Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A
Sakhalin
Ocean Sea of
Okhotsk Khabarovsk
Amur
Kodiak
Bethel 60
Oymyakon
Riv
Aldan CHINA
Whitehorse Sea Cherskiy
Pevek
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Dawson
70 Wrangel
Yakutsk
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20
Barrow average minimum
East 120
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River Great Bear Le
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Yellowknife NEW
SIBERIAN
Great Slave Banks 80 ISLANDS
Lake Lake Island Laptev
Athabasca Sea
Victoria
Island
Arctic
Cambridge
Bay
QUEEN
Ocean
CANADA ELIZABETH
North
SEVERNAYA
ZEMLYA RUSSIA
Rankin Inlet Resolute ISLANDS Pole
0W 90 E
Noril'sk Yenisey
Repulse Bay Ellesmere
Hudson Island
Alert Dikson
Bay Kara
Qaanaaq FRANZ Sea
Baffin (Thule) JOSEF
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Longyearbyen Irty
Kalaallit Nunaat (NORWAY) sh
Greenland
Davis Strait Barents Sea Pechora
(DENMARK)
Kangerlussuaq Bjørnøya 70
(Søndre Strømfjord) Greenland (NORWAY)
Nuuk Sea
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Sea Norwegian
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Sea Kazan'
Sukh
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Arctic Samara
Circle
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Reykjavík NORWAY Lake Nizhniy
Ladoga Novgorod KAZ.
Volga
Overviews
Preface 4
Overview 5
People 7
Fiscal Update 13
Event Summaries
Address
International Congress on Circumpolar Health 18
International Polar Year 20
Time Capsule 21
Institute for Workshops & Retreats 22
Circumpolar Health Research Northern Governance 23
P.O. Box 11050 Summer Institute 24
Yellowknife, NT
Dechinta Health Course 25
X1A 3X7 Canada
Tel: 867.873.9337
Fax: 867.873.9338
Project Summaries
Dietary Choices 26
Climate Change & Health 27
HPV Prevalence Study 28
© 2005-2010 Production
Front Cover: Tuktoyaktuk Akpik (Cloudberry)
Special Publications 40
photo courtesy of Stephanie MacDonald Web Hosting & Design 41
Back Cover: Beadwork by Conferences 42
Janet Grandjambe of Fort Good Hope Presentations 43
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 3
Preface
Message from the at its heart remained dedicated to community partnerships,
stretching limited resources to support others, especially
Board Chair (2005 - 2010) youth throughout the NWT who would otherwise go want-
ing for educational experiences or mentorship. In many oc-
I
casions, ICHR has stepped in to support innovative ideas
t has been an honour to have and local groups working in the area of health research, ren-
served as the board chair of dering invaluable service to the community as a whole.
the Institute for Circumpo-
lar Health Research — from I am certain that in the coming years, ICHR will continue
its founding as a tiny organiza- striving strongly on its unique path of combining academic
tion with lots of good ideas and research with community-based methodologies. 2011 looks
boundless enthusiasm for north- to be particularly exciting with the opening of a newly reno-
ern health research, to its im- vated office site and research centre.
mensely proud fifth year of con- Lastly, I would like to thank all past and present board mem-
secutive achievement that this bers and staff — as well as colleagues and friends from all
report celebrates. over Canada and the circumpolar world — who we have had
Needless to say, ICHR has been far more successful than any the pleasure to work with on this exciting adventure.
of us at its founding anticipated. The depth and variety of
work highlighted in this report is a testament to the dedica-
Sandra Lockhart
tion of its staff who have moved forward to surpass signifi-
cant milestones on a regular basis. And despite developing November 1, 2010
global linkages and growing in size and stature, ICHR has Yellowknife, NT
Message from the the Northwest Territories had access to the Tri-Territorial
Health Access Fund. These combined resources and support
Executive & Scientific of colleagues provided opportunities for the board and staff
to develop a strong vision and mandate as well as consult
I
building including infrastructure development, policies for
t is my pleasure to present the ethical practice and research integrity, training opportuni-
five year report for the Insti- ties, and knowledge centres with resources including librar-
tute for Circumpolar Health ies and databases. In some cases, ICHR has taken a leader-
Research. It has been an exciting ship role and developed research projects. In other cases, we
period as numerous individu- have supported northern organizations that take on activi-
als have come together to build ties in health research. The details of these activities and the
capacity for health research in partnerships that made them possible are highlighted in the
northern Canada. report.
This initiative was started by a It has been a privilege to work with the board, staff and nu-
group of individuals who shared merous partners and organizations these past five years. I
an interest in health research and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for
were committed to support the growth and development of your contributions, which have created this northern Insti-
ICHR. It was fortuitous that the beginnings of ICHR were tute for Circumpolar Health Research.
in sync with a number of circumpolar initiatives such as
International Polar Year (IPY) and the 14th International
Congress on Circumpolar Health. In addition, the Cana- Susan Chatwood
dian Institutes of Health Research Team in Circumpolar
November 1, 2010
Health Research had just convened and the Government of
Yellowknife, NT
4 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Overview
T
he Institute for Circumpolar Health Research (ICHR) is an annual budget of over one million dollars. In 2009, ICHR
a northern-based health research institute with a cen- was awarded 1.6 million dollars from INAC’s Arctic Infra-
tral office located in Yellowknife and a regional office in structure Research Fund, the only grant for human health
Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada. research. These funds will go towards a one-time renovation
Historically, health research activities in the Canadian of a central office site in Yellowknife.
North have tended to be coordinated from outside the re- By 2010, ICHR was managing over fifteen contracts and
gion. Centres with northern health research initiatives, in- contribution agreements which span a variety of health re-
frastructure, and core operations have likewise been largely search projects. Project funds acquired since inception total
based in southern locations, often at university centres. As over five million dollars and the network site has worked
such, the health research infrastructure that emerged has with over fifteen partners including indigenous organiza-
been scattered and dependent upon grant-to-grant funding tions, territorial governments, health authorities, commu-
and in-kind support of northern organizations who serve nity-based organizations, international research institutes,
as partners. and universities. Current partners include the Aklavik
Recognizing the virtual absence of northern-based health Health Committee, Government of the Northwest Terri-
research capacity, ICHR was established in 2005 under the tories, Department of Health and Social Services, Regional
Northwest Territories Societies Act. The creation of ICHR was Health Authorities, the Public Health Agency of Canada,
the culmination of consultations conducted in our northern Dene Nation, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, University of
regions over the past 20 years. Toronto, McGill University, University of Manitoba, and the
Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health. The list of part-
ners continues to grow as people recognize the benefits of
Founding vision: “Building on the strengths and northern-based research capacity and infrastructure.
knowledge of all cultures to achieve health” In 2009, the Institute became affiliated with the University
of Toronto as a well as a sister organization in Greenland,
the Greenland Institute for Circumpolar Health Research.
Since 2005, ICHR has made targeted efforts to increase ICHR is currently governed by community-based board of
health research functions in the north. To this end, it has directors with representation from both indigenous and
grown into an institute with a complement of eight staff and health services sectors.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 5
Overview
Research Development development of a community-based participatory research
training program geared towards youth.
Research program development in the north has resulted
from northern-based expertise, leadership, community,
governmental partnerships, and university support. Com- In lieu of having core funding, ICHR has built on
mon themes for a health research program arose out of a the talents of its staff and partners to the fullest,
common vision and goals held by contributing partners. The building in just five years a research institute
research themes respond to northern priorities for health which will meet the highest standards for health
research, existing capacity to lead programs, and the ad- research.
vantages obtained through positioning at a northern base
for research. The themes require various methods and ap-
proaches to explore the health and wellness of our northern Despite the lack of core funding, ICHR has supported ongo-
residents. Studies on climate change, dietary choices, ma- ing research and training at ICHR’s northern sites as well
ternal child health and mental health that employ diverse as sponsored summer institutes, post-doctoral fellowships,
participatory research methods cross cut these themes. visiting scholars and exchanges, scholarships for northern
residents, and local initiatives by health care profession-
A significant contributing factor to developing successful
als in the Northwest Territories. It is an exciting time for
research programs is northern-based research expertise and
health research in northern Canada and ICHR is proud to
leadership in theme areas. Currently ICHR has staff, student
have already played an important role in developing the
affiliates, and advisors who support research program de-
foundations for internationally-recognized programs in cir-
velopment and have a commitment to this goal. Moreover,
cumpolar health.
from its regional office in Inuvik, ICHR has sustained the
Research Facilitation
ICHR also plays a comprehensive role in supporting communities as they facilitate research projects through activi-
ties related to steering committee development, participatory roles in research implementation, and dissemination
and uptake of research findings. Some activities of ICHR related to research facilitation are noted below as well as
documented throughout this report:
»» Knowledge Translation – supervises and coordinates knowledge translation activities including operation of Northern
Cochrane network site, serves as a liaison with Canadian Association for Drugs Technology and Health, and supports
initiatives of the Executive Training for Research Application.
»» Research Facilitation – supports research groups in logistics, proposal development, licensure applications, community
consultations, and organization of project steering committees. and assists community organizations in research plan-
ning (Public Health Agency of Canada, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, University of Toronto, McGill University, Dene
Nation, Aklavik Health Committee).
»» Research Training – oversees student support services, practicum placement, award competitions, scholarships, curricu-
lum development, design of on-line courses, and sponsorship of summer institutes (supervision students from Queen’s
University, University of Toronto, and for Public Health Agency of Canada programs).
»» Data Repository – host site for the Circumpolar Health Observatory and branch of Statistics Canada Regional Data cen-
ter. Designs, supervises and maintains data systems, negotiates data acquisition and access, provides analytic support
to researchers, and generates statistical profiles and reports.
»» International Liaison – coordinates and promotes Institute participation and leadership in international research
projects; hosts Canadian branches of circumpolar health organizations (member of the International Association of Cir-
cumpolar Health Publishers, International Network for Circumpolar Health Research, Canadian Society for Circumpolar
Health, coordinating body for the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, and hosts projects proposed by
the Arctic Human Health Expert Group/ SDWG and endorsed by the Arctic Council ).
»» Resource Centre – on site resource library and online support from the University of Manitoba Aboriginal Health Li-
brarian at the Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library.
