A Dalhousie researcher has become the new vice-chair of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research鈥檚 (CIHR) .
Margaret Robinson, an assistant professor in the Indigenous Studies program, was offered the prestigious role earlier this summer.
鈥淚'm proud to bring a Mi'kmaw presence to the board,鈥� says Dr. Robinson. 鈥淥ur nation has a long history with Settler Canada and that's a deep well to draw from, experience-wise.鈥�
The CIHR advisory boards provide guidance to the funder鈥檚 Scientific Directors and Governing Council. The Advisory Board on Aboriginal People鈥檚 Health was established in 2008, with Dalhousie鈥檚 Fred Wein (from the School of Social Work), as chair. Originally, the board advised only the Institute of Aboriginal People鈥檚 Health, but in 2014, CIHR鈥檚 Governing Council replaced the 13 Institute advisory boards with five new boards that serve all of CIHR. In addition to the Advisory Board on Indigenous Peoples鈥� Health, this includes advisory bodies on:
鈥⑻� 听Research Excellence, Policy and Ethics
鈥⑻� 听Health Innovation
鈥⑻� 听Health Promotion and Prevention
鈥⑻� 听Chronic Conditions
鈥淪ince we're now advising all of CIHR it's听about听building relationships across听the听Institutes,鈥� says Dr. Robinson.听鈥淚'm looking forward to working听with听the board members to accomplish that. We have a lot of smart, experienced, and dedicated people on that board.鈥�
Transcending traditional boundaries
The new version of the advisory boards will seek to support the health and wellness of Indigenous peoples through shared research leadership across CIHR and strategic alliances to help transcend traditional boundaries and establish culturally sensitive policies and interventions.
鈥淭oo听often,听health听research hasn't听incorporated a solid understanding of Indigenous cultures, Indigenous peoples or听our Nations' strengths,鈥� says Dr. Robinson. 鈥淲e need research that's initiated and led by Indigenous communities, and that reflects their priorities and their vision for their own health.鈥�
In her role of vice-chair, Dr. Robinson hopes to develop effective听practices that听embody Indigenous values, and ensure that decisions are made in a good way. She sees it as an opportunity to 鈥渟erve the board members by making sure that their views are heard and understood when we鈥檙e providing advice to CIHR鈥檚 Scientific Directors, and share the travel and organizational work that鈥檚 involved in running an advisory board on a national scale.鈥�
Dr. Robinson will work closely with Jeff Cyr, who is the current chair of the Institute Advisory Board on Indigenous Peoples鈥� Health.
鈥淛eff and I听share a pragmatic and strategic听approach to our work听and a commitment to serving听Indigenous communities,鈥� says Dr. Robinson.听鈥淎s an early career researcher, being vice-Chair of an IAB听is an opportunity to learn leadership skills听from Jeff听and the听other members.鈥�
Shaping change
Margaret is not a stranger to the CIHR advisory boards, and has been following the new developments since she entered the research field in 2009.
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鈥淢y postdoctoral听supervisor, Lori Ross, instilled in me the importance of understanding the funding system and of being involved where I could,鈥� says Dr. Robinson. 鈥淚 joined the听college of听peer reviewers, and I attended the New Investigator trainings held by the Institute on Aboriginal People's Health, where I met IAPH Scientific Directors Malcolm King, and later,听Carrie Bourassa, and听advisory board member听such as Heather Castleden, Pierre Haddad,听Jos茅e Lavoie, and Chris Musquash. When I saw the IABs were听looking for applicants I jumped at the听opportunity to shape change at a national level.鈥�
As a community based researcher, Dr. Robinson鈥檚 work examines the impact of intersecting oppressions and draws on critical, postcolonial, and queer theories, intersectionality, and third wave feminism. In 2016 she led a team that developed and validated a measure of microaggressions and microaffirmations experienced by bisexual women.
In addition, Dr. Robinson is also the principal investigator on a CIHR-funded study to explore cultural interventions for Indigenous youth at risk of conflict with the law (together with Jessica Demeria at the Ontario HIV treatment Network), and is the co-investigator on a study to improve stress and wellness among Indigenous women living in poverty, led by Dalhousie Alumna Dr. Anita Benoit.
IAB chairs are appointed by by CIHR鈥檚 Governing Council, and serve an initial three-year term with the possibility for a second three-year term.