Creating opportunity, advancing reconciliaton
“HEART and CONSCIENCE” at the root of new Indigenous Research Chair at Usask College of Nursing
In April 2020, Dr. Holly Graham (PHD) was awarded a $1.05M Indigenous Research Chair, which is the first of its kind for the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Nursing. Graham says that with the chair, she is looking forward to strengthening existing relationships and establishing new ones, while continuing to work with Indigenous communities province-wide to improve health and wellness.
The chair is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation and the Canadian Nurses Association. Entitled wahkohtowin, which means “we are all related,” Graham’s focus will centre around the mentorship of undergraduate and graduate student nurses, of both Indigenous and non-indigenous ancestry, to advance reconciliation in nursing practice, research and education.
Graham says the research program will create the opportunity for personal, community and collective wellness for both Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples, with the ultimate goal of transforming relationships. This Indigenous research chair will also provide scholarships to Indigenous and non-indigenous undergraduate and graduate nursing students in the province.
“Ultimately, the goal is to recruit, retain and have a greater number of Indigenous nurses graduate with their master’s and a PHD, and then be hired as faculty,” Graham said. “I’d really like to see the number of Indigenous graduate students and faculty increase in the college.”
Graham is a member of the Thunderchild First Nation and has been a registered nurse for 35 years, working in various settings across North America. She is currently an assistant professor in the College of Nursing and is also a Registered Doctoral Psychologist. Her work in both academia and private practice have informed her research interests in mental health, wellness and Indigenous health, which are all elements she plans to expand on through the research chair.
“When I look at the significance of this chair, it is timely with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. It’s an opportunity to examine current nursing education, practice, research and administration,” Graham said. “Traditionally, academia has had a Euro-centric worldview, but when we look at the Calls to Action, there are very specific calls to integrating Indigenous culture, protocols and worldview into education.”
Graham says that the research done through
wahkohtowin will center around community-based and community-driven work.
“The research component will support research relationships that are mutually beneficial, ensuring that Indigenous peoples are driving the research agenda and that they are included in the data analysis and the sharing and publication of the findings.”
She says reconciliation will also involve incorporating Indigenous worldviews into the curriculum. Some of these teachings include the Medicine Wheel and the Sacred Seven Grandfather Teachings of respect, wisdom, love, bravery, honesty, humility and truth.
“Nursing is both an art and a science, both equally important. When I do presentations, I write ‘HEART’ and ‘CONSCIENCE’ on the board, so you see ‘Heart and Conscience’ but ‘Art and Science’ are embedded in these words,” she said. “As nurses we have knowledge related to all aspects of health and wellness, however, if we don’t have the art or the capacity to relate and to connect with people from diverse backgrounds, our knowledge will not have the same impact.”
Graham’s personal and professional philosophy revolves around the Sacred Seven Grandfather Teachings, and she hopes to integrate them into the practice of nursing, which she says has the capacity to change the current context of how people interact and relate to each other within health care and beyond.
“When we talk about having both an Indigenous and Western perspective on health, it’s really about understanding that there’s more than one way to approach health, and that there’s more than one way to have a relationship,” she said. “As nurses we are the largest base of frontline providers in health care, so it makes sense that we would have this knowledge.”
Overall, it’s relationships that Graham loves most about her work, and what she’s most excited for moving forward.
“I welcome and love the opportunity to be a part of change and wellness,” she said. “I am committed to lifelong learning and growing, and sharing this journey with students and the communities I work with.”