6 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Staff
Staff Denise Kurszewski
Director of Research Development
»» rajiv.rawat@ichr.ca
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 7
Associates
Research Associates Stephanie received a PhD from Cambridge University, Eng-
land, where her research focused on the relationship be-
tween Canadian Aboriginal policy, self government nego-
Bryany Denning tiations and the social suffering experienced by indigenous
Public Health Officer (PHAC) peoples. She currently lives in Yellowknife where she works
as a political advisor and consultant to indigenous govern-
Bree graduated with honours from ments. In 2009, she organized the Northern Governance
Queen’s University in 2006 and Policy Research Conference with the assistance of ICHR’s
moved to Yellowknife in May 2008 staff.
where she completed her Master’s
degree in epidemiology, under the »» stephanie.fox@theedge.ca
joint supervision of Queen’s Uni-
versity and ICHR. Her graduate re- Julia Christensen
search involved place of birth and health outcomes for child- Research Affiliate
birth in the Northwest Territories and was funded by PHAC
Julia Christensen is currently
and the CIHR Team in Circumpolar Health.
a Trudeau Scholar and PhD
Since November 2009, Bree has served as a Public Health Candidate in Geography at McGill University. Her thesis re-
Officer of the Public Health Agency of Canada. She is based search focuses on homelessness and housing insecurity in
out of the ICHR office. the Northwest Territories. She is also a co-investigator in
the IPY Gas, Arctic Peoples, and Securities (GAPS) Project,
»» bryany.denning@ichr.ca sits as the student representative on the Social Economy of
the North (SERRNoCa) steering committee, and is co-direc-
Candice Lys tor of the IPY Time Capsule Project as well as the Northern
Research Associate Students/Northern Research initiative which ICHR has sup-
A Fort Smith native, Candice is pur- ported through its foundation.
suing a PhD in Public Health Sci-
ences at the University of Toronto »» julia.christensen@gmail.com
while she continues to lead on sev-
eral projects for ICHR.
In 2009, she completed her MA in
Health Promotion from Dalhousie
Graduate Students
University. Her research spotlighted youth sexual health in Thea Luig
Northwest Territories. Earlier, she earned a BA (Honours)
PhD Student (Alberta) 2010
in sociology from the University of Alberta and traveled the
world on the Ship for World Youth to Japan and various Originally from Germany and a
points in the South Pacific. She is also the only staff member woodwind instrument maker by
with her own trading card as part of the NAHO’s Aboriginal trade, Thea has travelled exten-
Role Models Program. sively in Scandinavia, Siberia, and
northern Canada. In 2006, she
»» candice.lys@ichr.ca conducted her MA research on dis-
course, knowledge, and legitimacy
Stephanie Irlbacher- during the public hearings for the Mackenzie Gas Project.
Fox, PhD She is currently pursuing her doctorate at the University of
Research Associate Alberta on psychological health in northern Dene communi-
ties and working in Yellowknife on evaluating the pilot se-
A political anthropologist, Stepha- mester of land-based university-accredited courses offered
nie has spent the last decade work- by the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning.
ing for Dene, Métis, and Inuvialuit
people in the Northwest Territories »» tluig@ualberta.edu
on self government negotiations,
and related processes. In 2005,
8 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Students
Hilary Blackett
MPH Student (Toronto) 2010
Hilary Blackett is a graduate stu-
dent pursuing her MPH in Com-
munity Health and Epidemiology
at the Dalla Lana School of Public
Health, University of Toronto. Hil-
ary worked on several projects in-
cluding community health reports
and a research methodology photovoice course with youth
in Inuvik. Her efforts were funded by PHAC and the CIHR
Team in Circumpolar Health. Amanda Clarke
»» h.blackett@utoronto.ca MHSc Student (Toronto) 2007
Amanda was a MHSc student at the University of Toronto
Andrew Bresnahan during her time at ICHR. She lived and worked in Aklavik
MA Student (Toronto) 2009 through the summer of 2007, helping community members
While with ICHR, Andrew Bres- identify health research priorities. Her extensive survey
nahan was a graduate student in work would later the lay groundwork for future research
medical anthropology at the Uni- programs in the region. She also worked on a variety of proj-
versity of Toronto, Canada. Rooted ects including proposal writing and learned about northern
in a commitment to health equity, research methodologies at a moose hide tanning camp in
his research interests include social the Beaufort Delta. Her efforts were funded by the CIHR
epidemiology, northern medicine, Team in Circumpolar Health.
participatory research design, and inter-cultural perspec-
tives on human rights and development. Born in Labrador,
he worked from the health clinic in Aklavik through win-
ter of 2009/2010. He now pursuing an MPH at Memorial
University in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. His
efforts were funded by PHAC and the CIHR Team in Circum-
polar Health.
»» andrew.bresnahan@gmail.com
Karolina Machalek
MPH Student (Toronto) 2008
Karolina pursued her MPH at the
Dalla Lana School of Public Health,
University of Toronto. Her work
with ICHR focused on the devel-
Stephanie Suski
opment of a perinatal surveillance MHSc Student (Toronto) 2007
system for the NWT. Through the Stephanie is a registered dietician and earned a MHSc in
summer and fall of 2008, she coor- Community Nutrition at the University of Toronto in 2008.
dinated a series of multi-stakeholder discussions with the She worked with the community of Aklavik on the Youth
Fort Smith Health and Social Services Authority Midwifery and Elders Dietary Project through the summer of 2007
Program around the optimal database design for such a sys- as well as assisted with activities within the Northern Co-
tem. Her efforts were funded by PHAC and the CIHR Team chrane Network Site during her term in the Northwest Ter-
in Circumpolar Health. ritories. Her efforts were funded by the CIHR Team in Cir-
cumpolar Health.
»» karolina.malachek@utoronto.ca
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 9
Scholars & Scholarships
Scholarships
The Masters and/or PhD Scholarship is aimed to encour-
age northerners to undertake research that will contribute
to knowledge and understanding of health and wellness,
broadly conceived to include the health, natural, physical,
and social sciences and humanities. The scholarship is sup-
ported by the CIHR team in Circumpolar Health. Award
winners include:
Visiting Scholars
Knowledge and Research at Athabasca University.
ICHR hosted the Fall 2010 sabbatical for Dr. Rhonda M. Susan is a doctoral candidate in the University of Phoenix’s
Johnson, who serves as Chair of the Department of Health educational leadership program (Ed.D) with a focus on cur-
Sciences, Associate Professor of Public Health at the Univer- riculum and instruction. Her dissertation exploress educa-
sity of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and director of the statewide tional resilience in the Tłįcho population through the eyes
graduate program in public health. The distance-delivered of young adults who have overcome adversity and graduated
Alaska MPH program focuses on northern and circumpolar from high school.
health issues, and this was the focus of Dr. Johnson’s sab-
batical as well.
Erin Freeland-Ballantyne (Oxford)
Northern Health & Wellness Research Award Recipient 2008
Primary objectives of the sabbatical included:
Erin is a PhD student in geography and environment at Ox-
»» strengthening of circumpolar health research and aca-
ford University. Her research focus is on the interactions
demic partnerships in our region;
between youth and elders with respect to understanding en-
»» development of several collaborative proposals with ICHR vironmental and community health. She is the NWT’s first
for future projects, with particular emphasis on effec-
recipient of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. She is also
tive participatory methods, shared health concerns and
improved public health practice; and
the founder of the Dechinta Bush University Initiative.
10 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Advisors
Advisors
We would like the acknowledge those who have provided
strategic direction to ICHR:
International Advisors
1994 where he was appointed Director of Population Health
for the Department of Health and Social Services in 1996.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 11
Board of Directors
resource person for the HTC and Fisheries Joint Manage-
ment committee.
Helen Gruben
Helen Gruben is an Inuvialuk and Gwich’in from the Beau-
fort Delta area. She was born in the bush and raised on the
land in a subsistence hunting and trapping lifestyle. Intro-
duction of medical services in her community of Tuktoyak-
tuk came later in her life. She worked in this system as a
translator and later went back to school and became a Com-
munity Health Representative in the community. Currently
she is ‘retired’ and is actively involved in the NWT Seniors’
Society and still advocates for the health of her community.
Members of the 2009 ICHR Board with Susan
Julie Lys
Board Members Julie Lys is Métis and was born and raised in Fort Smith.
She has been working as a nurse with the GNWT for 20
years. In August 2007 she completed her Masters in Nurs-
Maria Santos ing through Athabasca University. Julie’s interests are in
Chair 2010 - Aboriginal health and education issues. She is currently a
Maria Santos received a Masters in Health Science from the board member of the Fort Smith Métis Council, the Chair-
University of Toronto Community Health and Epidemiol- person of the Fort Smith District Education Authority
ogy program in 1999. She worked at the Hospital for Sick ((DEA) and the NWT Director for the Aboriginal Nurses As-
Children as a research assistant, developing databases and sociation of Canada (ANAC). She has been actively involved
performing analyses for various studies. As a Senior Health in the Aboriginal Health Human Resources working group
Analyst at the Canadian Institute for Health Information, with the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO).
she was part of a team that published the annual report
Health Care in Canada. Since 2002, she has worked in the Robert Buckle
Northwest Territories as the Territorial Epidemiologist and Robert Buckle is a member of the Aklavik art community
is largely responsible for disease registries and surveillance. who annually attends the Great Northern Arts Festival in
Inuvik. Robert is a skilled carver who has recently began
Sandra Lockhart focusing his artistic flare on the production of northern
Founding Chair 2005 - 2010 jewelry. He won the Emerging Artist Award the year after
completing his jewelry program at Aurora College in 2001.
Sandra Lockhart is a band member of Lutsel K’e First Nation
Robert was also the recipient of a NWT Arts Council grant
and is a Registered Nurse and is the Manager for the Stan-
that will aid in his purchase of equipment to further extend
ton Territorial Health Authority Aboriginal Wellness Pro-
his range of artwork.
gram. She has worked in a variety of settings in roles related
to the delivery of health care services, including health au- 2010 Incoming Members
thorities and the Dene Nation. Her interests lie in exploring
ways in which Indigenous Knowledge can co-exist and be ap- In late 2010, Karen LeGresley Hamre and Sharon Firth
plied in contemporary health care settings to promote well joined the ICHR Board. Sharon is a former world class cham-
being and patient cultural safety for Aboriginal populations. pion skier, member of the Gwich’in First Nation, and Youth
Program Advisor to the Government of the Northwest Ter-
Billy Archie ritories. She has been the subject of a number of documen-
Vice-Chair 2005 - 2010 taries. Karen is a Landscape Architect at Avens Associated,
Managing Director of the Northwest Territories Protected
Billy Archie is Inuvialuit and is an independent contractor in Areas Strategy, and a member of many social and commu-
the community of Aklavik. His past roles include Mayor or nity organizations in Yellowknife. Incidentally, both Sharon
Aklavik, Director of the District Education Authority, Coun- and Karen are former Olympians.
cillor, Chair Hunter & Trappers Committee. He has worked
as Regional Contaminants Coordinator for the IRC and as a
12 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Fiscal Update
T
he Institute For Circumpolar Health Research (formerly Arctic Health Research Network) was audited in accordance
with generally accepted Canadian auditing standards for the years ended March 31, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. The
following figures and financial overview are prepared from the unqualified financial statements.
