The statistics are familiar to many of us. The gap in life expectancy between aboriginal and other Canadians is seven years. Aboriginal people are more likely than other Canadians to have hearing, sight and speech disabilities. Aboriginal people experience significantly higher rates of diabetes and other diseases than the rest of Canadians.
We already know some of the reasons why the health of aboriginal people is worse than the health of other Canadians, but there is much that we still do not know. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research-Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health (CIHR-IAPH) was developed to help fill in the gaps in our knowledge.
We are not only focused on illness, but on wellness too. For instance, we want to know how factors such as Aboriginal culture and spirituality can affect health and wellness.
In consultation with our advisory board, CIHR-IAPH asks the health research questions, and provides funding to support researchers who will look into the important answers. We encourage aboriginal students to take up health research, so that they can bring our own perspective to making our communities well. Where non-aboriginal researchers do the research, we make sure that they work well with communities, consulting with them, informing them, and partnering with them, so that community wishes are respected.
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"The Committee believes that research is perhaps the most important element that will help improve the health status of Aboriginal Canadians. In our view, the creation of CIHR's Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health is an important step in this direction." The Health of Canadians - The Federal Role Interim Report Volume Five The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology April 2002 |
The Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health (IAPH) was established in June 2000, along with the twelve other Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Its role is to lead a national advanced research agenda in the area of aboriginal health and promote innovative research that will serve to improve the health of aboriginal people in Canada.
We encourage aboriginal communities and organizations that have an interest in health research to investigate the programs that we have to offer. Either look us up on the Internet or contact us at (416) 946-8057.
