Indigenous Health Researchers Database

Indigenous Health Researchers Database is a comprehensive listing of researchers who are affiliated with a Canadian university and have a wide range of expertise related to the health of Indigenous peoples. These researchers have undertaken some form of research related to the health and well-being of First Nations, Inuit and/or Métis peoples, ranging from one study to a lifetime of work in a particular area.

The names of researchers along with their contact information, university affiliation, focus of Indigenous health research, and a selection of their publications are listed by theme and location. To view the details of a researcher please click on the name shown in the list to expand the information.

Compiled by the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH), this listing is based on publicly available information on university websites in Canada.

Click on the author's name to reveal a list of publications.

To request edits to an author's entry, or to request to be added to the database, please complete the online form.

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Inuit

Gonzalo Alvarez

Senior Scientist, Inflammation and Chronic Disease, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; Professor, School of Epidemiology; Staff Respirologist, Ottawa Hospital

University of Ottawa

Selected Publications

Alvarez, G.G., Pease, C., & Menzies, D. (2022). Tuberculosis preventative treatment in adults. Canadian TB guidelines 2022. Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, 6(Suppl 1), 77-86.

Alvarez, G.G., Van Dyk, D., Mallick, R., Lesperance, S., Demaio, P., Finn, S., Edmunds-Potvin, S., Patterson, M. et al. (2020). The implementation of rifapentine and isoniazid (3HP) in two remote Arctic communities with a predominantly Inuit population, the Taima TB 3HP study. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 79(1), 1758501.

Alvarez, G.G., Zwerling, A.A., Duncan, C., Pease, C., Van Dyk, D., Behr, M.A., Lee, R.S., Mulpuru, S. et al. (2020). Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to describe the transmission dynamics among Inuit residing in Iqaluit Nunavut using whole genome sequencing. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 72(12), 2187-2195

Chang, A.B., Kovesi, T., Redding, G.J., Wong, C., Alvarez, G.G., Nantanda, R. et al. (2024). Chronic respiratory disease in Indigenous Peoples: A framework to address inequity and strengthen respiratory health and health care globally. The Lancet - Respiratory Medicine, 12(7), 556-574.

Dunn, J.L., Larocque, M., Van Dyk, D., Vides, E., Khan, F.A., Wong, T., Long, R., & Alvarez, G.G. (2022). An introductory guide in TB care for health care workers and public health professionals serving Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Canadian Indigenous TB guidelines 2022. Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, 6(Suppl 1), 184-193.

Dunn, J.L., Larocque, M., Van Dyk, D., Vides, E., Khan, F.A., Wong, T., Long, R., & Alvarez, G.G. (2022). An introductory guide in TB care for health care workers and public health professionals serving Indigenous Peoples of Canada. Canadian Indigenous TB guidelines 2022. Canadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, 6(Suppl 1), 184-193.

Morris, S.K., Giroux, R., Consunji-Araneta, R., Stewart, K., Baikie, M., Kakkar, F., Zielinski, D., Tse-Chang, A., Cook V. … Alvarez G.G. et al. (2021). Epidemiology, clinical features, and outcomes of incident tuberculosis in children in Canada in 2013-2016: Results of a national surveillance study. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 106(12), 1165-1170.

Pease, C., Alvarez, G.G., Mallick, R., Patterson, M., Habis, Y., Schwartzman, K., Kilabuk, E., Mulpuru, S., & Zwerling, A. (2021). Cost-effectiveness of 3 months of weekly rifapentine and isoniazid in a Canadian arctic setting. BMJ Open, 11(5), e047514

Sullivan, K., Pease, C., Zwerling, A., Mallick, R., Van Dyk, D., Mulpuru, S., Allen, C., Alsdurf, H., & Alvarez, G.G. (2021). Seven-year retrospective study understanding the latent TB infection treatment cascade of care among adults in a low incidence country. BMC Public Health, 21, 964.

Uppal, A., Oxlade, O., Nsengiyumva, N.P., N’Diaye, D.A., Alvarez, G.G., & Schwartzman, K. (2021). Social and behavioral risk reduction strategies for tuberculosis prevention in Canadian Inuit communities: A cost-effectiveness analysis. BMC Public Health, 21, 280.