REVENUE
EXPENSES
ICHR would like to acknowledge past employees, community partners and casual workers who have worked or partnered
with us on projects: Kaitlin Cayen, Morris Charney, Leland Chinna, Wilbert Cook, Lance Elton, Diane Essery, Jaimie Forsey,
Tamlin Gilbert, Michel Granjambe, Sue Heron-Herbert, Rhonda John, Jeanette Kakfwi, Bradley Kelly, Bonnie Koe, Samuel
McLeod, Cara Manuel, Mary Masuzumi, Ryan Mazan, Jody Nuyaviak, Gerald Pierrot, Debbie Russell, Corrie Siemens, Pa-
trizia Thagard, Tuqani Ugyuk, Shelly Widow, Judy Wilson.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 13
Tri-Territory Health Access Fund
2006 - 2009
T
he support of the Govern-
ment of the Northwest Ter-
ritories via the Tri Terri-
tory Health Access Fund (THAF
2006-2009) has been a pivotal in
the development of the health re-
search capacity across the north-
ern territories. The objectives of
the THAF project were to support
capacity building, identify priorities for health research, de-
velop tools for health research ethics and promote knowl-
edge sharing. Not only did these funds allow for northern
based and driven activities in these thematic areas, but the
THAF support allowed for further proposal development
and subsequent funding for projects which are highlighted
throughout this report.
The funding also provided seed funds and support for the
development of health research Institutes in Yukon, North-
west Territories and Nunavut. For a variety of reasons a pan A key component of development of arctic research capac-
northern structure was not formalized. Instead, individual ity has been infrastructure support via the Arctic Research
institutes and governance structures emerged — the Arctic Infrastructure Fund and institutional partnerships. Many
Health Research Network - Yukon, the Institute for Circum- partners are highlighted throughout this report and recog-
polar Health Research in the Northwest Territories, and the nize the broad base of partners required to advance research
Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre in Nunavut. However, projects in our regions. These formal partnerships will
a pan-territorial vision inspired the promotion and revi- provide important supports as ICHR advances its research
talization of northern interest and awareness in health re- agenda and supports graduate students in the north.
search and has created models where northerners can drive
The support for the development of a health research ethics
the research process and create new knowledge that pro-
board allowed for pan-northern meetings to discuss needs
motes health and wellness.
and best practices for the ethics review of health research
projects in the three territories. The work has provided an
important foundation and identified next steps for the de-
The pan-territorial project has inspired the velopment of research ethics policies within the institute
promotion and revitalization of northern inter- and recommendations for best practices for the review of
est and awareness in health research and has health research projects conducted by the institute.
created models where northerners can drive the
The research agenda in the north is advancing as a result
research process and create new knowledge
of the established research capacity and priorities of the in-
which promotes health and wellness.
stitutes. This includes projects involving youth driven, com-
munity-based, participatory methods, health service de-
The THAF funds enabled the network sites to further de- livery research, health monitoring, determinants of health
velop priorities in program areas and enhance the strategic and health research impacts. Exciting prospects lie ahead
direction of each site. Not only do funds allow for northern for developing northern solutions as the foundations are
based and driven activities in thematic areas, but the THAF established for northern-based health research.
support allowed for important ground work leading to fur-
ther proposal development and funding for projects and
Citation
1) Chatwood, S, Young K. “A New Approach to Health Research in
health research network growth. Examples of projects that
Canada’s North.” Canadian Journal of Public Health 2010;101(1):25-27.
the funds have leveraged are highlighted in throughout this
five year report. An article on the development of research
capacity in the north was published in the Canadian Journal
of Public Health in January 2010 issue1.
14 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Public Health Agency of Canada
2007 -
Bryany Denning, MSc, Public Health Officer Andrew Bresnahan with Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada’s first Chief Public Health Officer
T
he Canadian Public Health Service was created as a re- engage men in addressing the issue of male violence.
sponse to one of the key recommendations made in the
Naylor Report produced after the SARS crisis in 2003.
This program places Public Health Agency of Canada staff,
Research Affiliate
known as public health officers (PHOs) within provincial,
territorial, and local health authorities and public health-
Program (RAP)
T
oriented non-governmental organizations in order to build he Research Affiliate Program (RAP) is a Public Service
public health capacity in these regions. The PHOs also serve Commission (PSC) Program designed to give post-
as support in the event of an outbreak of disease and can secondary students experience in applied research (de-
be mobilized to assist with special event health surveillance. sign, execution, evaluation), to attain such knowledge and
This allows PHOs to receive field experience and training for skills required to graduate. It is also designed to help the
a future in Canada’s public health workforce while building Government of Canada conduct research while retaining
the capacity of the host organization. possession of existing intellectual property when promot-
Moreover, a companion EC Development Program was de- ing the release of scientific findings.
signed by the Public Health Agency of Canada to address the Students are normally placed with ongoing research opera-
increasing need to build their workforce in the specialized tions in federal government facilities. ICHR has hosted four
areas of epidemiology, biostatistics, and policy analysis, due research affiliates — Bryany Denning, Karolina Machalek,
to projected high levels of retirement in the near future. It Andrew Bresnahan, and Hilary Blackett — through the Pub-
is a competency-based training program that prepares par- lic Health Agency of Canada. These students also received
ticipants for public health service and permits career ad- supplementary funding from the CIHR Team in Circumpo-
vancement within the Public Health Agency of Canada. lar Health.
After completing her MSc through the Queen’s University
and ICHR in 2009, Bryany Denning returned to the Insti-
tute as the regional Public Health Officer. She is also part
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 15
SERNNoCA
2008 - 2011
S
ince 2008, ICHR has served as the NWT coordina- ernment (public) and private for-profit sectors.
tion node of the Social Economy Research Network of In addition to non-governmental organizations,
Northern Canada (SERNNoCA), a coalition of univer- cooperatives, and charitable foundations, the
sity-based researchers and community representatives con- social economy of the North may also embrace
ducting research relevant to the social economy in Canada’s many of the traditional economic activities of
North. While this northern focus has been important in ar- aboriginal societies given its focus on democrat-
riving at a regional understanding of how the social econ- ic values that enhance community life.”
omy functions and the variety of social conditions it faces,
the research also aims to survey the full diversity of social
economy actors, systems, and practices found in the North. In addition to assisting SERNNoCA’s activities in the NWT,
In particular, the research examines the nature and relation- ICHR hosts the network’s comprehensive NWT website that
ship of the social economy to the collectivist traditions of highlights SERNNoCA funded research in the NWT, pro-
Northern indigenous societies. vides information on the local social economy and links to
Arctic and sub-arctic communities are currently undergoing institutes, agencies, organizations, and other social econo-
rapid social, cultural, economic, and environmental change, my resources.
adding to the already formidable challenges posed by the For more information, please visit:
history, climate, and geography of the Canadian North.
However, the social economy as a third sector beyond both »» sernnoca.circumpolarhealth.org
16 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Affiliations
2007 -
I
n a landmark agreement for northern health research,
ICHR signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with the University of Toronto in January 2010. Susan
Chatwood and Stephanie Fox have been recognized as As-
sistant Professors of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health
and Associate Members of the School of Graduate Studies.
These affiliations recognize ICHR’s role in advising and su-
pervising graduate students and conducting research which Crystal Lennie of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation with gradu-
conforms to high standards of research integrity. This part- ate students affiliated with the Greenland Institute
I
n November 2009 in Nuuk, Greenland, the Institute for
Circumpolar Health Research (ICHR) in Canada and the
Greenland Institute for Circumpolar Health Research
(GIHR) signed a MoU that formally launched sister ICHR or-
A
long with various societies, university departments, ganizations for Canada and Greenland. This new voluntary,
and institutes, ICHR is a member of the Interna- non-monetary association brings together allied research
tional Association of Circumpolar Health Publishers interests from two circumpolar regions, and expands their
that produces the International Journal of Circumpolar Health respective roles in advancing health research in circumpolar
and Circumpolar Health Supplements. From 2009 and 2010, regions.
ICHR worked closely with IACHP on the Proceedings for the The MoU builds on shared perspectives and common inter-
14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health and will ests in the study of circumpolar populations and will en-
be publishing a regular series of data briefs for the journal. hance opportunities for knowledge translation and study
logistics in circumpolar health research due to proximity to
stakeholders and partners. The Institutes look forward to
working together in this mutually enriching partnership.
T
he Canada Northwest Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disor-
der Partnership is an alliance of seven jurisdictions
that works towards the development and promotion
of an interprovincial/territorial approach to prevention, in-
tervention, care and support of individuals affected by Fe-
tal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Susan Chatwood and ICHR
represented the Northwest Territories on the Research Net-
work Board of Directors from 2007 to 2010. Susan and GIHR director Peter Bjerregaard in Greenland
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 17
ICCH 14
2007 - 2009
on Circumpolar Health
the research process with a particular focus on community
engagement and participatory methods.
In addition to the scientific programme, meetings, cultural
Partners: events and social gatherings provided opportunities for net-
»» International Union for Circumpolar Health,
Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health
working and development of partnerships to support the
ongoing enhancement of evidence for health and wellbeing
O
ver 650 health professionals, researchers, indig- in circumpolar regions. It is these partnerships which will
enous representatives, and government officials contribute significantly to securing the IPY legacy and turn
from Canada, Greenland, Denmark, USA, Russia, research into practical, applicable, and sustainable health
Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland and other countries in- care approaches and practices.
terested in circumpolar health gathered in Yellowknife, NT,
Canada on July 11-16, 2009 to share health related research Local Culture
findings and program successes that improve the quality of On a local level, the Congress connected participants with
life for those living in circumpolar regions. The week-long the people, places, and experiences that make northern
event featured thought-provoking keynote addresses, work- Canada spectacular and showcased the cultural richness and
shops, information sessions, social activities, and network- diversity of Yellowknife, the Northwest Territories, and the
ing activities that provided many opportunities for scien- Canadian North. At the Weledeh Feast, the Northern Cul-
tific, artistic, cultural, and social exchanges. tural Gala, and the community Teepee, local and regional
ICHR was instrumental in organizing this historic confer- Aboriginal voices were front and centre, sharing knowledge,
ence, held in Yellowknife for the first time in 35 years. Led practices, and culture amongst the participants from the en-
by Congress Coordinator Pat Thagard, ICHR coordinated tire circumpolar world.
both the scientific and organizing committees, as well as the The congress website www.icch2009.com is being maintained
logistics of the entire meeting through its role as Congress by ICHR in perpetuity as a living repository of congress-re-
Secretariat. lated information. The proceedings book was prepared for
publication by ICHR in conjunction with the staff of the In-
IPY Focus ternational Journal on Circumpolar Health.
