Indigenous Health Research Unit

The Indigenous Health Research Unit (IHRU) at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) is committed to decolonizing health research and transforming health care by embedding Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. Grounded in the In Plain Sight report and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, our approach ensures that Indigenous Peoples and communities lead and shape health research in ways that uphold self-determination, cultural sovereignty and relational accountability.

Our Purpose

Our purpose is to advance Indigenous-led health research by centering Indigenous voices, knowledge systems and priorities. We work to dismantle colonial barriers within VCHRI through reciprocal relationships, promoting culturally safe approaches to Indigenous health and wellbeing, and creating safer, more responsive health care for all.

Our Commitments

IHRU’s five interwoven commitments guide our work:

Community Engagement and Leadership: We ensure Indigenous Peoples define health research priorities and guide methodologies.
Capacity Building: We support Indigenous scholars, students and community researchers through mentorship and training.
Knowledge Translation and Policy Impact: We bridge research findings with policies and programs that reflect Indigenous worldviews.
Ethical Research Practices: We uphold Indigenous data sovereignty, relational accountability and culturally grounded methodologies.
Collaboration and Partnerships: We work alongside Indigenous communities, Nations, organizations and VCH allies in health research that promotes Indigenous health equity and improved health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples.

Meet the team

Featured Research Projects

We co-lead and collaborate across several projects related to health system transformation to align with Indigenous Peoples’ priorities. Some select projects include:

Bella Coola General Hospital (BCGH) Traditional Foods Project: In collaboration with the Nuxalk Nation, this initiative integrates traditional foods into the BCGH menu for in-patient and long-term care services. This project supports cultural safety and planetary health while engaging community food systems.
Indigenous Patient Experience Metrics: Working closely with a range of partners at VCH, we are working with patients to develop, pilot and evaluate patient-designed approaches to demographic data collection and patient experience measurement.
Multi-Omics and Sonography to Advance Indigenous and Community Cardiovascular Health (MOSAIC) Study: The pan-provincial MOSAIC study is aimed at improving cardiovascular disease risk prediction and care pathways across diverse populations in British Columbia and Yukon to advance personalized health innovations.
Squamish Nation Primary Care Clinic Learning Health System Collaboration: In partnership with the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Complex Systems Modelling Group and Vancouver Community, we are developing an operations research study with the Squamish Nation to address systems-level questions impacting primary care.
Emergency Medicine Networks and Indigenous Data Governance: Collaborating with Dr. Corinne Hohl at VCH Emergency Medicine on the Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network, our team is advising and assisting with establishing an Indigenous advisory council to guide ethical data governance and inclusion. 
Indigenous Airway Health Project: In partnership with Legacy for Airway Health, we partnered with Indigenous Peoples living with respiratory disease to better understand their experiences and identify promising practices to improve treatment experiences and outcomes. As part of this work, we prepared the Respiratory Health Resource Book for Indigenous Peoples to provide accessible information on respiratory health for the community.

Researcher Training and Support

We offer various training resources for researchers interested in engaging Indigenous Peoples in research. These include:

One-on-one advisory support: Advisory support for researchers and their teams can include proposal review, advising on recruitment and knowledge translation materials, and more. It is recommended that researchers plan ahead and reach out early for the most meaningful and effective support.
Indigenous Health Research Foundations Training: This series of online modules is a first stop for researchers interested in working with Indigenous Peoples. To register for Module 1 on LearningHub, please email sandra.fox@vch.ca. Additional modules are coming soon.
Mentorship for Indigenous students: Support is provided for Indigenous trainees through co-op placements, graduate research guidance and ICORD Seed2STEM student supervision.
Partnerships with Indigenous Elders: Elders play a critical role in Indigenous communities and are often asked by non-Indigenous researchers to participate in various non-Indigenous events and research projects. This toolkit guides researchers to work with Elders in a culturally safe, respectful and good way.
Respectful Language Guide: When building a relationship with Indigenous Peoples, it is important to take the time to select words with care. This language guide supports those working with Indigenous Peoples in research.
Indigenous research library: Researchers are invited to borrow books from the IHRU library, located in the IHRU office at Blusson Spinal Cord Centre, to support their learning journey.

For general inquiries, please email vchriindigenoushealthresearchunit@vch.ca.

Indigenous Community Support

We are committed to supporting the Nations and Peoples served by VCH. Support for Indigenous communities interested in health-related research is tailored depending on the project and community needs. This may include, but is not limited to:

Collaborating on funding applications
Making connections with VCHRI Investigators and VCH operations
Supporting project design, research methods, implementation and knowledge sharing
Support with honoraria and travel forms related to VCHRI research