Indigenous Mentorship Network. At the heart of the Ontario Network is the Anishinabe philosophy Mno Nimkodadding Geegi (“We Are All Connected”).  In our attempts to address Indigenous health inequality in Canada, we take the perspective that the most important answers will come when we take the time to listen to Indigenous communities. This commentary closes with a discussion on bravery. Just as Indigenous scholars push to make space for their scholarship within the university environments, so too must our institutions have the bravery needed to address the structural changes required to foster that success.

scholarly journals On the Study of Higher Education in Canadian Universities

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 96-114
Author(s):  
Michael L. Skolnik
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
Higher Education Journals ◽  
Canadian Higher Education ◽  
Limited Scale ◽  
Student Demand ◽  
The University

Although research on Canadian higher education has advanced considerably over the past few decades, the opportunities for university level study of higher education in Canada are still quite limited. Only four universities offer higher education programs; only one has a higher education department; and only a handful of other institutions offer even a course in higher education. The number of students enrolled in higher education programs in Canada is about 200, compared to about 6,000 in the United States; the number of faculty about 15 compared to 700 in the U.S. Moreover, while American higher education journals have, since the early 1970's, regularly featured articles about university higher education programs, there has not been a single article on this subject in The Canadian Journal of Higher Education. This paper attempts to fill some of that gap by providing some basic information about the study of higher education in Canadian universities and by examining the role of these programs in the overall development of higher education research and the possible reasons for the very limited scale of such programs in Canada. The author's conclusion is that the factor which has most limited the development of higher education studies in Canadian universities is neither insufficient student demand nor limited employment opportunities of graduates, but reluctance of Canadian universities to allocate resources for this area of study. This reluctance is attributed to the combination of the low prestige of higher education as a field of study and the lack of a strong lobby for this program area outside the university. It is suggested that - in contrast to their American counterparts - presently Canadian higher education programs have less than the minimum resources necessary to make the advances that would be required to overcome this "prestige barrier".

scholarly journals The Role of Library Councils in Canadian Higher Education: An Exploratory Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-158
Author(s):  
Eva Revitt ◽  
Sean Luyk
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
Canadian Higher Education ◽  
Governance Practice ◽  
And Function ◽  
The University ◽  
Role And Function

Scholarship exploring the makeup, function, and efficacy of collegial governance structures within the context of Canadian higher education is limited and primarily focused on the board or the senate. This paper expands that scholarship by focusing on the governance structures of the university library. The objective of this study was to determine the extent of library councils in Canadian universities and to examine their composition, role, and function as evidenced in their governing documents. Using Karl Mannheim’s document method to analyze the terms of reference of 23 library councils, findings reveal that, overwhelmingly, library councils function as information-sharing and discussion forums rather than decision-making bodies. The paper concludes with a review of progressive language and governance practice as gathered from the document analysis.

scholarly journals Coping with Hypertension among Indigenous Peoples in Brazil and the Role of the Primary Care Nurse: A Critical Review from a Transcultural Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 942-954
Author(s):  
Mauricio Viana Gomes Oliveira ◽  
Ângela Maria Mendes Abreu ◽  
James R. Welch ◽  
Carlos E. A. Coimbra
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Nursing Education ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Keyword Search ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Clinical Communication ◽  
Manual Search

Our objective is to critically review the literature addressing the strategic role of nurses in the daily primary care of arterial hypertension in Indigenous communities in Brazil. We selected studies based on an initial keyword search of major bibliographic indexing databases for the years 2000 to 2020 and manual search. Further selection was based on topical, methodological, and thematic relevance, as well as evaluation of scholarship quality and pertinence to our chosen narrative. The literature demonstrates Indigenous peoples do not receive health services that measure up to national standards in large part due to a marked lack of academic and employer preparation for nurses operating in transcultural settings. Inequities were apparent in recurrent reports of victim-blaming, deficient clinical communication with patients, clinical malpractice, devaluation of hypertension as a problem for Indigenous peoples, insufficient intercultural training for nurses, and discrimination against Indigenous students in nursing education programs. This systemic problem needs to be addressed by universities and the Indigenous Health Care Subsystem in Brazil.

scholarly journals Aspirations and Worries: The Role of Parental Intrinsic Motivation in Establishing Oral Health Practices for Indigenous Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11695
Author(s):  
Brianna F. Poirier ◽  
Joanne Hedges ◽  
Lisa G. Smithers ◽  
Megan Moskos ◽  
Lisa M. Jamieson
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Nutrition Practices ◽  
Indigenous Children ◽  
History Of ◽  
Health Programming