The International Congress, came at a special time as it
closely followed the conclusion of the International Po-
lar Year (IPY), a research initiative that takes place once
every fifty years. From 2007 to 2010, countries and com-
18 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Upper Left: Modeling fashions at the Northern Cultural Gala. Upper Right: Participants from Chukotka, Russia performing their tradition-
al songs. Lower Left: John B. Zoe of the Tłįcho gifts the national flag to Dr. Larissa Abrutina of the Northern Russian Indigenous Peoples’ Orga-
nization. Lower Right: Members of the ICHR Board with Aboriginal leaders and the territorial and federal health ministers.
T
wood was elected presi-
he Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health (CSCH) dent of the society
is a charitable membership-based organization dedi- with ICHR assuming
cated to promoting research, exchanging knowledge its core administrative
and fostering greater awareness and responsiveness to the and membership du-
health issues of circumpolar people. The CSCH also pro- ties. Since then, ICHR
motes and supports efforts of all circumpolar peoples in the staff have actively
attainment of better health. maintained the CSCH
Established in 1984, CSCH became a charter member of membership list, imple-
the International Union for Circumpolar Health (IUCH) in mented an online regis-
1986. Other members of the IUCH include the American So- tration gateway, updated
ciety for Circumpolar Health; the Nordic Society for Arctic the website (csch.ca), and pre-
Medicine; the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of pared and published the semi-annual
Medical Sciences; and the Danish/Greenlandic Society for “Gazeteer” newsletter.
Circumpolar Health. As one of the core adhering bodies of In February 2011, ICHR has arranged for CSCH to hold a
the IUCH, the CSCH is actively involved with the planning general meeting in Ottawa. A newly revamped website will
and organizing of the International Congress for Circumpo- be produced for this gathering.
lar Health held every three years.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 19
International Polar Year
2007 - 2010
ICHR Activities
ICHR was involved in the International Polar Year in a va-
riety of activities which supported northern engagement,
best practices in health research, and the dissemination of
findings. We had opportunities to share experiences and
perspectives on circumpolar health and research as an in-
vited keynote at the International Polar Year Oslo Science
The CCGS Admundsen moored off Ulukhaktok as part of the Inuit Health Survey Conference in Oslo, Norway and through a Plenary Address
at the IPY Early Results Workshop. Contributions were also
made to the health chapter of the Joint Council Internation-
T
he International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008 marked al Polar Year Report.
the largest-ever international program of scientific ICHR also supported proposal writing workshops in Yellow-
research focused on the Arctic and Antarctic regions. knife and Inuvik in partnership with the NWT International
Thousands of scientists and researchers from more than Polar Year Coordinator. These workshops provided an over-
60 nations around the globe participated. While health re- view of funding program objectives and introductory skills
search is not new to international collaborations, this Inter- in proposal writing.
national Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008, was the first to include
human dimensions as a thematic area of study.
Committees
Theme for the human dimension: “to investigate »» IPY Project Review Committee
the cultural, historical, and social processes that »» Steering Committee, Inuit Health Survey
shape the sustainability of circumpolar human (Inuvialuit Settlement Region)
societies, and to identify their unique contribu- »» Steering Committee, HPV Prevalence Study
tions to global cultural diversity and citizenship.”
Keynote Speeches
»» “Human Health and Wellbeing of Northern Communities.”
In Canada we were fortunate to have a well supported re-
Plenary Address at the IPY Early Results Workshop, Ot-
search program which supported activities over the years. tawa, Ontario, February 16-18, 2010.
While the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research was
»» “The International Polar Year: Building Health Research
just starting during the planning phases of IPY, the in-
Capacity in Canada and Greenland.” Keynote presented
creased support for Arctic Health Research was timely and
at the International Polar Year Science Conference, Oslo,
provided many opportunities to engage northern health sci- Norway, June 8-12, 2010.
entists and for a northern Institute to provide perspectives
and contribute to the activities. This was particularly true Web and Print Publications
for the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, »» Designed website for IPY Gas, Arctic Peoples, and Security
which served to highlight IPY research projects that focused (GAPS) Initiative (www.ipygaps.org) and hosted research-
on the health and wellness of Arctic peoples. ers traveling through NWT (2008).
While the polar years have come and gone, opportunities »» Designed, published, and distributed Inuit Health Survey
and collaborations in international health research continue Report for Inuvialuit Settlement Region (2010).
and ICHR is pleased to be part of ongoing initiatives which »» Coordinated selection and editing process for the Proceed-
will contribute to the health and sustainability of northern ings for the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar
populations and communities. Health: Securing the IPY Legacy: From Research to Action,
Yellowknife, NT, July 11-16, 2009.
20 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Time Capsule
2008 - 2010
T
Time Capsule Project Photo Contest participants. Winners
hree of our affiliated students, Bryany Denning, Julia were announced in September 2009. All participants’ pho-
Christensen, and Alana Kronstal chaired the Interna- tos were featured in exhibit.
tional Polar Year (IPY) Time Capsule Initiative of the
IPY Canadian Youth Committee from 2008 to 2010. The »» www.ipytimecapsule.com
initiative aimed to give northern youth a voice through art,
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 21
Workshops & Retreats
2006 - 2007
Take Pulse Workshop A workshop session was held for researchers and commu-
nity members. The workshop explored community priorities
I
for health information and research. Knowledge translation
n the community of Aklavik, partnerships between ICHR, was explored as a method to help communities and specifi-
the Moose Kerr School, Aklavik Health Committee, cally youth access health information.
Health Centre, Aklavik Recreation Committee, leadership
Retreat
wellness in the community and explored research priorities
and access to health research findings.
I
The workshop featured keynote speakers Shirley and Sharon
n the summer of 2007, ICHR organized a health research
Firth, who are world class cross-county skiers. They attri-
retreat in the beautiful surroundings of Shingle Point, a
bute being raised on the land and learning traditional skills
traditional whaling camp on the Beaufort Sea.
to their discipline, perseverance and courage to achieve.
They encouraged people to rely on their inner strength, Representatives from Aklavik, the Inuvialuit Regional Cor-
make health a priority, set goals to make good choices by poration, Moose Kerr School, Aklavik Health Centre, and
getting into a regular exercise program to stay fit for life to Yellowknife Health and Social Services, as well as NWT-
achieve dreams. based graduate students, ICHR and AHRN NU staff were
in attendance. Participants networked and shared current
Yellowknife physician Cindy Orlaw who comes from Aklavik
health research projects. Time was taken to discuss health
roots met with youth and shared her story and encouraged
research priorities and plan projects for the NWT around
them to pursue the sciences and careers in health. The youth
the fire of the outdoor boardroom.
were also involved in a workshop with Sean Muir and Steven
Keewatin of the Healthy Aboriginal Network in Vancouver. Two Aklavik youth from Moose Kerr School, Bonnie Koe
They explored the use of animation and art to express issues and Autumn Semple talked to Elders about traditional
around health and wellness. foods. The students were creating a video to highlight the
successes and challenges of making healthy dietary choices
A “train the trainer” session was held and led by Animac-
in Aklavik.
tion out of Los Angeles to introduce animation as a tool
for knowledge translation of health information. This ses- Even with all the work, there was still time to play, the 2007
sion gave the tools and training to teachers and community Shingle Point Summer Games proved to be an entertaining
members to help youth create animated shorts. This has led time for all with such memorable games as the dizzy stick
to the creation of an animation club at the school. Funding and serious rounds of ring toss. AHRN Nunavut took the
from the health promotion branch of the GNWT supported prestigious prize of the crying towel.
this endeavour.
22 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Northern Governance
2009
Partners:
»» Gwich’in Social and Cultural Institute, Dene Nation,
Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Tłicho Community Services
Agency, University of Alberta, Canadian Circumpolar
Institute
Funders:
»» Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Indian
and Northern Affairs Canada, Walter and Duncan Gordon
Foundation, Canadian Institutes for Health Research, BHP Walter Bayha of Délįnę addressing the gathering
Billiton, Canadian North, Wek’èezhìi Land and Water Board
T
he first meeting of its kind, the landmark Northern
Governance Policy Research Conference took place in
Yellowknife from November 3 to 5, 2009. Hosted at
“We are here to figure out one of the most
the Explorer Hotel, the conference brought together 150
powerful tools to develop more effective policy
northern researchers, community leaders, and government
in the north, the efforts of our research commu-
officials to discuss how to connect effective research in the
nity, can actually inform decision making.”
service of policy for aboriginal and community organiza-
– John B. Zoe
tions.
Conference topics ranged from self-government, service de- A critical issue at the conference was how to address the
livery, and the impacts of mining, oil, and gas exploration, daunting economic, social, cultural, and environmental
to social healing, wellness, and knowledge development. An challenges of the North with its resource‐driven economy,
Elders’ knowledge workshop also took place concurrently to legacy of colonization, young population, and vast land
the conference. mass, is a crucial question that researchers and officials at-
tempted to answer in this conference.
The dialogue generated by the conference highlighted the
“In our conference, we aim to empower re- importance of both university and community-based policy
searchers who work for indigenous governments research, especially as governments attempt to set policies
to identify the policy research skills they use that are reflexive to changing conditions and responsive to
every day and share them widely. We also, of the needs and priorities of communities rather than exter-
course, have to identify the gaps and figure out nal institutions or funding bodies.
how to tackle these.” – Stephanie Irlbacher-Fox
That research likewise contributed to capacity building and
knowledge sharing, especially in regards to negotiating or
The conference was particularly timely as it provided an op- implementing land claims and self‐government.
portunity for researchers from across the Canadian Arctic to While ICHR researchers and student affiliates made pre-
take stock of the enormous transformations in governance sentations at the conference, ICHR staff also developed the
that have taken place in the North over the last three de- NGPRC website (ngprc.circumpolarhealth.org) and provided
cades. From the 1984 Inuvialuit Agreement and the 1999 registration, logistical, and administrative support.
creation of Nunavut, to the 2003 Tłįcho and 2005 Nunat-
siavut self-government agreements, the north has seen a
patchwork of jurisdictions, local bodies, and land use plans
emerge through the generalized processes of land claims
settlement and federal devolution.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 23
Summer Institute
2010 -
T
he Summer Institute in Circumpolar Health Research An international team of eminent scholars led both courses,
met with great success in its first outing as an annual sharing their extensive experience with up-and-coming re-
site for international research training. Hosted by the searchers from across the circumpolar world.
