Marlisa Brown vìlzhìh (my name is Marlisa Brown). Nihtat Gwich’in ihłįį (I am Nihtat Gwich’in) and of settler ancestry. I was born and raised in Denendeh/Northwest Territories; originally from Inuvik and raised in Somba K’e/Yellowknife. My interest in pursuing a Master of Arts in Indigenous Governance, is to explore Northern Indigenous Governance, law, and resurgence in relation to health.

Carla is a multifaceted Artist, arts-based researcher, and mother of two children, who was raised in Yellowknife NT, close to the land. She strongly believes in the healing power of art and has helped many inner city youth discover their own connection to identity and healing through art making. She enjoys telling stories through her artwork and has illustrated three children’s books based on Dene legends as a language revitalization project and school resource.

She has also partnered with the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights (JHC) as a lead Artist on a number of large scale murals that tell the stories of Edmonton’s diverse cultural communities. More recently, Carla has led a number of beading circles with people experiencing homelessness and racism, and has worked with the JHC to gather stories of lived experience that will inform and contribute to positive systemic changes to services offered to these populations.

Carla’s most current work has been as a research assistant for Dr. Lana Whiskeyjack at the University of Alberta on a project addressing Gender Based Violence (GBV) within Indigenous populations of people. Together with an incredible group of Matriarchs, Elders, Wisdom Keepers and Artists the team uses traditional Indigenous arts and methods to connect with populations of people experiencing GBV, and help guide discussions around difficult topics.

Carla started her formal art training at the En’owkin Centre in Penticton BC, holds a BFA with Honours from the University of Victoria and a certificate of Graphic Design from the Pacific Design Academy in Victoria BC. Carla plans to continue telling stories through her artwork and is currently enrolled in the MFA program at the University of Alberta. Carla is a proud member of the Golden Key International Honour Society

Contact information: crgilday@ualberta.ca

Kristen Tanche is Liidlii Kue First Nation, Dehcho Dene and of Settler Canadian, Icelandic descent. Her
parents are Catherine Simms (Tanche) and the late Gunnar Paulson. She is currently enrolled at in the
Masters of Social Work Program at the University of Victoria while working for Dehcho First Nations in
Health & Wellness. She has spent a lot of her personal, professional and academic life focusing on
Indigenous Health & Wellness, self determination, and culture. She is passionate about the north and the
well-being of it’s people.

Terrianne Berens is a proud member of the Northwest Territory Métis Nation, who lives on the traditional territory of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the North Slave Métis, in Yellowknife, NWT.

Terrianne is pursuing a Master of Arts in Community Development, and her thesis will be part of the larger community-based participatory action research initiative titled “Spark Inspiration: Policy Strategy for the Retention and Support of Indigenous and Northern Youths Pursuing Healthcare Careers in the NWT”, led by Dr. Robitaille. This research aligns with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action #23, as well as the Call for Justice #7.8 from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. These Calls emphasize the need for recruiting and retaining Indigenous healthcare providers to ensure the delivery of health and social services in Indigenous communities.

Vicki Loader is a member of the Liidlii Kue First Nation and is a Registered Nurse with over fourteen years of frontline and leadership experience in Indigenous Health Services, having worked across several jurisdictions. She holds a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion from the University of Alberta and is now pursuing a PhD in Health Services and Policy Research at the School of Public Health. Vicki is eager to take her skills to where he family roots are in the North, where she aims to advance health equity and culturally-centred approaches through her research.

Through relational conversations with practitioners, this research aims to uncover Indigenization processes and their impacts on local practitioners’ work and ethical practice.The results will detail how Indigenization can move beyond theory to practical application, improving Indigenous health from a wholistic perspective.

Contact Information: hazlett@ualberta.ca

Lindsey Bodnar-McLeod is Gwich’in mother, born and raised in Inuvik, Northwest Territories and is currently working towards her Masters in Social Work, where she is on a personal and professional journey of self-discovery and prioritizing mental health and Indigenous resiliency. Through this educational journey, I aim to understand and heal from intergenerational experiences and to support Indigenous populations and communities in achieving holistic balance and empowerment. 

