Dr. Wayne Inuglak Clark Joins IHPME As Inaugural Ozhaawashkobinesiik Professor in Indigenous Health Systems Research

IHPME will soon add Dr. Wayne Inuglak Clark to its faculty through the recently established Ozhaawashkobinesiik Professorship dedicated to strengthening Indigenous-led health research.

By: Marielle Boutin

Dr. Clark will join IHPME from the University of Alberta, where he is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Director of the Wapanachakos Indigenous Health Program in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry.

He is also a Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar, president of the Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health, vice-chair of the Academic Advisory Council of the National Circle for Indigenous Medical Education and holder of several awards including the Jens Peder Hansen Award and Athabasca University’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Effective October 1, he will hold the Ozhaawashkobinesiik Professorship in Indigenous Health Systems Research, housed within IHPME, where he will also hold an appointment as assistant professor. This professorship is one of two made possible by a $6-million gift from Drs. Michael Dan and Amira Dan, and builds on their longstanding commitment to Indigenous health, following their $10-million gift that led to the creation of the Waakebiness Institute for Indigenous Health (WIIH) in 2015.

“We are incredibly excited that Dr. Clark is joining IHPME in this newly established professorship,” says Dr. Audrey Laporte, professor in health economics and director of IHPME. “This appointment marks an important step forward in advancing Indigenous-led health systems research, not only by continuing to identify and address health disparities, but also by creating a platform that strengthens and advances Indigenous scholarship.”

The Responsibility of a Name

The professorship honours Dr. Amira Dan, named after her spirit name, Ozhaawashkobinesiik, which translates to “blue thunderbird woman” in the Anishinaabemowin language.

Dr. Clark has a deep respect for the power of names. He considers carrying the title of this new professorship a responsibility to honour the name’s history, legacy and the communities it represents — an approach he gained from his community.

“Inuglak, my name, carries the name of my great-grandfather. In Inuit naming practices, a name is not simply used; permission must be given, reflecting the relationships and responsibilities that names carry. When I think about being inaugural in that context, it helps me establish what this professorship will represent while I’m in the role, but also what it will represent in the future.”

Advancing Indigenous-Led Health Systems Transformation

As the inaugural Ozhaawashkobinesiik professor, Dr. Clark is looking forward to drawing on his experience with Inuit and other Indigenous communities, particularly around governance, mental health and distinction-based clinical trials, to advance Indigenous-led approaches to health systems transformation.

“My work […] has reinforced that communities need to be involved not simply as participants in research, but in determining the questions, governing the research and deciding how the findings are used and how they support policy change,” says Dr. Clark. “What excites me about IHPME is the opportunity to bring Indigenous knowledge together with expertise in policy implementation, evaluation and health systems transformation to change how health services are designed and delivered in Indigenous communities.”

As part of this effort, Dr. Clark plans to draw on strong relationships, in particular with WIIH, to strengthen collaboration across IHPME and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH), to coordinate Indigenous health efforts and ensure knowledge translation is embedded in all research and woven back into the community.

“I think there are strong opportunities to work with WIIH and DLSPH to continue that community-led work, with policy and health system decision-making as one of the main outcomes,” says Dr. Clark. “Success shouldn’t be measured only by publications and findings – it should also be measured by whether the research contributes to something the communities can actually use.”

Advancing Indigenous Governance in Health Systems

Complementing that work is the importance of listening, according to Dr. Clark, not only to better understand the Indigenous research currently being conducted, but also to hear directly from communities and organizations about their priorities, how these priorities evolve and how research can continue to support them.

Ultimately, for Dr. Clark, meaningful change requires us to advance from identifying challenges enabling Indigenous communities to exercise decision-making authority over policies, services and resources that affect their health, well-being and outcomes.

“There has been a significant effort to document and describe Indigenous-specific and distinctions-based inequities. But I think moving toward Indigenous governance is what will help drive health system change. That’s where the field is headed, and as scholars, we need to support that direction.”

As he prepares to join IHPME, Dr. Clark sees this as an opportunity to help advance a new chapter of Indigenous-led health systems transformation, one grounded in collaboration and shared knowledge.