National Institute of Public Health of Denmark and co-or-
ganized by the University of Alaska (Anchorage), University
of Oulu, ICHR and its Greenlandic counterpart, the summer The Summer Institute laid a strong foundation
course offering was organized at the same time as the An- for international graduate training and a vibrant
nual Meeting of the International Network for Circumpolar circumpolar health community.
Health Research (INCHR) in Copenhagen, May 2010. This
took full advantage of the gathering of professionals and
The Institute was so successful that plans are now afoot for
scholars for a memorable week of activities.
organizing new course offerings at the next Annual Meet-
The first of the two-day graduate courses focused on dietary ing of INCHR in Oulu, Finland, 2011. In addition, ICHR will
assessment methods used in primary epidemiological stud- continue providing administrative and logistical support in
ies of Arctic populations including nutritional anthropom- the form of the Summer Institute website and registration
etry and methods of measuring physical activity. The second portal at sichr.circumpolarhealth.org.
day reviewed the theoretical and methodological perspec-
tives on health disparities as well as basic epidemiological
concepts for measuring disparities and causes of disparities.
24 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Dechinta Health Course
2010 -
D
echinta Bush University and Centre for Research and ordinated by Denise Kurszewski as part of the pilot semes-
Learning is a northern-led initiative to deliver land- ter. The students also participated in traditional cultural
based, university-accredited educational experiences. events throughout the week. Featured guests and present-
Led by Erin Freeland-Ballantyne and Kyla Kakfwi Scott, the ers included Tłįcho community member John B. Zoe, Elder
program seeks to engage northern and southern youth in Jane Dragon of Fort Smith, Olympian Sharon Firth, health
transformative curricula based on the needs of Canada’s promoters from the Government of the NWT, and Univer-
north. ICHR has been aiding this novel community-based sity of Toronto Professor Suzanne Jackson. Throughout the
initiative with teaching, the development of a health curric- course, there were also Elders present from the Yellowknife
ulum and by hosting and maintaining its website dechinta.ca Dene. Funding for the health component was provided by
as in-kind support. the University of Toronto Aboriginal Initiatives.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 25
Dietary Choices
2006 - 2007
Funders:
»» University of Ottawa ACADRE,
CIHR Team in Circumpolar Health
I
n 2006, the Aklavik Health Committee partnered with
ICHR and the local Moose Kerr School in to launch a Youth
& Elders Dietary Choices Pilot Project, which was designed
to engage Aklavik youth in examining dietary choices and
diet-disease relationships at the community-level.
The first phase of the pilot project was based out of Moose
Kerr School in the summer of 2007. As a community-driven
participatory project, research facilitators worked in col-
laboration with the health committee, school, hamlet, local
band office, and other interested stakeholders to design the
project and determine outcomes.
The project also took the form of an elective health class for
senior students. Completion of dietary recalls along with
daily classroom discussions provided the students with a
better understanding of their own eating habits and the op-
portunity to think critically about the implications and re-
alities of dietary choices in their community. These activities
motivated the students to create a video to capture other
community members perceptions about dietary choices and
health. Two students from the class, Bonnie Koe and Au-
tumn Semple, continued filming and produced a 60-minute
video documenting food and nutrition trends and challeng-
es in Aklavik. ICHR later supported the students in repre-
senting the project at the Indigenous Network for Indig-
enous Health Knowledge and Development Conference in
Roturua, New Zealand, October 2007.
26 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Climate Change & Health
2008 - 2009
Youth and Elders sharing knowledge about the land — past, present, and future
T
his federally-funded climate oriented project was a gives animals a hard time to get their food un-
youth-driven, community based project that comple- derneath the hardened snow.” – Inuvik Elder
mented the 2006-07 Dietary Pilot Project, which was
designed to engage Aklavik youth in examining dietary
choices and diet-diseases relationships at the community A major outcome of the project was a heightened awareness
level. The community of Aklavik was engaged in the Climate of the research process within the community and region.
Change project from many aspects — the Aklavik Health The project brought together the Elders and youth, and con-
Committee guided the project and community members nected western science through the science curriculum and
concerned about community health issues and staff and the traditional knowledge of the Inuvialuit and Gwich’in re-
students of Moose Kerr School were involved through spe- gion. The information has been synthesized and discussed
cific curriculum, the on-the-land retreat, as well as the video on several levels within the classroom. A thirty minute
production. Elders of Aklavik and surrounding area partici- video was produced and premiered in Aklavik on Aboriginal
pated by sharing traditional knowledge and applying past Day (June 21, 2009).
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 27
HPV Prevalence Study
2008 - 2009
Tulita
Délįnę
nz
ie
H
uman Papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmit- Acknowledgements
ted infection that causes genital warts and cancer of A special thanks to all nurses, nurse practitioners, mid-
the cervix in some women. During regular Pap tests, wives, physicians, and staff for their active participation in
samples can be also tested for presence of HPV virus. A posi- this study! Also, thank you to the study steering committee
tive HPV test only means that you have HPV in your cervix members for your time and expertise.
and it does not mean that you have or will develop cervical
cancer.
28 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Perinatal Database
2008 - 2009
Map of birthing and midwifery services offered throughout the three territories
Development of a Perinatal
Karolina with midwives Gisela Becker and Lesley Paulette in Ft. Smith
Database for the Northwest epidemiology and health systems informatics, obstetricians
and pediatricians at Stanton Territorial Hospital, midwives
Territories, Canada at the FSHSSA Midwifery Program, the Institute for Cir-
cumpolar Health Research, and other researchers.
ICHR Facilitators:
»» Susan Chatwood, Karolina Machalek, Bryany Denning
Accurate and reliable data on perinatal out-
Project Team: comes is vital to improving both population
»» Lesley Paulette and Gisela Becker (Fort Smith Health and health and the delivery of care.
Social Services Authority Midwifery Program), Andrew
Kotaska (Stanton Territorial Health Authority)
Objectives that would meet the identified needs of the peri-
Funders: natal surveillance system were elucidated and recommen-
»» Public Health Agency of Canada, CIHR Team in Circumpolar dations for development were explored. Perinatal database
Health Research development was based on a number of regional, national
P
and international background sources. The purpose of the
erinatal data in the NWT is currently collected by the
perinatal surveillance system was to collect perinatal data
Ft. Smith Midwifery program and serves as a valuable
that would meet the needs for program evaluation and qual-
tool to understand the scope of services in the region.
ity assurance; surveillance, and research.
However perinatal data is not collected in other jurisdic-
tions in the NWT, thus broader understanding of maternal Results indicated that data collection should be dynamic and
and child health in the NWT or comparisons between ser- prospective in order to fulfill the objectives and cater to a va-
vice delivery models are not possible. riety of stakeholders. Approximately 400 variables related
to maternal and infant health were identified for data collec-
Stakeholder consultations to identify the needs for a peri-
tion. To date, approximately 120 variables and their defini-
natal surveillance system and database in the Northwest
tions have been reviewed and added to the Northwest Terri-
Territories were undertaken in 2007. These consultations
tories Perinatal Database Manual. Special considerations for
involved individual and group meetings where objectives of
northern and indigenous populations included document-
perinatal surveillance systems were introduced, territorial
ing variables such as transfers for birth, type and number of
priorities in response to the objectives were set and resourc-
caregivers, ethnicity, and risk factors such as smoking and
es and capacity for perinatal surveillance were identified.
alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Discussions related
Stakeholders involved in the project included the various
to the development of the database and priorities for mater-
Northwest Territories Governmental staff in public health,
nal child health research are ongoing.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 29
Water Borne Diseases
2009 - 2010
Partners:
»» Crystal Lennie (Project Lead, Inuvialuit Regional Corpora-
tion), Janis Huntington (University of Alberta), Robert Buckle
(Aklavik Health Committee)
Funders:
»» Climate Change and Health Adaptation in Northern First A Youth Town Hall Forum in Inuvik was held for youth from
Nation Communities Program - First Nations and Inuit Health the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. After a general presenta-
Branch of Health Canada tion on Water Education in the Beaufort Delta region, the
T
students broke into groups and addressed several issues.
his IRC-led project had two goals. The first goal was to
They discussed concerns around water, global warming, pol-
collect samples from water sources in three communi-
lutants and recommended several ways they could become
ties in the ISR (Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk and Ulukhaktok)
more locally and regionally involved, such as having a youth
and to identify microbes and contaminants which may be
representative on the water board. They learned about doing
present. Within these communities, short interviews were
research and testing water quality so that they can eventu-
also conducted with elders to identify concerns around wa-
ally take responsibility for these efforts. The Elders from the
ter quality and to determine their views on how climate
various communities had several common concerns regard-
change may be affecting the waters of their homelands.
ing the taste of tap water, contamination and how climate
The second goal includes an educational component. In ad- change was impacting their traditional lifestyles. Increased
dition to community briefings and discussions, a resource winds, rapid temperature changes and warmer tempera-
manual for teachers on water in the north was developed for tures impacted travel on-the-land, and often the ability to
grades 3-6. The manual will compliment the existing NWT hunt. Later freeze-up dates of water and earlier melts also
science curriculum as well as the Inuuquatiguit curriculum. had an impact on their lifestyles.
A primary focus for the educational component is to intro-
duce youth to the concept of stewardship and their future
responsibilities.