Marcia Anderson

Cree-Anishinaabe; Vice-Dean, Indigenous Health, Social Justice, and Anti-Racism, Rady Faculty of Health Science

University of Manitoba

Neil Andersson

Professor, Department of Family Medicine

McGill University

Laura Arbour

Professor, Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine

University of British Columbia

Selected Publications

Aziz, H., Marchand, M., Pop, C., King, A., Anand, S.S., Arbour, L., Atzema, C., et al. (2022). A call to action: Optimizing Indigenous cardiovascular health in Canada. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 38(10), 1584-1587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjca.2022.06.011.

Caughey, A., Harper, S.L., Sanguya, I., Sargeant, J.M., Miners, A., Doucette, M. … Arbour, L. (2025). Early life nutrition in Nunavut, Canada: A retrospective descriptive study of food security, vitamin D and rickets. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 84(1), 2580100.

Chahal, D., Yoshida, E.M., Arbour, L., & Wallach, J.P. (2020). Post-partum primary biliary cholangitis preceded by intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy in three First Nation patients. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 66(4), 1367-1369.

D'Angelo, C.S., Hermes, A., McMaster, C.R., Prichep, E., Richer, É., van der Westhuizen, F.H., Repetto, G.M. … & Arbour, L. (2020). Barriers and considerations for diagnosing rare diseases in Indigenous populations. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 8, 579924.

Ehman, M., Sharma, K., Weymann, D., Maroilley, T., Mohajeri, A., Lehman, A. … Arbour, L. et al. (2025). The cost and cost trajectory of genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis for Indigenous children with suspected rare diseases. Genetic Medicine, 27(11), 101568.

Huisman, L.-A., Bene Watts, S., Arbour, L., & McCormick, R. (2020). Understanding the personal and community impact of long QT syndrome: A perspective from Gitxsan women. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 29(4), 562-573.

Huisman, L.-A., Martin, S., Ewasiuk, E., McAdam, A., Wood Lynes-Ford, K., McCormick, R., & Arbour, L. (2024). The multigenerational impact of long QT syndrome: A Gitxsan perspective. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 34(1), e1927.

Joyal, K.M., Collins, S., Miners, A., Barrowman, N., Sucha, E., Allen, J., Edmunds, S. … Arbour, L., Venkateswaran, S. (2024). Head circumference values among Inuit children in Nunavut, Canada: A retrospective cohort study. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 196(35), e1189-e1200.

Marchand, M., Erickson, A.C., Gillman, L., Haywood, R., Morrison, J., Jaworsky, D. … Arbour, L. (2024). The impact of chronic disease on the corrected QT (QTc) value in women in a British Columbia First Nations population. Canadian Journal of Cardiology, 40(1), 89-97.

Watts, S. B., Gauthier, B., Erickson, A. C., Morrison, J., Sebastian, M., Gillman, L. … Arbour, L. (2024). A mild phenotype associated with KCNQ1 p.V205M mediated long QT syndrome in First Nations children of northern British Columbia: Effect of additional variants and considerations for management. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 12, 1394105.

Woo Kinshella, M.L., Allen, J., Pawa, J., Papenburg, J., Jetty, R., Dwilow, R., Embree, J., Robinson, J., Arbour, L. et al. (2025). Hospital admissions for acute respiratory tract infections among infants from Nunavut and the burden of respiratory syncytial virus: A 10-year retrospective cohort study. Lancet Regional Health Americas, 43, 101021.

Pierre Ayotte

Professor, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine

Universitaire Laval

Selected Publications

Adlard, B., Bonefeld-Jørgensen, E.C., Dudarev, A.A., Olafsdottir, K., Abass, K. Ayotte, P. et al. (2024). Levels and trends of metals in human populations living in the Arctic. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 83(1), 2386140.

Adlard, B., Lemire, M., Bonefeld-Jørgensen, E.C., Long, M., Ólafsdóttir, K., Odland, J.O., Rautio, A. … & Ayotte, P. (2021). MercuNorth - monitoring mercury in pregnant women from the Arctic as a baseline to assess the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 80(1), 1881345.