Despite ongoing recruitment and retention efforts, Indigenous nurses remain underrepresented in healthcare environments. Recognizing that Indigenous knowledge and healing practices have been limited by both the legacy of colonial policies as well as present-day legislation (Richardson & Murphy, 2018), this study evokes intergenerational and traditional wellness practices as key to Indigenous healthcare providers being well – with and in their families and communities. The purpose of this Indigenist study is to examine how intergenerational Indigenous nurse mentorship and traditional wellness practices strengthen Indigenous nurse knowledge, identity, belonging, and wellness. Centering the roles and relationships of Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) nurses as co-researchers, this study engages participants from the NWT, AB, and BC in visiting and circling activities to co-create sustainable strategies and wise practices forIndigenous nurse mentorship and wellness with/ in community.

Nora Wedzin is a contribution to social work, education, and health professional with extensive experience across diverse roles in, social services, health and education within the Tłı̨chǫ Community Services Agency (affiliated with the Government of
the Northwest Territories) and the Tłı̨chǫ Government. She began her career in 1983 with Behchoko Social Services as an administrator and language interpreter. In 1986, she advanced her expertise in community social work through support from the GNWT capacity-building program.

A dedicated lifelong learner, Nora was formally admitted to the Doctor of Philosophy program in Public Health at the University of Alberta in 2025. Her academic background includes a BISW from the University of Regina (1991), a Community Linguist Certificate from the Canadian Indigenous Languages and Literacy Development Institute at the University of Alberta (2016), an M.Ed. specializing in Indigenous Language Revitalization (2018), and in 2025, a MPH from the University of Alberta.

Nora has been actively involved in numerous initiatives, including serving as a member of the Tłı̨chǫ Government Research Institute (2015-2017), coordinating the Tłı̨chǫ Community Services Agency’s research project “Child and Family Services Cosmology” (2010), and participating on the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority working team for the Healthcare Excellence Canada Cultural Safety Design Collaborative Team Report, which culminated in the publication “Honouring the Voices of Indigenous Peoples.”

In addition to her professional duties, Nora is committed to language preservation and revitalization. She teaches Tłı̨chǫ
Language in partnership with UVic outside of her regular work hours and contributed to the translation of “A Collection of Tłı̨chǫ Stories from Long Ago” in 2017. Her engagement extends to volunteer efforts at her local church, providing language interpreting and translation services as needed.

Nora is currently doing a PhD in Public Health under Dr. Susan Chatwood’s supervision. Nora’s thesis research will be “psychology and addiction (cocaine/meth) and its effects on people’s brain and organs in Canada. It will be written in both English and Tłı̨chǫ language.

Nora firmly believes that integrating Indigenous language and culture enhances communication and contributes to equitable social, health care, education service delivery and healing.

Nora Wedzin, BISW., M.Ed., MPH.S
School of Public Health
PhD Student, School of Public Health

My project will examine how different counselling approaches can support the mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous Northerners. I am particularly interested in learning which parts of counselling are most helpful for personal growth, healing, and overall wellbeing. Through this work, I hope to gain insight into providing mental health support that is culturally safe, respectful, and meets the needs of the communities I serve.

Taylor is Teetł’it Gwich’in, Vuntut Gwitchin, and Anishinaabe from Curve Lake First Nation, Ontario. Taylor is currently a second-year master’s student at Trent University, completing a Master’s inCanadian and Indigenous Studies. Their research is focused on the discovery of Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer, Queer and Trans Indigenous identity with community on land-based programming. Taylor is proudlyTwo-Spirit and Indigiqueer and has worked with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the North for the past 5 years.

taylorhoggarth@trentu.ca

LinkedIn: Taylor Hoggarth

Layla Charlo is a Proud Indigenous woman from Yellowknives Dene First Nation within the Akaitcho Territory region of NWT. She has learned the Dene traditional knowledge from her family, grandparents, and community that carries the Indigenous cultural practices and values. This helped promote and grow her mental and spiritual well-being.Layla is focused empowering individuals from education, entrepreneurship, promoting community-driven economic development, healing from intergenerational trauma, and keeping her culture alive for future generations. Layla is completing an Executive MBA in Indigenous Business Leadership and will foster pathways to success for Indigenous peoples to be more economically independent and to strengthen their overall mental and physical well-being with contribution to their community health and economy.