30 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Research using Photovoice
2010 - 2011
S
ditional foods, sharing networks, food banks, etc), examine
even Inuvik students participated in the Introduction
determinants of food insecurity, document and describe
to Research course in Inuvik in July 2010. The course
adaptive strategies, and characterize the role of climatic
was facilitated by ICHR’s Denise Kurszewski and Uni-
stresses in affecting food security. With training in Photo-
versity of Toronto graduate student Hilary Blackett and of-
voice methods completed, data collection commenced in
fered a hands-on experience where students were able to
October 2010.
learn and practice various research skills including literature
searches and critical appraisal of articles, project develop-
ment and assessment, questionnaire design and interview-
ing, and the creation of a research poster.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 31
Remote Care Access
2010 - 2012
Territorial Remote Care Access of effective delivery of emergent and acute health service
to the remote communities drives health care costs up by:
Study a) increased transportation, b) increased cost of furnishing
a transient workforce, and c) causing delays in the delivery
Project Team: of appropriate care which increase the burden of disease. In
»» Susan Chatwood, Ewan Affleck, Ruth Robertson, Alex short, the current model of acute and emergent remote care
Hoechsmann (Yellowknife Health and Social Services Author- can be deleterious from both a health care perspective, and
ity), Kue Young, Alex Jadad, Andrea Courtinois (University in terms of system cost.
of Toronto), Kay Lewis (Stanton Territorial Health Authority)
The Territorial Remote Care Access Study will explore state
of the art health information technology solutions, broad-
Funder: band technology, and a new model of acute care service de-
»» Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
livery to furnish emergent and acute care to remote com-
T
he provision of healthcare in the Northwest Territories munities in the Northwest Territories. It is hypothesized
is challenging given the unique geographic, cultural that this enhanced service delivery model will reduce trans-
and climatologic obstacles presented. There is one ter- fer rates and hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive
ritorial hospital located in Yellowknife, which provides ser- conditions thus contributing to reduced costs and increased
vice to all 33 communities as well as 5 communities in the patient and clinician satisfaction. Tackling these three is-
adjacent Kitikmeot region of Nunavut. Outside of Yellow- sues will have far reaching implications for the standardiza-
knife most communities have a limited scope of emergent tion of remote and rural acute care service delivery.
and acute health services. The project engages decision-makers who are well posi-
The principle means of providing advanced emergent and tioned to enlist the results produced by this study to effect
acute care to remote communities is by telephone consulta- real and pragmatic health care service delivery change in the
tion or air transport to the regional hospital. This model Northwest Territories. Policies and standard operating pro-
is problematic because the transfer of patients to the ter- cedures developed as a consequence of this study will have
ritorial emergency service can cause a delay in appropriate wide application to other northern and remote health care
care, and is exceedingly costly. In addition, the professional services.
isolation of remote health staff has a negative impact on
staff recruitment and retention, and the lack of consistent
staffing impairs continuity and quality of care. Thus the lack
32 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
HIV/AIDS in Northern Canada
2010 - 2012
T
his project will focus on building a team and research breaks of HIV/AIDS in the northern territories. This project
program able to conduct preliminary work to describe will be the first step in assembling the required expertise
the basic epidemiology of HIV and AIDS in the north, and community partners to develop a research plan to ad-
including rates and risk factor burden, and to identify meth- dress this important public health concern.
ods to predict and prevent HIV/AIDS trends in future.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 33
Health Research Ethics Initiatives
2006 -
ICHR Facilitators:
»» Susan Chatwood, Denise Kurszewski, Bryany Denning
Partners:
»» Gwen Healey (Qaujigiartiit/Arctic Health Research Network
- Nunavut), Jody Butler Walker, Norma Kassi (Arctic Health
Research Network - Yukon)
Funder:
»» Tri-territorial Health Access Fund
I
n 2006, ICHR, Qaujigiartiit/Arctic Health Research Net-
work - Nunavut, and Arctic Health Research Network -
Yukon, undertook a project to examine health research
ethics and ethical review in the North. Upon the publication
Meeting in Yellowknife, February 2010
of the CIHR guidelines for research involving Aboriginal
people, it was recognized that a comprehensive review of important role in ethical review of health research projects.
territorial practices was required so appropriate structures An Ethics Checklist Tool for Community Proposal Review-
could be put in place to uphold, build on, and consider these ers was developed as an aid to help prompt questions about
guidelines. The goal was to bring together existing capacity ethical issues.
in the regions to collaborate to address the lack of frame-
works, expertise and resources for ethical review of health Pan-northern meeting of stakeholders
research projects in territorial jurisdictions. In January 2009 and again in February 2010, pan northern
stakeholders and organizations currently involved in ethi-
Consultations and review cal review of health research or with mandates to conduct
Information on existing perceptions and practices for ethi- ethical review met. This included representation from the 5
cal review of health research in the northern territories was northern regions (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut,
gathered using mixed methods. This included a review of the Nunavik and Labrador). This provided an opportunity to
published and grey literature on ethics in aboriginal popu- discuss the cross-cutting issues related to ethical review of
lations. Community consultations were held and gathered health research, and what next steps could be taken to ad-
information on the nature of informed consent, the mean- dress capacity issues for the northern regions.
ing of being ethical from an indigenous perspective, and the
ethical concerns of communities. There was a synthesis of Northern Health Research Ethics Board
findings between consultations and the literature review. The group decided to move forward on the formation of a
Northern Health Research Ethics Review Board/Council to
Cross-cutting issues across the North address immediate needs for proposal review of health re-
The following regional findings were identified and cross- search by some participating stakeholders.
cutting issues were identified:
»» licensing processes; Next Steps
»» principles of respect, trust and relationship building (par- A steering committee comprised of representatives from
ticularly with respect to community conflict, the nature of organizations that wish to make use of the board is being
informed consent, and the handling of sensitive/protected formed. The steering committee members will represent
information/knowledge); their organizations and will be in a position to identify their
»» meaningful engagement with communities; REB needs and ability to share resources. Specifically, the
committee will explore issues related to location and frame-
»» the use of appropriate research methods;
work for the REB, representation on the board and methods
»» and the sharing of knowledge and communicating results. to select members, the scope of practice for the REB, and
the relationship of the REB to related institutes and organi-
Tool development for community-based zations working in health research activities in the regions
reviewers served. A business plan will be created with a framework
In the northern regions, community based reviewers play an which ensures long term sustainability and capacity require-
ments and training for the board.
34 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Program Evaluation & Support
2006 -
Project Lead:
»» Inuvialuit Regional
Corporation
Fort Good Hope Youth climate change and oil and gas development in Fort Good
Hope. From the summer of 2007, community roundtables
Video Project and focus groups have guided this research project towards
creating a video series that shares the stories of the K’asho
I
Gotine community and how their culture, health and iden-
CHR provides logistical and administrative support for tity are impacted by the rapid and on-going changes in their
northern based researchers. The Fort Good Hope Youth region. ICHR was able to assist with identifying sources of
Video Research Team partnered with the Oxford Univer- funding, proposal development, grant administration and
sity Centre for the Environment Project “Sustainability’s project logistics.
Paradox,” to investigate the community health impacts of
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 35
Research Tools
Language Tools Alongside aggregating dictionary and other online resourc-
es, ICHR developed several typography tools for Dene and
Inuit languages to assist with the correct typesetting of text
ICHR Facilitator: in its print and electronic documents. These have included a
»» Rajiv Rawat Unicode/HTML Lookup Table for Dene Languages, a graphi-
T
cal Inuktitut Syllabics Chart, and Unicode-Compliant Dene
he Northwest Territories recognizes 11 official lan-
Keyboard Layouts for PCs and Macs.
guages, the only jurisdiction in Canada with such an
evolved official languages policy. According to the In addition, ICHR has established a language section on its
2001 Census, about 20% of the NWT population retain ab- website to give researchers an introduction to the linguistic
original languages as their mother tongues, while 44% total landscape of the NWT and the current efforts by the ter-
can understand Aboriginal languages. ritorial government and community advocates to promote
and regenerate Aboriginal languages. Future projects may
include the compilation of a medical, health, and wellness
terminology glossary and the creation of various web and
mobile phone-based applications to assist with real time
translation. Further direction will be sought from the El-
ders’ Advisory Council of Stanton Territorial Hospital.
»» ichr.ca/dissemination/language-tools/overview/
Cochrane Collaboration
Funders:
»» CIHR Team in Circumpolar Health,
Tri-Territorial Health Access Fund
I
n 2009, the Cochrane Database
of Systematic Reviews (CDSR)
While these numbers are declining as with indigenous lan-
achieved a high ranking in terms
guages throughout the world, the retention, promotion, and
of impact factor as calculated for
empowerment of indigenous languages and dialects have
more traditional journals and information sources.
been regularly highlighted as vital to protecting the knowl-
edge and “promoting and supporting the social, spiritual, Since 2006, ICHR has served as the Northern network site
cultural, physical and economic wellbeing” of Aboriginal for the Cochrane Collaboration, an international not-for-
peoples (Arctic Indigenous Languages Symposium, Tromsø, profit organization that seeks to improve healthcare deci-
Norway, 2008). sion-making globally through systematic reviews of the ef-
fects of healthcare interventions, published in The Cochrane
Library.
“Language is not only a means of communica- The Northern Cochrane Site is committed to finding ways
tion, but a link which connects people with their to promote the uptake and application of health evidence
past and grounds their social, emotional and in northern regions. Within the CIHR team in Circumpolar
spiritual vitality.” – Royal Commission on Ab- Health, the network site is funded to conduct reviews with
original Peoples adaptations for northern regions. A review of obesity inter-
ventions for youth is currently underway.
As such, Rajiv Rawat, Director of Communications and ICHR supports a pan-northern subscription to the Co-
Technology has led ICHR in prioritizing the development of chrane Library. Dr. Kami Kandola, Chief Public Health Of-
Aboriginal language interpretation and translation tools to ficer of the NWT and Susan Chatwood, Director of ICHR are
assist researchers, health care professionals, and community the co-representatives for the northern site.
members to gain greater self-knowledge and cultural aware-
ness. In 2009, ICHR began focusing attention on language
tools as part of its growing web and social media presence.
36 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Supported Groups
F
ounded in 2009, the Work in Progress: Idea to Imple-
mentation Team (WIP I2T) is a working group of medi-
cal practitioners and scholars whose goal is the mentor-
ship and fostering of medical research in Canada’s North.
With broad interests that span health care delivery, medical
education, and cross cultural health care, this group endeav-
ors to publish research reflecting the unique medical needs
of Northerners. The WIP I2T group is based in Yellowknife Dr. Pertice Moffitt (Centre) coordinates NICE and the BSN pro-
gram at Aurora College. Next to her are third-year nursing students
and is part of the ICHR. Stephanie Gilbert Rose (Left) and Leanne Niziol (Right).
NICE: Nurses
International College
Experience
NICE is a new Aurora College-led initiative aimed at creating
a standing forum for nursing students from throughout the
circumpolar world. In conjunction with Finnmark Universi-
ty in northern Norway, NICE’s first project included a nurs-
ing student and faculty exchange for Spring and Fall 2010.
Four nursing students from the NWT traveled to Hammer-
fest, Norway to complete their Consolidated Practice Expe-
Alex Hoechsmann and David Pontin, Yellowknife rience Course (CPE3) at the local hospital from May 11 to
doctors and members of the WIP I2T Team.