Aker, A., Caron-Beaudoin, É., Ayotte, P., Ricard, S., Gilbert, V., Avard, E., & Lemire, M. (2022). Non-persistent exposures from plasticizers or plastic constituents in remote Arctic communities: A case for further research. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 32, 400-407.

Cirtiu, C.M., Valcke, M., Gagne, M., Bourgault, M.H., Narame, C., Gadio, S., Poulin, P., & Ayotte, P. (2022). Biological monitoring of exposure to rare earth elements and selected metals in the Inuit population of Nunavik, Canada. Chemosphere, 289, 133142.

Daunzieau, C., Franck, M., Boutin, A., Ruel, M., Poliakova, N., Ayotte, P., & Bélanger, R. (2025). The gut microbiota of Indigenous populations in the context of dietary westernization: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition, 12, 162598.

Dubeau, C., Aker, A., Caron-Beaudoin, É., Ayotte, P., Blanchette, C., McHugh, N.G., & Lemire, M. (2022). Perfluoroalkyl acid and bisphenol-A exposure via food sources in four First Nation communities in Quebec. Public Health Nutrition, 26(1), 106-121. DOI: 10.1017/S136898022000581.

Lamoureux-Tremblay, V., Chauret, M., Muckle, G., Maheu, F., Suffren, S., Jacobson, S.W., Jacobson, J.L., Ayotte, P., Lepore, F., & Saint-Amour, D.A. (2021). Altered functional activations of prefrontal brain areas during emotional processing of fear in Inuit adolescents exposed to environmental contaminants. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 85, 106973.

Medehouenou, T.C.M., Roy, C., Tremblay, P.Y., St-Jean, A., Meziou, S., Muckle, G., Ayotte, P., & Lucas, M. (2021). Metabolic features of adiposity and glucose homoeostasis among school-aged Inuit children from Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada). International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 80(1), 1858605

Pontual, M.M., Ayotte, P., Little, M., Furgal, C., Boyd, A.D., Muckle, G., Avard, E., Ricard, S., Gauthier, M.J., Sidi, E.A., & Lemire, M. (2021). Seasonal variations in exposure to methylmercury and its dietary sources among pregnant Inuit women in Nunavik, Canada. Science of the Total Environment, 755(pt. 2), 143196.

Malek Batal

Professor & Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and Health Inequalities, Faculty of Medicine - Department of Nutrition

University of Montreal

Selected Publications

Batal, M., & Decelles, S. (2019). A scoping review of obesity among Indigenous peoples in Canada. Journal of Obesity, Article ID 9741090.

Batal, M., Chan, H.M., Fediuk, K., Ing, A., Berti, P., Sadik, T., & Johnson-Down, L. (2021). Associations of health status and diabetes among First Nations Peoples living on-reserve in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 112, 154–167 (2021). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-021-00488-6

Batal, M., Chan, H.M., Fediuk, K., Ing, A., Berti, P., Sadik, T., & Johnson-Down, L. (2021). Nutrient adequacy and nutrient sources of adults among ninety-two First Nations communities across Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 112, 29–40 (2021). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-021-00490-y

Batal, M., Kenny, T.A., Johnson-Down, L., Chan, L., Sadik, T., Ing, A., Fediuk, K., & Willows, N. (2022). Development of an optimal grocery list based on actual intake from a cross-sectional study of First Nations adults in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, 47(4), 379-294. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2020-0950

Batal, M., Johnson-Down, L., Moubarac, J.-C., Ing, A., Fediuk, K., Sadik, T. et al. (2018). Quantifying associations of the dietary share of ultra-processed foods with overall diet quality in First Nations peoples in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. Public Health Nutrition, 21(Sp. Iss. 1), 103-113.

