ABSTRACT
As an Indigenous scholar, one of my primary objectives is to do research that will benefit Indigenous communities. While my lifelong goal is to contribute to the lessening of health and social inequities borne by Indigenous peoples, the truth of the matter is that thinking on such a grand scale can be a heavy burden for a young scholar like me. And if I am honest, such a contribution is likely outside the range of skills and capacities I have to offer. While in Canada we are seeing some improvement in major health indicators, the reality is that the shift needed to begin equalizing Indigenous and non-Indigenous patterns of health is truly momentous. But positive change is possible, and there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful about the contributions that research can make.