June 4, 2010. Along with gaining credit in CPE 3, the ex-
change facilitated:
Circumpolar Rounds Podcasts »» an exchange of information about professional nurs-
I
CHR and the WIP I2T Team have also begun recording, ing practice, education, and research in the circumpolar
producing, and featuring a series of podcasts of regularly regions;
scheduled rounds at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yel- »» enhanced the quality of care provided in the countries of
lowknife as part of new initiative to broaden access to health the participants by learning about cultural diversity;
information, extend the reach of existing medical education »» fostered an awareness of each other’s culture through
efforts, and engage diverse health care actors in the research nursing practice experience and local socio-cultural events
process. Drawing on ICHR’s technical expertise and capac- in each country;
ity, this initiative will combine audio recordings with slide- »» and, broadened personal development, perspectives
shows for broadcast to the broader circumpolar community. on nursing practice and critical appraisal of health care
The podcast feed has been made available through the systems.
iTunes Store. In addition to the circumpolar rounds, key- Discussions are being held with colleagues in Finland for a
note presentations from the 14th International Congress on similar exchange in 2011. ICHR is assisting NICE by hosting
Circumpolar Health as well as community health presenta- its webpage, arranging travel fellowships through the CIHR
tions at the Northern Governance Policy Research Confer- Team in Circumpolar Health, and enabling international
ence are available through the feed. networking.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 37
Physical Space
2009 -
Contrasting winter and summer views from Pilot’s Monument near our new research facility in Old Town
I
operate as a branch of the University of
n Spring 2009, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Manitoba Health Sciences Data Centre and
announced the recipients of the $85 million Arctic Re- will serve northern researchers with their data
search Infrastructure Fund. This new investment in the needs.
north’s research infrastructure network will build or reno-
vate key research facilities from Labrador to the Yukon as Consultations related to data needs are ongoing and numer-
part of the federal government’s integrated Northern Strat- ous workshops have already been held with governments,
egy. The investment will also promote energy efficient up- indigenous groups, public health stakeholders, and re-
grades and contribute to the local economy by employing searchers. Topics to date include surveillance, data manage-
Northern suppliers and firms. ment, and storage in northern jurisdictions.
Library
ICHR responded to the Call for Proposals with a plan to in-
crease public health research facility space in NWT focusing
I
on community-based methods, data collection, and analysis
for public health research. The Infrastructure Fund granted n 2009, ICHR began the development of a circumpolar
up to $1,605,670 for this endeavour, the only award issued health research library through an in-kind donation by
to an organization or research initiative working in the area Dr. Kue Young as part of its commitment to developing
of human health. and sustaining research resources in the North. The library
will include published titles and periodicals as well as grey
Slated to open in the summer of 2011, ICHR’s renovated
literature including government reports, northern reflec-
facility will house expanded office and meeting space, a Sta-
tions, etc. We are also working to aggregate health research
tistics Canada Research Data Centre, and a Health Research
done in the north by and for northerners. Many publica-
Library.
tions documenting northern health research and programs
T
The emphasis of the collection is circumpolar health research
he Statistics Canada Research Data Centre will be a key – past and present – and we are particularly interested in
component of the newly renovated public health facil- ‘hard-to-find’ reports, dissertations, books, and communi-
ity in Yellowknife. The Research Data Centres (RDC) ty-based or regional studies done in English throughout the
Program is operated through a partnership with the Social international circumpolar health community. We are also
Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Ca- establishing a historical circumpolar collection to gather
nadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the Canadian In- works related to all circumpolar research, science and ex-
stitutes of Health Research (CIHR), and university consortia ploration. These and other publications documenting the
to help strengthen Canada’s social research capacity and to establishment of research institutes and policies in circum-
support the policy research community. polar regions are welcome.
38 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Circumpolar Health Observatory
2010 -
ICHR Facilitators:
»» Susan Chatwood, Rajiv Rawat
Project Lead: CircHOB visualization of circumpolar population data via the open source
»» Kue Young, University of Toronto StatPlanet software produced by UNESCO
Funders: Datasets
»» CIHR Team in Circumpolar Health, Health Canada CircHOB extracts relevant data from existing data sources
T
managed by different groups and agencies in different coun-
he Circumpolar Health Observatory (CircHOB) is an tries. Topics covered include population, mortality, fertility,
international collaborative health information system, reproductive outcomes, disease incidence, socioeconomic
involved in systematic, standardized, and consistent conditions, and health-related behaviours.
data collection and analysis. In addition to aggregating on-
line and print resources, CircHOB is population-based and Website
produces data for all northern regions in all circumpolar
The Observatory website (circhob.circumpolarhealth.org) of-
countries.
fers several resources for researchers including complete da-
CircHOB’s purpose is to monitor trends and patterns in tasets, a searchable catalogue of print and electronic materi-
health status, health determinants, and health care, pro- als, and interactive thematic mapping tools that allows for
vides qualitative and quantitative evidence for planning and sophisticated visualization of selected datasets.
evaluation of health programs and services. It is on-going
and sustainable with periodic updates.
The Observatory is based at ICHR and will constitute a cen-
tral activity of the Research Data Centre when it officially
opens in 2011. CircHOB will in addition expand the capac-
ity of the centre by helping build and sustain a databank of
both print and electronic resources drawn from across the
circumpolar world.
CircHOB produces periodic Data Briefs highlighting specific
aspects of the data collection which are published by the In-
ternational Journal of Circumpolar Health. The first brief was
published in October 2010.
Origins
CircHOB is a project proposed by the Arctic Human Health
Expert Group and authorized by the Arctic Council at its Se-
nior Arctic Officials meeting in May 2010.
CircHOB has its origins in the 2008 Circumpolar Health Sup-
plement entitled, “Circumpolar Health Indicators: Sources,
Data and Maps.” The monograph is available from the Inter-
Coverage Area
national Journal of Circumpolar Health website @ www.ijch.fi.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 39
Special Publications
S
ince 2008, ICHR has developed the capacity to edit and design professional reports and monographs. By offering such
expertise to affiliated organizations likewise conducting health research in the North, ICHR has been able to significant-
ly reduce publications costs for these organizations while leveraging its capacity to help build and sustain the greater
circumpolar health community. Some of the larger undertakings and collaborations are highlighted below.
As part of its mandate as the CSCH secretariat, This first in a series of Inuit Health Survey sum- This 580 page volume was edited and pre-
ICHR published the society’s first newsletter maries was composed and published by ICHR pared by ICHR and IJCH staff.
highlighting research taking place across Canada. on behalf of the IHS steering committee.
ICHR has often edited and published ICHR took responsibility for all publications produced
reports on behalf of partner organiza- for ICCH14 including the programme and abstract
tions in any given research project. books as well as posters, banners, and pamphlets. ICHR has also produced promotional materials such
as postcards for affiliated organizations and projects.
40 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Web Hosting & Design
I
n keeping with its research synthesis and dissemination mandate, ICHR has begun specializing in designing and hosting
websites both for its core projects such as the Health Observatory and commissioned works including conference portals
and data repositories. The ICHR website has also explored emerging social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, and Picasa where it has developed a significant presence. Some of the most recent sites are highlighted below.
In addition to profiling the Institute and its many The Circumpolar Health Portal provides links to The Circumpolar Health Observa-
projects, the ICHR website provides a regu- various ICHR-affiliated initiatives and organizations. tory site uses a different content manage-
larly updated circumpolar health news feed. ment system to drive its databases.
The Dechinta site was provided as in- The SERNNoCA NWT nodal site provides NWT- In addition to providing venue and course
kind support to the initiative. specific news and information in regards to the Social information, the Summer Institute site was used
Economy as a whole, and the network in particular. as a registration and evaluation platform.
The Oral Health and the Aboriginal Child, also The Circumpolar FASD Research Reposi- The Northern Governance Policy Research Confer-
provided as in-kind support, was profiled in the tory collates both general and scholarly ar- ence was supported comprehensively by ICHR
Journal of the Canadian Dental Association. ticles on FASD specific to the North. with both logistics and a registration portal.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 41
Conferences
»» Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research, Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, May 13-16, 2010.
»» Western Canadian Conference on Sexual Health, Calgary,
Alberta, May 5-8, 2010.
»» International Polar Year Early Results Workshop, Ottawa,
Ontario, February 16-18, 2010.
2009
»» Into the Light: Transforming Mental Health in Canada,
Vancouver, British Columbia, November 29 - December 1,
2009.
»» Nunavut Summit on the Social Economy, Iqaluit, Nunavut,
November 25-27, 2009. *
»» Northern Governance Policy Research Conference, Yellow-
knife, Northwest Territories, November 3-5, 2009. *
ICHR with newly elected AFN Grand Chief Shawn Atleo »» Mental Health Stakeholders Workshop, Yellowknife,
at Healing Our Spirit Worldwide 2010
Northwest Territories, October 6-7, 2009. *
C
onferences provide opportunities for learning, net- »» 9th ACUNS International Student Conference on
working, and the sharing of ideas. ICHR staff and Northern Studies and Polar Regions, Whitehorse, Yukon,
October 2-5, 2009.
affiliates have actively participated in numerous con-
ferences and workshops over the years. The following list »» Statistics Canada Data Users Conference, Ottawa, Ontario,
includes meetings with Institute representation. September 21-22, 2009.
»» Medicine 2.0, Toronto, Ontario, September 17-18, 2009.
2010 »» 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yel-
»» 7th ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting, Ottawa, Ontario, lowknife, Northwest Territories, July 11-16, 2009. *
December 14-17, 2010.
»» National Gathering of Graduate Students in Aboriginal
»» The Northern Summit on the Social Economy, Whitehorse, Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 25-28, 2009.
Yukon, November 2-4, 2010. *
»» 25th International Papillomavirus Conference, Malmo,
»» Art of Public Health, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Sweden, May 18-24, 2009.
University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, October 1, 2010.
»» Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op, Aklavik,
»» Healing our Spirits Worldwide 6th Gathering, Honolulu, Northwest Territories, March 2009.
Hawaii, September 3-10, 2010.
»» Aboriginal Policy Research Conference, Ottawa, Ontario,
»» International Union for Health Promotion and Education March 9-12, 2009.
World Conference on Health Promotion, Geneva, Switzer-
land, July 11-16, 2010. 2008
»» 26th International Papillomavirus Conference, Montreal, »» Arctic Change 2008, Québec City, Québec, December 9-12,
Quebec, July 3-8, 2010. 2008.
»» National Gathering of Graduate Students in Aboriginal »» 5th ArcticNet Annual Scientific Meeting, Quebec City,
Health, Vancouver, British Columbia, June 24-25, 2010. Québec, December 9-12, 2008.
»» International Polar Year Science Conference, Oslo, Nor- »» 5th Northern Research Forum Open Assembly. Anchorage,
way, June 8-12, 2010. Alaska, September 24-27, 2008.