My name is Lianne Mantla-Look and I am a Tłı̨chǫ citizen from Behchokǫ̀, Northwest Territories. I am currently registered in the Master of Nursing program in their Indigenous Wellness stream at the University of Victoria. I am particularly interested in community-based research into how cultural sensitivity and awareness training courses support the delivery of culturally safe care.

I am a Dënesųłiné and a proud member of theŁutsël K’é Dene First Nation. Dëne Sųłiné is mymaternal language, and I am pursuing a PhD in the Doctor of Social Sciences program at RoyalRoads University. My research combines academic scholarship, creative storytelling, andreflective autoethnography to document my personal journey of reconnecting with my languageand cultural identity. Through this work, I engage with Indigenous-informed methodologies and collaborate with community members to explore language reclamation, healing, andintergenerational knowledge transmission.

I am an Inuvialuk and mixed Scottish/British settler Registered Nurse. I was born in Inuvik, and currently living, working and playing on Chief Drygeese Territory, in Yellowknife NT, where I am a single mother of four wonderful children. I advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous ways of knowing into health care, and for a health care system where Indigenous People are authentically included, celebrated, and respected.

Contact Information: J_pitt_@hotmail.com

Jennie Vandermeer is Sahtúgot’įnę from Délįnę, Northwest Territories, and a speaker of Dene Kedǝ́. With over two decades of experience in Indigenous-led conservation, language revitalization, and wellness, she leads the First Nations Women Transforming Conservation Fellowship at the Indigenous Leadership Initiative. A direct descendant of Prophet Ɂehtseo Erǝ́yah (Louis Ayah), she carries forward her family’s teachings by grounding her work in language, culture, and land. Through her consulting practice, she supports Indigenous-led efforts with a focus on healing, balance, and respectful relationships with the land and one another.

Contact information: jvandermeerconsulting@gmail.com

Genetic tests are an important part of health care and, currently, Indigenous people are not well represented in background databases that doctors rely on to make a diagnosis. The Silent Genomes Project is addressing this health inequity by increasing access to more accurate genomic diagnostic testing for Indigenous families. This project developed the Indigenous Background Variant Library (IBVL), which is a new background reference database with DNA from Indigenous participants, created with informed consent, secure data protection, and Indigenous guidance on appropriate usage, in keeping with OCAP principles. My role in the project has been to 1) measure the current gap in genomic diagnostic equity in Canada and 2) show that the IBVL reverses this health inequity by improving the precision of genetic testing for Indigenous people

Shoozrì’ Ashley Ens. Sheenjit Nihtat Gwich’in. My name is Ashley Ens, I am a lifelong learner with a passion for land-based activities and connecting with the stories of our past. I am completing a PhD through the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Native Studies.

Carolyn Belanger is a registered nurse from amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) located in Métis homelands and Treaty 6 territory. She began her career in a busy urban emergency department before focusing her practice on Indigenous health in both urban and remote communities. There, she witnessed the need for Indigenous health self-governance to translate the wisdom of Indigenous approaches to health and wellness into culturally relevant and contextually responsive healthcare services. In working towards Indigenous health equity Carolyn gained a Master of Public Health from the University of British Columbia while continuing to stay connected to her community’s evolving needs through frontline nursing, policy work, and outreach volunteering. Inspired by those she serves, she is now pursuing a PhD in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta where she is encouraged to apply her own Métis worldview to her research which explores resurgent approaches to Indigenous health governance.