Dr. Carrie Bourassa has been appointed the incoming scientific director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health.
This appointment will take effect on Feb. 1.
Bourassa is chair of Northern and Indigenous Health at the Health Sciences North Research Institute in Sudbury. She has spent the previous 15 years as a professor of Indigenous health studies in the Department of Indigenous Health, Education and Social Work at the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) in Regina. During that time, her research has done much to raise awareness about the impacts of colonization on the health of indigenous peoples and the need to deliver culturally safe care, said a news release.
Bourassa is a member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada and a public member of the Royal College Council of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. In 2012, she won the Wiichihiwayshinawn Foundation Inc. Métis Award in Health and Science. In August 2016, she was named to the CIHR Institutes advisory board on Indigenous Peoples' Health.
Dr. Bourassa is Métis and belongs to the Riel Métis Council of Regina Inc. (RMCR, Local #34). She earned her master's degree in Arts in political science and a Ph.D. in social studies at the University of Regina.
"I am honoured to have the opportunity to continue to serve indigenous communities in this new capacity,” Bourassa said. “Throughout my academic career, I have been focused on shining a light on the longstanding health issues and their roots that we as indigenous people face.
"It is an exciting time for growth and innovation, and I look forward to building on the work of Dr. Malcolm King. I commend him for his leadership in Aboriginal peoples' health research. The CIHR team and I will do our utmost to ensure a seamless transition."
The institute says she will will play a critical role in contributing to the development of the next generation of Indigenous researchers through capacity building and mentoring.
"The Health Sciences North Research Institute is thrilled to house the first CIHR institute located outside of a major urban area,” said Dr. Denis Roy, CEO, Health Sciences North Research Institute.
CIHR looks forward to building on its relationship with the Health Sciences North Research Institute, where researchers are engaged in cutting-edge research on healthy aging, cancer care, infectious diseases, precision medicine and northern and Indigenous health, said the news release.