»» International Network of Indigenous Health Knowledge
and Development, Poulsbo, Washington, May 24-28, 2007
2010. »» International Network of Indigenous Health Knowledge
»» Annual General Meeting of the International Network and Development, Rotorua, New Zealand, October 2007.
for Circumpolar Health Research, Copenhagen, Denmark,
May 18-19, 2010. * * Conferences or workshops facilitated in part by ICHR.
»» Summer Institute in Circumpolar Health Research, Copen-
hagen, Denmark, May 17-21, 2010. *
42 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Presentations
I
CHR staff and affiliates have also given oral and poster
presentations at numerous conferences as listed below:
2010
»» Blackett H, Kurszewski D, Chatwood S. “Introduction to
research: using ‘Photovoice’.” Poster presented at the Art
of Public Health Conference, Dalla Lana School of Public
Health, University of Toronto, October 1, 2010.
»» Moran T, Blackett H, Kurszewski D, Chatwood S. “Intro-
duction to research: using ‘Photovoice’.” Poster presented
at the Healing our Spirits Worldwide 6th Gathering,
Honolulu, Hawaii, September 3-10, 2010.
»» Kurszewski D, Blackett H, Moran T. “Youth Driven Partici-
patory Research in the North.” Session presented at the
Healing our Spirits Worldwide 6th Gathering, Honolulu, Susan Chatwood presenting at the FASD Symposium in Yellowknife
Hawaii, September 3-10, 2010. »» Rawat, R. “Web and social media development workshop.”
»» Lys, C. “Coming of Age: Understanding the Barriers and Workshop presented at the Annual General Meeting of the
Facilitators to Positive, Empowered, and Safer Sexual International Network for Circumpolar Health Research,
Health among Female Youth in the NWT.” Poster pre- Copenhagen, Denmark, May 18-19, 2010.
sented at the International Union for Health Promotion »» Denning B, Chatwood C, Butler Walker J, Healey G. “The
and Education World Conference on Health Promotion, Development of a Research Ethics Board for Northern
Geneva, Switzerland, July 11-16, 2010. Jurisdictions.” Poster presented at the National Council on
»» Lys, C. “Coming of Age: Understanding the Barriers and Ethics in Human Research Conference, Ottawa, Ontario,
Facilitators to Positive, Empowered, and Safer Sexual February 20-21, 2010.
Health among Female Youth in the NWT.” Paper pre- »» Chatwood, S. “Human Health and Wellbeing of Northern
sented at the National Gathering of Graduate Students Communities.” Plenary Address at the IPY Early Results
in Aboriginal Health, Vancouver, British Columbia, June Workshop, Ottawa, Ontario, February 16-18, 2010.
24-25, 2010.
»» Denning B, Chatwood C, Hunter D. “Place of Residence, 2009
Prenatal Care and Neonatal Outcome in Northern »» Chatwood, S. “Research and evidence, what has been
Canada.” Poster presented at the International Polar Year learned and how this can be applied in the Northwest
Science Conference, Oslo, Norway, June 8-12, 2010. Territories.” Keynote presented at the 2009 FASD Sym-
»» Chatwood, S. “The International Polar Year: Building posium, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, November
Health Research Capacity in Canada and Greenland.” 24-25, 2009.
Keynote presented at the International Polar Year Science »» Archie, B. “Aklavik H-Pylori Research and the Aklavik
Conference, Oslo, Norway, June 8-12, 2010. Health Committee.” Paper presented at the Northern
Governance Policy Research Conference, Yellowknife,
Northwest Territories, November 3-5, 2009.
»» Freeland-Ballantyne, E. “Listening to Our Youth Listen to
Our Elders: Can Participatory Video Research Create Space
for Youth Participation in a Sustainable Future?” Paper
presented at the Northern Governance Policy Research
Conference, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, November
3-5, 2009.
»» Kurszewski, D. “Dene Moose Hide Tanning and Well-
ness.” Paper presented at the Northern Governance Policy
Research Conference, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories,
November 3-5, 2009.
»» Bresnahan, A. “Health Promotion and Knowledge Transla-
tion in the Canadian Arctic: Community-driven Health Re-
search as a Basis for Primary Health Care in the Inuvialuit
Inuvik High School student Tiara Moran presenting her research in Honolulu
Settlement Region.” 9th ACUNS International Student
Conference, Whitehorse, Yukon, October 2-5, 2009.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 43
Presentations
»» Machalek, K, Chatwood, S, Paulette, L, Becker, G. “De-
velopment of a Perinatal Surveillance System for the
Northwest Territories, Canada.” Paper presented at the
14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yel-
lowknife, Northwest Territories, July 11-16, 2009.
»» Rawat, R. “Introducing Internet Communications Tech-
nologies to a Northern Health Context: Best Practices and
Potential Implications.” Paper presented at the 14th In-
ternational Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife,
Northwest Territories, July 11-16, 2009.
»» Saudny-Unterberger, H, Angootealuk, H, Onalik, P, Elias,
E, Chatwood, S, Nicholson, A. Young, K., Inuvialuit Settle-
ment Region, Nunatsiavut, and Nunavut Steering Com-
mittees. “A day in the life of the IPY Inuit Health Survey
Ship Team: Participants visiting the CCGS Amundsen.”
Poster presented at the 14th International Congress on
Velma Illasiak, Principal of Moose Kerr School (Aklavik), Bonnie Koe, student
Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories,
researcher, Denise Kurszewski, ICHR Director of Research Development July 11-16, 2009.
»» Chatwood, S. “Sustaining Health Research Activities in »» Denning, B, Chatwood, C, Hunter, D. “Place of Residence
Canada’s Northern Territories.” Paper presented at the and Prenatal Care.” Paper presented at the National Gath-
14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yel- ering of Graduate Students in Aboriginal Health, Halifax,
lowknife, Northwest Territories, July 11-16, 2009. Nova Scotia, June 25-28, 2009.
»» Chatwood, S, Law, S, Young, K, Affleck, E, Cortinois, A, »» Lys, C. “Coming of Age: Understanding the Barriers and
& Kirby, C. “Improving Access and Outcomes in Canada’s Facilitators to Positive, Empowered, and Safer Sexual
Northern Territories.” Paper presented at the 14th Inter- Health among Female Youth in the NWT.” Paper presented
national Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, at the National Gathering of Graduate Students in Ab-
Northwest Territories, July 11-16, 2009. original Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 25-28, 2009.
»» Denning, B, Chatwood, C, Hunter, D. “Place of Residence »» Denning, B, Chatwood, C, Hunter, D. “Place of Residence
and Prenatal Care.” Poster presented at the 14th Inter- and Neonatal Outcome.” Poster presented at the Canadian
national Congress on Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Society for Epidemiology and Biostatistics Student Confer-
Northwest Territories, July 11-16, 2009. ence, Ottawa, Ontario, May 23-28, 2009.
»» Healey, GK, Butler Walker, J, Chatwood, S. “Exploring »» Kurszewski, D. “Youth Driven Participatory Research in
Processes in Health Research Ethics in Canada’s North.” Northern Canada.” Aboriginal Policy Research Conference,
Poster presented at the 14th International Congress on Ottawa, Ontario, March 9-12, 2009.
Circumpolar Health, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, »» Machalek , K. “Development of a Perinatal Surveillance
July 11-16, 2009. System for the Northwest Territories, Canada.” Poster
»» Kurszewski, D, Chatwood, S, Illasiak, V. “Youth Driven Par- presented at the 3rd International Meeting on Indigenous
ticipatory Research in Aklavik, NWT.” Paper presented at Child Health: Many Voices Into One Song, Albuquerque,
the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, New Mexico, March 6-8, 2009.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, July 11-16, 2009.
2008
»» Li, YA, Brassard, P, Wong, T, Severini, A, Corriveau, A,
Chatwood, S, Johnson, G, Sobol, I, Hanley, B, & Mao, Y. »» Denning, B, Chatwood, C, Hunter, D. “Place of Residence
“The Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus and Its Impact and Neonatal Outcome in Northern Canada.” Poster
on Cervical Dysplasia in Northern Canada.” Paper pre- presented at Arctic Change 2008, Quebec City, Quebec,
sented at the 14th International Congress on Circumpolar December 9-12, 2008.
Health, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, July 11-16, »» Illasiak, V., Chatwood, S. “Dietary choices in Aklavik,
2009. youth and elders promoting change.” Paper presented at
»» Lys, C. “Listening to the Youth: Understanding the Bar- Arctic Change 2008, Québec City, Québec, December 9-12,
riers and Facilitators to Positive, Empowered, and Safer 2008.
Sexual Health among Female Youth in the NWT.” Paper »» Machalek, K. “Development of a Perinatal Surveillance
presented at the 14th International Congress on Circum- System for the Northwest Territories, Canada.” Poster
polar Health, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, July presented at Arctic Change 2008, Quebec City, Quebec,
11-16, 2009. December 9-12, 2008.
44 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Presentations
»» Chatwood, S. “Building partnerships for a health research »» Chatwood, S. “The Arctic Health Research Network.”
network in northern Canada.” Paper presented at the Fifth Canadian Rural Partnership, Data Sources and Access for
Northern Research Forum Open Assembly. Anchorage, Rural Communities. Yellowknife, Northwest Territories,
Alaska, September 24-27, 2008. January 2008.
»» Northwest FASD Partnership. “Preventing FASD: Collabo-
rating on a health determinants approach.” Co-presented
2007 and Earlier
at the International Conference on FASD: Building on our »» Chatwood, S, Healey, G, Butler Walker, J, Kassi, N. “Arctic
Strengths, Stone by Stone. Banff, Alberta, May 2008. Health Research Network – A Pan Northern Initiative.”
CIHR Team in Circumpolar Chronic Disease Prevention
»» Northwest FASD Partnership. “Using a virtual commu-
Annual Meeting. Banff, Alberta, April 2007.
nity of practice to support community-academic research
partnerships on FASD prevention from a women’s health »» Chatwood, S. “Development of the Arctic Health Research
determinants perspective.” Co-presented at the Commu- Network.” Community Health Research in Labrador:
nity University Expo, Victoria, British Columbia, May 4-7, Listening, Learning and Working Together. Newfoundland
2008. and Labrador, May 2006.
Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010) 45
In 2009, ICHR commissioned John Rombough, a Łutselk’e-based Dene
artist to create an original logo to better symbolize our hopes and aspirations.
46 Institute for Circumpolar Health Research Five Year Report (2005 - 2010)
Acknowledgements
The Institute would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsors, affiliates, and partners:
— ICHR.CA —
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