About Us
The Indigenous Health Initiatives Program (IHIP) follows the mandate to support the growth in the number of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people in the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry programs, in order to address the gap in the underrepresentation of Indigenous peoples in health professions in Alberta and across Canada. Through our collaborative and holistic program, we provide wrap-around support to qualified Indigenous applicants as they enter into, and graduate successfully from, the U of A's health sciences programs.
Dr. Wayne Clark (ᐅᐊᐃᓐ ᑲᓛᒃ)
Executive Director
Dr. Nicole Cardinal
Clinician Lead, Education
Mosom Rick Lightning
Elder in Residence
Marissa Nakoochee (ᓇᑯᒋ)
Indigenous Health Education Coordinator
Our guiding principles
- Respect: Caring for others and being open and inclusive by having a good spirit.
- Reciprocity: Valuing cultivation of reciprocal relationships between humans and ecosystems.
- Relationship: Understanding and respecting relationships with the environment, animals, the spiritual realm, and to one another.
- Renewal: Examining epistemology and knowledge to restore the balance between people and nature that Indigenous people conceived.