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (respectfully, subsequently referred to as Indigenous) children in Australia experience oral disease at a higher rate than non-Indigenous children. A history of colonisation, government-enforced assimilation, racism, and cultural annihilation has had profound impacts on Indigenous health, reflected in oral health inequities sustained by Indigenous communities. Motivational interviewing was one of four components utilised in this project, which aimed to identify factors related to the increased occurrence of early childhood caries in Indigenous children. This qualitative analysis represents motivational interviews with 226 participants and explores parents’ motivations for establishing oral health and nutrition practices for their children. Findings suggest that parental aspirations and worries underscored motivations to establish oral health and nutrition behaviours for children in this project. Within aspirations, parents desired for children to ‘keep their teeth’ and avoid false teeth, have a positive appearance, and preserve self-esteem. Parental worries related to child pain, negative appearance, sugar consumption, poor community oral health and rotten teeth. A discussion of findings results in the following recommendations: (1) consideration of the whole self, including mental health, in future oral health programming and research; (2) implementation of community-wide oral health programming, beyond parent-child dyads; and (3) prioritisation of community knowledge and traditions in oral health programming.

Listening to indigenous health workers

2011 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Walker ◽  
Marc Tennant ◽  
Stephanie D Short
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Role Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice

Objective: This research was undertaken to explore factors operating at the level of the clinic and the community which influence the development of the oral health role of Indigenous Health Workers. The research is a significant aspect of a wider study of the disconnect between the strong national policy support for the development of the oral health role of Indigenous Health Workers and the limited development of the role. Design: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Indigenous Health Workers to explore their perceptions of the priority of the development of an oral health role and to identify facilitators and barriers to sustainable role development. Setting: The study was conducted in three remote Indigenous communities and two regional centres of the Cape York region in far north Australia. Method: Interviews were conducted with 21 Indigenous Health Workers through five group interviews and eight individual interviews. Results: The findings highlight the high priority given by Indigenous Health Workers to the development of their oral health role while also identifying significant barriers to the sustainable development of this role. Conclusion: The identification of barriers to role development operating at the level of the clinic and the community helps to explain the disconnect between policy and practice in the development of the oral health role of these community health personnel.

scholarly journals Introduction to the Special Issue Decolonizing Anthropology: Race, Emotions and Pedagogies in the European Classroom

Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Olivia Barnett-Naghshineh ◽  
Antony Pattathu
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Postcolonial Studies ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Decolonial Theory ◽  
Emotional Dimensions ◽  
The University

Here we open up the special issue with an introduction to the topic of decolonizing anthropology through the consideration of the emotionality of race, racism, and whiteness within the classroom and the discipline. Focusing on the European Classroom as a construct, we reflect on what the implications of decolonizing anthropology are for teaching the discipline, particularly in regard to the positionality of “European Others” (El Tayeb, 2011) as students and educators. While demands for structural changes in the discipline and the restructuring of canons and curriculums have been widely proposed, the role of affect and emotions in relation to colonialism, race, and whiteness in the decolonizing process have been addressed only marginally. We offer a contribution to the conversation through the focus on emotions, taking these as a form of knowledge and political action. Bringing together literatures on postcolonial studies, decolonial theory with critiques of anthropology, we suggest a space for thinking about the emotional dimensions of decolonization within the university and across disciplines and describe the contribution of each article included herein that show the power that comes from thinking critically about the emotionality of the classroom, and the role of emotions in reproducing colonial epistemics.

scholarly journals Activity specifics of educational institutions peripheral staff in the conditions of education modernization

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 220-224
Author(s):  
Albina Mikhaylovna Sanko
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Activity Management ◽  
Training Courses ◽  
Higher Educational ◽  
Effective Organization ◽  
The University

The following article deals with the change of professional activity content of educational peripheral staff in conditions of higher education modernization and structural changes of historically developed traditions of activity management organization in the higher educational institution in the course of their merger (on the example of two Samara universities merger - higher educational institution that gives education in the sphere of classical natural sciences and humanities and higher educational institution that educates specialists for narrow high-technology, being strategically important for the national defence capability branch). The author describes the content and essence of educational peripheral staff social and technological activity and difficulties appearing at the rearrangement from one activity (communication) to another (work with software programs and services). The author also shows the role of adequate cooperation of educational peripheral staff of all organization departments for activity management effective organization of the university and presents the results of educational peripheral staff activity analysis. The obtained materials can serve as the basis for the interacademic further training courses organization for educational peripheral staff and further monitoring of their activity effectiveness for the educational institution management.

