Alexandra King—promoting Indigenous self-determination

Abstract

As a member of the Nipissing First Nation, Alexandra King, Cameco Chair in Indigenous Health and Wellness, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada, is an advocate for reform and self-determination for Indigenous people and communities. Originally working in software engineering, King transitioned to medicine after recognising the paucity of Indigenous voices in healthcare. “There were very few Indigenous people in medicine, though the number is increasing every single year”, elaborates King. However, medical education presented unique challenges. “Medical education is designed for early years of life”, she muses. Her classmates were younger than her, but, despite the obstacles, King attained her medical degree from the University of Toronto in 2009. She then completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Alberta and her internal medicine fellowship at the University of British Columbia. Today, she co-leads pewaseskwan, the Indigenous Wellness Research Group, through her position at the University of Saskatchewan. Indigenous health part 1: determinants and disease patternsThe world's almost 400 million Indigenous people have low standards of health. This poor health is associated with poverty, malnutrition, overcrowding, poor hygiene, environmental contamination, and prevalent infections. Inadequate clinical care and health promotion, and poor disease prevention services aggravate this situation. Some Indigenous groups, as they move from traditional to transitional and modern lifestyles, are rapidly acquiring lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes, and physical, social, and mental disorders linked to misuse of alcohol and of other drugs. Full-Text PDF