SUN-341 RESPECTFUL ENGAGEMENT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN A PAN-CANADIAN KIDNEY RESEARCH NETWORK

Abstract

Kidney disease has a strong and disproportionate impact on the health of Indigenous communities in Canada. Therefore, a national strategy to improve kidney health must include meaningful, culturally appropriate engagement with Indigenous peoples. The Can-SOLVE CKD Network is a pan-Canadian patient-oriented kidney research initiative that is working to improve the health of all Canadians and bring Indigenous ways of knowing into health research. As part of the Can-SOLVE CKD Network, Indigenous patients, caregivers, researchers, and community leaders created an Indigenous Peoples’ Engagement and Research Council (IPERC). This council sits at the centre of the network and supports collaboration grounded in traditional values and partnerships with Indigenous peoples and communities. Using an ethical framework that encompasses the principles of ownership, control, access and possession and the elements of participatory research, IPERC is mandated to guide Can-SOLVE CKD research projects in respectful engagement of Indigenous communities. A key component of this work is the creation of a new training pathway, Wabishki Bizhiko Skaanj (“White Horse” in Anishinaabe), that will help researchers and patient partners build respectful partnerships with Indigenous peoples in health research. Wabishki Bizhiko Skaanj aims to enhance researchers’ knowledge of racial biases, Indigenous voices and stories, the impact of colonization, and culturally safe health research practices. Its objectives are closely aligned with those of the Can-SOLVE CKD Network. Participants are encouraged to look, listen, learn, and lead their way along the pathway by examining racial identities, privileges, and biases, as well as participating in interactive learning exercises, facilitated online modules and webinars. The Wabishki Bizhiko Skaanj learning pathway includes a focus on Indigenous Elders in research, including the role of Elders and how to foster meaningful and reciprocal relationships between researchers and Indigenous Elders/Knowledge Keepers. This training aims to create a culturally safe space for researchers, patients, and Elders to come together to gain understanding of a holistic context for scientific observations. Can-SOLVE CKD has created a culturally safe space for Indigenous individuals to participate in all aspects of patient-oriented kidney research. Through IPERC, the network has instituted guidelines on ceremony and Elder participation that ensure recognition of traditional knowledge and territories. Wabishki Bizhiko Skaanj represents a novel learning platform for Indigenous cultural safety in Canadian health research. By enhancing knowledge, self-awareness and strengthening cultural competency, this learning pathway is enabling all partners in health research to ultimately close the gaps in kidney health outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Feedback from a pilot of the components has been very positive. The Can-SOLVE CKD Network offers a model for respectful engagement of Indigenous communities in health research. By adopting Indigenous ways of knowing and fostering cultural competency, the network is working to enhance kidney health outcomes and overall wellness for and with Indigenous peoples and communities across Canada.