Category: Meet the Presenters

Tiffany Benn, Dakota Sioux from Birdtail Sioux Reserve, and mother of 4 awesome kids is a 3rd-year student in the U of Regina Social Work Program at our Saskatoon Campus, and alumni of the University of Saskatchewan Bachelor of Sociology Program (BA 2019). Tiffany first joined the Indigenous Student Achievement Pathways (ISAP) community as a student in the Star Blanket first-year Learning Community and has stayed connected working as an ISAP peer mentor since 2017. Tiffany is looking forward to another year mentoring with the program in 2020-21.

Sandy Bonny, a non-Indigenous member of Saskatoon’s Treaty 6 community, and mother of one awesome kid has an interdisciplinary background in the Earth sciences (PhD. 2007) and literary arts. Sandy has worked with the USASK College of Arts & Science ISAP program since 2012 in various roles as an instructor, curriculum and program developer, and currently as ISAP team lead.

See Tiffany and Sandy’s poster here.

See Victoria’s presentation, Friday, August 14; 8:30 am PDT/ 12:30 pm ADT.

Stephanie Day

Stephanie is Haudenosaunee from Oneida Nation of the Thames on her mother’s side and English and German on her father’s side of the family. She is passionate about working alongside Indigenous peoples, families, communities, and Nations to live in balance while honouring our spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical selves.

See Stephanie’s poster here.

Vanessa Ambtman

As a 60’s scooper and Indigenous adoptee, Vanessa was raised within a Dutch and Trinidadian family, living in both Alberta and Manitoba. Walking between two worlds, she has worked in the field of Indigenous health for the past 20 years. Vanessa is a second-year Ph.D. Candidate studying the geographies of Indigenous Health at Western University, with her research focused on examining Indigenous patient relationships to traditional healing spaces within hospital contexts. She was awarded the Indigenous Mentorship Network Ontario Scholarship in 2018 and 2019, was an Ontario Graduate Scholar (2019), and is a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Doctoral Scholar (2019 –2022). In 2020, Vanessa was awarded a Dr.ValioMarkkenAwardof Academic Excellence and became a Vanier Graduate Scholar (2020 –2023)

See Vanessa’s poster here.

See Vanessa’s presentation, Friday, August 14; 8:30 am PDT/12:30 pm ADT.

Victoria Bomberry niiónkia’ts.  Wakhskaré:wake niwaki’tarò:ten, Kanien’kehá:ka niwakhontsiò:ten tánon Six Nations nitewaké:nonh.  Tsi McMaster University wa’tkatén:tsha ne Hon. BSc. Geography & Environmental Sciences.  Ó:nen nón:wa kéntho tsi Western takatáhsawen ne kateweienhstá:ne’s né:ne MA.  Ionkienawá:se’s tánon ionkerihonnién:nih ne Dr. Chantelle Richmond. E. Victoria Bomberry is Mohawk Bear clan from Six Nations of the Grand River. Victoria earned an Hon. BSc. in Geography and Environmental Sciences at McMaster University and is a first year MA student at Western University under the supervision of Dr. Chantelle Richmond. Victoria’s research examines the relationships between housing availability and affordability and the decisions of Indigenous peoples to pursue and complete post-secondary studies. In her graduate research, Victoria will investigate the student housing models of Canadian universities in relation to the needs of Indigenous learners. 

See Victoria’s poster here.

See Victoria’s presentation, Thurday, August 13th; 8:30 am PDT/ 12:30 pm ADT.

Christine Smillie-Adjarkwa (Naawe Giizhigoo Kwe)

My name is Christine Smillie-Adjarkwa and my Spirit name is Naawe Giizhigoo Kwe (Centre of the Sky Woman) and I am from the Otter Clan. I am originally from the Sault Ste Marie area but have lived most of my life in Vancouver and Toronto. My background is Metis, Anishinaabe and Celtic, with matrilineal ties to Garden River Reserve, ON. I am the mother of 3 and Nokomis (Grandmother) to 3. My Ph.D. studies are at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Leadership, Higher and Adult Education Program with a Collaborative Program in Indigenous Health.

