Meaningful Engagement of Elders in Indigenous STBBI Research
Feb 5, 2024
12:00PM to 1:30PM
Date/Time
Date(s) - 05/02/2024
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Meaningful Engagement of Elders in Indigenous STBBI Research
Date: Monday, February 5, 2024
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. EST
Event Presentation: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. EST
Reflecting Together: 1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. EST (see details further below)
Join our Collaborative Conversation on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. EST with Randy Jackson, associate professor at McMaster University in the School of Social Work, Sheila Nyman, Elder Council member at the Feast Centre for Indigenous STBBI Research, and Bridget Marsdin, PhD student and (past) research assistant at the Feast Centre, as they share and discuss key learnings from the Meaningful Partnership of Elders in Indigenous STBBI Research Study.
The Collaborative Conversations Series brings together researchers and people with lived experiences to share their journeys and lessons learned in patient-oriented research.
Reflecting Together will take place immediately following this live webinar at 1:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for community members to come together and share their thoughts on the topics discussed during this event. We hope you will be able to join us as we continue the conversation and take our learnings into action.
All are welcome to attend this event. The virtual event link will be sent to you upon registration and the day of the event.
The Collaborative is committed to the accessibility and inclusion of persons with disabilities. If you require any accessibility accommodations to ensure your full participation at this event, please email collabor@mcmcaster.ca and/or let us know when you register for this event.
Details
The Feast Centre for Indigenous STBBI (sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections) Research is dedicated to community-led research and training across the four pillars of health research (Clinical, Basic Science, Epidemiology, Social Science). The Feast Centre Council of Elders, comprised of a diverse representation of Elders from across Canada, contributes to decolonizing STBBI responses and increased use of Indigenous knowledges in STBBI research. This encourages transformational change in addressing the health needs of Indigenous people living with or affected by STBBI.
The Meaningful Partnership of Elders in Indigenous STBBI (sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections) Research is a MSW study that focuses on the expertise of Indigenous Elders. The Talking Circle method was used to highlight the importance of oral tradition and storytelling for First Nations, Inuit & Métis Peoples and offers a cultural signal to participating Elders that this study is premised on egalitarian and supportive values. Thirteen Elders were recruited nationwide to participate in three virtual Talking Circles to explore their experiences in Indigenous STBBI research and to offer guidance to researchers on how to develop and strengthen meaningful research partnerships in the future.
Indigenous knowledges are sacred, localized and require deep respect when requested, applied, and shared. This study offers future Indigenous STBBI researchers a robust foundation to build meaningful research partnerships with Elders to improve STBBI research and benefit the sexual health and wellbeing of Indigenous communities.
Key Learnings
Five overarching themes emerged from the thematic analysis of these Talking Circles:
- Understanding the historical and ongoing impacts of colonialism and the need to decolonize STBBI research;
- Prioritizing the knowledge and lived experience of Elders and Indigenous people living with STBBI throughout the research process;
- Centering spirituality and ceremony in Indigenous STBBI research;
- The importance of implementing Indigenous methodologies in STBBI research; and
- Foregrounding Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing in STBBI research.
This event is part of the Collaborative Conversations Series. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive information about future events.
Related Resources & Affiliations
- Feast Centre for Indigenous STBBI Research
- McMaster University School of Social Work
- CAAN Communities, Alliances & Networks
About our Speakers
Randy Jackson (NPI) is an associate professor at McMaster University in the School of Social Work with a cross-appointment in the Department of Health, Aging and Society. Randy is Anishinaabe from Kettle and Stony Point First Nation and has become an expert in HIV in Indigenous communities in Canada. Dissatisfied with existing research, which tended to focus excessively on pathologizing Indigenous people, Jackson works with communities to find another perspective–one grounded in Indigenous cultural world views. By better understanding the role of culture in the lives of people living with HIV, Jackson reveals parts of the bigger picture of the sociological facets of human health. Jackson teaches courses in Indigenous Health and Wellness and Community-Based Research methods that are at the heart of his own research. In the recent past, he also held a CIHR Doctoral Awards, a Community Scholar Award with the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN), and also held the position of Director of Research and Programs with the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN). Reflecting his beliefs about the significance of Indigenous self-determination in research, Randy helped develop CAAN’s Principles of Research Collaboration. Current areas of research include Indigenous masculinity and chronic illness, Indigenous leadership and it connection to health and wellness, and Indigenous transgender health. In 2012, Randy was honoured and recognized for his decade-plus long involvement in Indigenous HIV/AIDS research with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).
Bridget Marsdin (she/her) is a settler of Irish descent who returned to McMaster University as a mature student after many years of working in community organizations dedicated to social justice. She has extensive frontline experience in sexual health and well-being, HIV/AIDS, STBBI (sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections), trauma, sexual violence, gender-based violence, harm reduction and community-based research. Bridget has served youth and adults from a vast array of backgrounds through health promotion groups, support groups, public education, community outreach, counselling and advocacy.
Bridget is currently a PhD student in the School of Social Work at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Randy Jackson. Her invaluable learning and research experience at the Feast Centre for Indigenous STBBI Research inspired her MSW study and helped shape her future Ph.D. research. Bridget’s MSW study, Exploring the Meaningful Partnership of Elders in Indigenous STBBI Research, was expertly supervised by Dr. Randy Jackson and guided by the Feast Centre Council of Elders, including the close mentorship of Sheila Nyman. Bridget’s Ph.D. research will also focus on Indigenous STBBI research using a community-based participatory approach. Bridget is profoundly grateful for the guidance and support she has received as an allied researcher in Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing. She recognizes that as a settler she is an infant in this infinite knowledge.
Shelia Nyman is a Syilx (Okanagan) Métis woman from the Lower Similkameen in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia her spirit name is “Stands Strong like a Rock Bearwoman” and by the generosity of the Ancestors lives in the Interior of BC. Sheila worked extensively with women, mental health and well-being in and around Vancouver’s DTES from 1994 to 2007. She was involved in the early 90s in the organizing of the Women’s Memorial March and continues the connection in the world of stopping violence against women. From 2009 to 2013, she worked supporting former survivors of Residential Schools involved in the settlement process and Truth and the Reconciliation activities. Sheila received a Fellowship from the University of Victoria and completed her Master’s thesis in 2015, which explored the link between ancient Indigenous Ceremony/Traditional Healing and energy therapies such as Somatic Experiencing. She is a skilled intuitive trauma counselor who integrates traditional healing and knowledge into her work. Sheila has been mentored and initiated into “Indigenous Healing and Ceremony” by Spiritual leader and Pipe Carrier, Aline LaFlamme, who is known as “Many Buffalo Running.” She has completed six “Spirit Quests” (vision quest, mountain fasts). She has learned and earned the responsibility to hold a people’s Pipe conducting healing ceremonies such as Moon Lodge and Sweat Lodge. Her connection with Grandmother Moon has inspired her interest in learning and understanding the inter-connections of the energy of our great mother, the Earth. Sheila has participated on several research teams with FEAST Co-leads, Randy Jackson and Renée Mashing as well as with other members of the research team. Projects of note include: CANOC (SFU); Stable Homes Strong Families (CAAN/McMaster); The WATCH Study (McMaster); CHIWOS (Women’s College Hospital) and The Cradle Board Tool Kit. (BSW MSW RSW). All my relations.