Supporting Indigenous Graduate Student Health Research Capacity: Mentorship through a Provincial Health Research Network Environment in British Columbia,

Abstract

The British Columbia Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (BC NEIHR), funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, is an Indigenous-led network that supports the research development and knowledge sharing of Indigenous communities, collectives and organizations and Indigenous graduate students in BC. To understand how we impacted the health research journey of Indigenous graduate students, we conducted a critical analysis of our annual evaluation reports and offer a reflective narrative of our operations. In this article, we share our Indigenous mentorship model and describe how we supported and enhanced Indigenous-led research among Indigenous graduate students in BC by: addressing common challenges related to financial costs of pursuing health research; prioritizing cultural and land-based learning opportunities; providing exceptional academic and professional development opportunities; and promoting Indigenous cultural safety, equity, and self-determination by creating systems-level change through partnerships. We conclude that as we work toward systems change, the BC NEIHR offers a promising approach towards enhancing Indigenous health research capacity through mentorship.