Blanchet, R., Batal, M., Johnson-Down, L., Johnson, S., Okanagan Nation Reintroduction Initiatives, & Willows, N. (2021). An Indigenous food sovereignty initiative is positively associated with well-being and cultural connectedness in a survey of Syilx Okanagan adults in British Columbia, Canada. BMC Public Health, 21, 1405. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11229-2

Blanchet, R., Willows, N., Johnson, S., Okanagan Nation Salmon Reintroduction Initiatives, & Batal, M. (2022). Enhancing cultural food security among the Syilx Okanagan adults with the reintroduction of Okanagan sockeye salmon. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 47(2),124-133. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2021-0321.

Blanchet, R., Willows, N., Johnson, S., Okanagan Nation Salmon Reintroduction Initiatives, & Batal, M. (2020). Traditional food, health, and diet quality in Syilx Okanagan adults in British Columbia, Canada. Nutrients, 12(4), 927.

Chan, H.M., Fediuk, K., Batal, M., Sadik, T., Tikhonov, C., Ing, A., & Barwin, L. (2021). The First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study (2008-2018) – rationale, design, methods and lessons learned. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 112, 8-9.

Chan, H.M., Singh, K., Batal, M., Marushka, L., Tikhonov, C., Sadik, T., Schwartz, H., Ing, A., & Fediuk, K. (2021). Levels of Metals and Persistent Organic Pollutants in Traditional Foods consumed by First Nations Living on Reserve in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 112, 81–96 (2021). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-021-00495-7

Domingo, A., Springer, J., Wittman, H., Gruhn, M., Chan, H.M., Tikhonov, C., Ing, A., Fediuk, K., Sadik, T., & Batal, M. (2020). Predictors of household food insecurity and relationship with obesity in First Nations communities in British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario. Public Health Nutrition, 24(5), 1021-1033. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019004889

Johnson-Down, L., Willows, N., Kenny, T.A., Ing, A., Fediuk, K., Sadik, T., Chan, H.M., & Batal, M. (2019). Optimization modeling to improve the diets of First Nations individuals. Journal of Nutritional Science, 8, e31.

Kenny, T., Little, M., Lemieux, T., Griffin, J.P., Wesche, S., Ota, Y., Batal, M., Chan, H.M., & Lemire, M (2020). The retail food sector and Indigenous Peoples in high-income countries: A systematic scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(23), 8818.

Lavigne-Robichaud, M., Moubarac, J.-C., Lantagne-Lopez, S., Johnson-Down, L., Batal, M. et al. (2018). Diet quality indices in relation to metabolic syndrome in an Indigenous Cree (Eeyouch) population in northern Québec, Canada. Public Health Nutrition, 21(Sp. Iss. 1), 172-180.

Marushka, L., Batal, M., Tikhonov, C., Sadik, T., Schwartz, H., Ing, A., Fediuk, K., & Chan, H.M. (2021). Importance of fish for food and nutrition security among First Nations in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 112, 64–80 (2021). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-021-00481-z

Marushka, L., Hu, X., Tikhonov, C., Batal, M., Sadik, T., Schwartz, H., Ing, A., Fediuk, K., & Chan, H.M. (2021). Dietary exposure to persistent organic pollutants is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes among First Nations in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 112, 168–182 (2021). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-021-00484-w

Marushka, L., Kenny, T.A., Batal, M., Cheung, W.W.L., Fediuk, K., Golden, C.D., Salomon, A.K. et al. (2019). Potential impacts of climate-related decline of seafood harvest on nutritional status of coastal First Nations in British Columbia, Canada. PLoS ONE, 14(2), e0211473.

Schwartz, H., Marushka, L., Batal, M., Chan, H.M., Sadik, T., Ing, A., Fediuk, K., & Tikhonov, C. (2021). Pharmaceuticals in source waters of First Nation reserves of Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 112, 133–153. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-021-00499-3

Willows, N., Johnson-Down, L., Kenny, T.A., Chan, H.M., & Batal, M. (2018). Modeling optimal diets for quality and cost: Examples from Inuit and First Nations communities in Canada. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 44(7), 696-703.

