Background

The Government of Canada has announced an investment of $15.8 million over three years through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to create the Network Environments for Aboriginal Health Research (NEAHR). [See press release]

The overall health of Aboriginal people is significantly worse than the health of other Canadians. For example, the gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and other Canadians is seven years; Aboriginal people are more likely than other Canadians to have hearing, sight and speech disabilities, and they experience significantly higher rates of diabetes and other diseases than the rest of Canadians. Some reasons for this are already known, some remain to be discovered through new research.

The NEAHR program will benefit Canada's Aboriginal people by helping to increase the impact of Aboriginal health research, and apply the research findings effectively to improve the health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples' health in Canada. The program will, for example:

• Enhance and develop the research environment between Universities and First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities and organizations;
• Support research that focuses on themes such as population health; health services; child health and development; and ethical issues in aboriginal health research; and
• Train more than 200 graduate students who are working a broad range of health issues, including such as mental health and addiction, food security, nutrition, diabetes, northern health issues, tobacco control, aboriginal youth suicide.

NEAHR Centres - coast to coast

The NEAHR network is still very new; not all centres have websites up and running. Several of these links are currently to the ACADRE sites from which each NEAHR centre built. We will update links as they become available

AHRNetS - The Aboriginal Health Research Networks (AHRNet) Secretariat
Host Institution: Six Nations Polytechnic Institute
Principal Investigator(s):
Board: 1 investigator from each NEAHR
The AHRNet Secretariat is the coordinating body for the nine NEAHR centres located across Canada.

Network environment for Aboriginal health research in BC and the western arctic (NEAHR-BCWA)
Host Institution: University of British Columbia
Principal Investigator(s):
Roderick M McCormick, University of British Columbia
Laura T Arbour, University of Victoria
Laurie H Chan, University of Northern British Columbia
Eduardo M Jovel, University of British Columbia
Christopher E Lalonde, University of Victoria
Richard Vedan, University of British Columbia

The Alberta Network
Host Institution: University of Alberta
Principal Investigator(s):
Malcolm King, University of Alberta
Lorne S Clearsky, University of Calgary
Lindsay F Crowshoe, University of Calgary
Cora J Voyageur, University of Calgary
Cora K Weber-Pillwax, University of Alberta

The indigenous peoples' health research center: Network environment for Aboriginal health research
Host Institution: University of Regina
Principal Investigator(s):
Eber L Hampton, University of Regina
Carrie A Bourassa, First Nations University of Canada
Caroline L Tait, University of Saskatchewan

Centre for Aboriginal Health Research
Host Institution: University of Manitoba
Principal Investigator(s):
John D O'Neil, University of Manitoba
Catherine L Cook, University of Manitoba

Anisnabe Kekendazone - Network Environment For Aboriginal Health Research (AK-NEAHR)
Host Institution: CIET Canada (Ottawa)
Principal Investigator(s):
Neil Andersson, CIET Canada (Ottawa)
Ann C. Macaulay, McGill University
George Sioui, University of Ottawa
[contact us at PRAM for more details]

Indigenous Health Research Development Program
Host Institution: University of Toronto
Principal Investigator(s):
Kue Young, University of Toronto
Marion A Maar, Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Harriet L MacMillan, McMaster University
Dawn Martin-Hill, McMaster University
James B Minore, Lakehead University
Wayne R Warry, McMaster University
Cornelia G Wieman, University of Toronto

Nasivvik NEAHR Centre for Inuit Health and Changing Environments
Host Institution: Universite Laval
Principal Investigator(s):
Eric Dewailly, Universite Laval
Christopher M Furgal, Trent University

National Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research
Host Institution: McGill University - SMBD-Jewish General Hospital
Principal Investigator(s):
Laurence J Kirmayer, McGill University

Atlantic Aboriginal Health Research Program
Host Institution: Dalhousie University
Principal Investigator(s):
Frederick Wien, Dalhousie
Charlottte Loppie, Dalhousie