This panel will cover issues specific to engaging Indigenous populations in research such as open data/open science, data sovereignty and appropriate collaborations.

Moderator:

Dr. Kimberly R. Huyser (Navajo Nation - Diné) is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia, and CoVaRR-Net Pillar 7 lead - Indigenous Engagement, Development, and Research (CIEDAR). She received her PhD in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin with an Indigenous Studies Graduate Portfolio and a traineeship from the Population Research Center. Her research seeks to gain a deeper insight into the social conditions that undermine health. She is dedicated to understanding the lives and life chances of Indigenous peoples.

Panelists:

Dr. Jessica Kolopenuk (Cree, Peguis First Nation) is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta; and Co--founder and co-lead of the Summer internship for INdigenous peoples in Genomics Canada (SING Canada) and the Indigenous Science, Technology, and Society Research and Training Program.

Taylor Morriseau (Cree/English; Peguis First Nation) is a PhD Candidate at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba and the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Manitoba. As a recipient of a CIHR Vanier Scholarship, her doctoral research investigates gene-environment interactions underlying type 2 diabetes among Indigenous youth: effectively rewriting the history of the “thrifty gene hypothesis”. She is committed to broader scientific and societal challenges encompassing Indigenous health, genomics, ethics, and science policy through advisory positions with the Chief Science Advisor of Canada, CIHR’s Institute for Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH), Research Canada, and the Native BioData Consortium (NBDC).

Leona Star is a Cree woman from Thunderchild First Nation, Saskatchewan, within the Treaty 6 Territory. She works as the Director of Research for the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba (FNHSSM). Leona is a part of the Manitoba First Nations Pandemic Response Coordination Team, which ensures Covid-19 data and vaccine reporting is adequate and provides information for First Nations in Manitoba.

Leona is a strong advocate of First Nations self-determination in research grounded in the First Nations principles of Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP). She has followed the Regional Health Survey model and framework to ensure the highest standards of First Nations research ethics are upheld in all research projects that include Manitoba First Nations. She has worked collaboratively locally, regionally, and nationally to ensure research and information is governed according to protocols defined by First Nations.

Leona works with the FNHSSM research team to provide support to the Manitoba First Nations Ethics review committee called the Health Information Research Governance Committee (HIRGC). The HIRGC reviews regional research projects to ensure the adherence to the First Nations principles of OCAP, Free Prior and Informed Consent, First Nations Ethical Principles and Benefits to First Nations. These four criteria have been supported by the Chiefs in Assembly and are written within the bylaws of FNHSSM to ensure that research that involves Manitoba First Nations is based on a respectful research relationship from the beginning.

Leona has contributed to many research projects in various roles, her main role is being a helper for First Nations people, communities, and organizations when it comes to respectful relationships and self-determination in research and data sovereignty.