A Pathway to “Becoming”

2020 ◽  
pp. 70-86
Author(s):  
Chantelle A. M. Richmond
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Sense Of Belonging ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Health Training ◽  
Canadian Universities ◽  
Academic Leader ◽  
Important Sense ◽  
Continued Learning

In Canada, an exciting transformation has taken place within the context of Indigenous health research and scholarship. As Canadian universities strive to embrace processes of indigenization, the author takes the position that much can be learned from the Indigenous health experience. Drawing in large part from her own journey into Indigenous health scholarship, first as a student and now as an academic leader, the goal of this chapter is to describe the author's pathway “to becoming” an independent Indigenous health scholar. Herein she shares stories that describe how her pathway—and her continued learning as a researcher, teacher, and mentor—has been shaped by the powerful experience of being engaged in these Indigenous health training environments. She describes the important sense of belonging and success she achieved from learning in such indigenized environments, but also of the internal struggles she has experienced when attempting to bridge these powerful practices within the wider university context, where the same openness to indigenized ways of learning and doing has not been similarly embraced.

scholarly journals Decolonizing both researcher and research and its effectiveness in Indigenous research

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranjan Datta
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
The University ◽  
Indigenous Land ◽  
Decolonizing Research

How does one decolonize and reclaim the meanings of research and researcher, particularly in the context of Western research? Indigenous communities have long experienced oppression by Western researchers. Is it possible to build a collaborative research knowledge that is culturally appropriate, respectful, honoring, and careful of the Indigenous community? What are the challenges in Western research, researchers, and Western university methodology research training? How have ‘studies’ – critical anti-racist theory and practice, cross-cultural research methodology, critical perspectives on environmental justice, and land-based education – been incorporated into the university to disallow dissent? What can be done against this disallowance? According to Eve Tuck and K Wayne Yang’s (2012) suggestion, this article did not use the concept of decolonization as a substitute for ‘human rights’ or ‘social justice’, but as a demand of an Indigenous framework and a centering of Indigenous land, Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous ways of thinking. This article discusses why both research and researcher increasingly require decolonization so that research can create a positive impact on the participants’ community, and conduct research ethically. This article is my personal decolonization and reclaiming story from 15 years of teaching, research and service activities with various Indigenous communities in various parts of the world. It presents a number of case studies of an intervention research project to exemplify the challenges in Western research training, and how decolonizing research training attempts to not only reclaim participants’ rights in the research but also to empower the researcher. I conclude by arguing that decolonizing research training creates more empathetic educators and researchers, transforming us for participants, and demonstrating how we can take responsibility for our research.

scholarly journals Role of non-Indigenous researchers in Indigenous health research in Australia: a review of the literature

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion A. Gray ◽  
Florin I. Oprescu
Keyword(s):  
Capacity Building ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Research Process ◽  
The Body ◽  
Indigenous Australians ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Research Practices

Objective This paper explores the body of knowledge around Indigenous health research and aims to outline what roles are appropriate for non-Indigenous researchers within Indigenous health research in Australia. Methods A literature review was conducted using CINAHL, PubMed and Scopus in May 2015. The search terms were ‘non-Indigenous researchers’ AND ‘Indigenous health research’ and other combinations of these terms. Additional documents were sourced by hand using the reference lists of key articles. Results Seven thematic categories were identified: (1) Closing the Gap: implications for research; (2) history of Indigenous research; (3) developing Indigenous research using a capacity-building approach; (4) the cultural interface between Western paradigms and Indigenous knowledge; (5) ethical Indigenous research; (6) culturally safe Indigenous research; and (7) positive roles for non-Indigenous researchers in Indigenous research. Conclusion It is important that non-Indigenous researchers become more aware of culturally appropriate ways in which to undertake Indigenous research and to ensure that the research undertaken is safe, ethical and useful for participants. Fostering partnerships between non-Indigenous academic organisations and researchers and Indigenous health researchers is an important development that can promote and enhance the emerging field of Indigenous inquiry. Actively contributing to capacity building with Indigenous researchers and research initiatives is a key role that non-Indigenous researchers and academic institutions can have in improving Indigenous health. Self-determination through health research capacity building and evidence-based advocacy may provide the most useful outcomes for Indigenous people. What is known about the topic? The health status of Indigenous Australians is well below that of other Australians. Historically, research about Indigenous health has been undertaken by non-Indigenous researchers using Western research paradigms. There is a need to identify appropriate roles for non-Indigenous researchers supportive of culturally safe and ethical research. What does this paper add? This paper synthesises available knowledge about the role of non-Indigenous researchers with Indigenous health research and provides suggestions for their contribution to Indigenous research practice. What are the implications for practitioners? Non-Indigenous researchers need to: (1) focus on culturally safe research practices; (2) be willing to address power imbalances within the research process; and (3) advocate for change within academic institutions to support culturally safe research practices.

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