See Christine’s poster here.

Emily Beacock

I grew up on the traditional territory of the Chippewa, Odawa, Potawatomi (Anishinaabeg) and Delaware (Lunaapeew) otherwise known as Chatham, Ontario. I’m working on my Ph.D. in Geography at Western University, co-supervised by Chantelle Richmond and Diana Lewis.

See Emily’s poster here.

Jenny Gardipy is a mother of six and Kokom (grandmother in Cree) of four from Beardy’s and Okemasis First in Treaty 6 Territory. Jenny currently completes her 1st year as a PhD student in the Indigenous Studies Department at the University of Saskatchewan. Jenny graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 2011 with a

Master’s degree in Public Health. Immediately after obtaining her degrees, she worked with national and local health organizations before becoming the Director of Health for her community. Jenny then joined the federal government in December 2016 as the Director of Business Operations for the First Nation and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB), Saskatchewan Region, which is now named the Indigenous Services Canada. Jenny always had an interest in working in the health field and strongly believes that Indigenous peoples have the capacity and knowledge to make healthy changes in their communities. Jenny is passionate about taking an active role in helping communities move towards better health outcomes. Jenny’s mother went blind when I was 13-years old and Jenny witnessed the lack of health services that many in the disabled community face. Jenny’s late father survived the Indian Residential School and passed away on February 15, 2018. Jenny believes her late father’s humble and Nehiyaw (Cree) ways of being continue to be her foundation. Jenny would like her research to contribute to positive health outcomes of Indigenous peoples with physical disabilities.

See Jenny’s poster here.

Sharlene Webkamigad, RN, is an Anishinabe-Kwe from the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. She combines her life and career experiences as she proceeds with her educational journey in the Interdisciplinary Ph. D. in Northern and Rural Health program at Laurentian University. Sharlene was a lead author to three publications emphasizing blended approaches to Indigenous and Western Knowledge in research methodology. The first, “Exploring the appropriateness of culturally safe dementia information with Indigenous People in an Urban Northern Ontario Community” was published in the Canadian Journal on Aging. The second, “An approach to improve dementia health literacy in Indigenous communities” was published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology. Her latest paper, “Identifying and understanding the health and social care needs of Indigenous older adults with multiple chronic conditions and their caregivers: a scoping review” has been published in BMC Geriatrics. Currently, Sharlene is co-developing a community-driven participatory project that places a priority on Anishinabek world views to develop an age-and-dementia friendly community model. Her roots are embedded in the community with a stronghold on determinants of health at northern, rural and local landscapes. You can find Sharlene, along with her husband and two children, on Manitoulin enjoying the outdoors.

See Sharlene’s poster here.

Veronica Reitmeier is a settler of Polish ancestry, raised on the Traditional Territory of the Attawandaran, Anishinaabe and Haudenausaune Peoples. She is a daughter, sister and recently an aunt. Veronica is a first year MA student supervised by Dr. Richmond at Western University in the Department of Geography. A recent graduate from Western’s Geography program, Veronica holds an Honours BSc in Geography. In her Masters, Veronica hopes to continue exploring the topic of relational accountability. Currently, Veronica works as a Research Assistant in the Indigenous Health Lab and in her free time, she enjoys hiking, canoeing, cooking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

See Veronica’s poster here.

Justin Turner

Justin is an Occupational Therapist and Rehabilitation Sciences PhD student at UBC in the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation. Originally from Southern Alberta, Justin now lives in Prince George on uncededLheidliT’ennehFirst Nation territory. Justin is a proud citizen of the Métis Nation of BC, with his mother Corey Favell having Red River Métis ancestry and his father James Turner having mixed European settler ancestry. Outside school and work, Justin enjoys snowshoeing, hiking, and watching movies. Justin’s research is graciously funded by CIHR and the BC Lung Association.

See Justin’s poster here.

See Justin’s presentation, Wildfire Smoke and Emergency Planning for First Nations People Living in North Central British Columbia: Qualitative Research Protocol, Thursday, August 13th; 8:30 am PDT/ 12:30 pm ADT.