Domingo, A., Springer, J., Wittman, H., Guhn, M., Chan, H.M., Tikhonov, C., Ing, A., Fediuk, K., Sadik, T., & Batal, M. (2020). Predictors of household food insecurity and relationship with obesity in First Nations communities in British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario. Public Health Nutrition, 24(5), 1021-1033. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019004889

Lola Baydala

Mi'kmaw and French ancestry; Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

University of Alberta

Richard Bélanger

Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine

Laval University

Jules M. Blais

Professor, Department of Biology

University of Ottawa

Lisa Bourque Bearskin

Nehiyaw Iskwew; Associate Professor, School of Nursing; BC Chair Indigenous Health Nursing

University of Victoria

Selected Publications

Bourque Bearskin, R.L., Kennedy, A., & Kelly, L.C. (2020). Indigenist nursing: Caring keeps us close to the source. In M. Hills, J. Watson, & C. Cara (eds.), Creating a caring science curriculum: An emancipatory pedagogy for nursing. Springer.

Brockie, T., Clark, T.C., Best, O., Power, T., Bourque Bearskin, L., Kurtz, D.L., Lowe, J., & Wilson, D. (2021). Indigenous social exclusion to inclusion: Case studies on Indigenous nursing leadership in four high-income countries. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 32(3-4), 610-624. DOI: 10.1111/jocn.15801.

Dion Stout, M., Wieman, N., Bourque-Bearskin, R.L., Palmer, B.C., Brown, L., Brown, M., & Namaste, M. (2021). Gum yan asing Kaangas giidaay han hll guudang gas ga. I will never again feel that I am less than: Indigenous health care providers' perspectives on ending racism in health care [Commentary]. International Journal of Health 16(1), 13-20.

Funnell, S., Walker, J., Letendre, A., Bourque Bearskin, R.L., Manuel, D., Scott, M., Spruin, S., & Tanuseputro, P. (2021). Places of death and places of care for Indigenous peoples in Ontario: A retrospective cohort study. The Canadian Journal of Public Health, 112(4), 685-696.

Jakubec, S., & Bourque Bearskin, L. (2020). Awareness, allyship, and action for decolonizing and anti-oppressive nursing. In J. Ross-Kerr & M. Wood (Eds.), Canadian nursing: Issues and perspectives, 6th Edition. Elsevier Mosby.

Kennedy, A., Bourque Bearskin, R.L., &; Freija, K. (2021). Commitment to positive change: Structural anti-racism audit of nursing education programs. Witness: The Canadian Journal of Critical Nursing Discourse, 3(1), 4-6.

Kennedy, A., Bourque Bearskin, R.L., Bourque, D.H., Bourque, D.E., & Cardinal, S. (2021). Reconciling taking the "Indian" out of the nurse. Quality Advancement in Nursing, 7(1), 6.

McAtackney, D., Gaspard, G., Sullivan, D., Bourque Bearskin, R.L., & Sebastian, M. (2021). Improving dementia care for Gitxsan First Nations People. International Journal of Indigenous Health, 16(1), 118-145.

Padley, M., Bourque Bearskin, L., Burd, L., Bergevin, D., McCuaig, D., Mercredi, B., Wells, P. et al. (2025). Nurturing Métis youth wellness: Kehtêyak perspectives on identity, community, spirituality, and wholistic connection. International Journal of Indigenous Health, 21(1), 1-14.

Power, T., Wilson, D., Best, O., Brockie, T., Bourque Bearskin, L., Millender, E., & Lowe, J. (2020). COVID-19 and Indigenous Peoples: An imperative for action. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(15-16), 27372741.

Indigenous Health Researchers Database

Inuit

Gonzalo Alvarez

Contact Information

Themes

Selected Publications

Marcia Anderson

Contact Information

Themes

Selected Publications

Neil Andersson

Contact Information

Themes

Selected Publications

Laura Arbour

Contact Information

Themes

Selected Publications

Pierre Ayotte

Contact Information

Themes

Selected Publications

Malek Batal

Contact Information

Themes

Selected Publications

Lola Baydala

Contact Information

Themes

Selected Publications

Richard Bélanger

Contact Information

Themes

Selected Publications

Jules M. Blais

Contact Information

Themes

Selected Publications

Lisa Bourque Bearskin

Contact Information

Themes

Selected Publications

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