Sunday, November 22, 2009

NAHO 2009 National Conference Welcomes Special Guests to the International Perspectives on Health and Well-Being Panel

The National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) is pleased to welcome an international panel of experts in Indigenous health as part of the NAHO 2009 National Conference Our People, Our Health, to be held in Ottawa, Ontario from November 24-26, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza and Marriott Hotels.

The International Perspectives on Health and Well-Being panel will take place on Wednesday, November 25, 2009 from 8:45 a.m.-10:15 a.m in the International Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

“This is an opportunity you don’t want to miss,” says Dr. Paulette C. Tremblay, CEO of NAHO. “The International Perspectives on Health and Well-Being Panel is bringing Indigenous health care professionals from across Canada and abroad together to provide engaging and informative perspectives about current health initiatives that are making a difference.”

NAHO welcomes,

Dr. Sue Crengle, Māori from New Zealand, is Co-Director of the Tomaiora Maori Health Research Centre and senior lecturer at the University of Auckland. She holds specialty qualifications in General Practice and Public Health Medicine. She has conducted important research in the areas of health services research, quality of care and child and youth health.

Dr. Jane Freemantle, from Australia, is an award-winning researcher and academic who has spent much of her career as a paediatric epidemiologist with a focus on Aboriginal children and communities within Australia and internationally. Her research has resulted in the development of tools to improve the accuracy and completeness of Indigenous health data. Dr. Freemantle currently holds an Associate Professor position at the University of Western Australia.

Christine Kenney, from New Zealand, was the first Māori midwife to gain a doctorate in Midwifery in New Zealand and she has worked for many years to develop Māori midwifery capacity and to address the research gaps in Indigenous research, health and midwifery knowledge.

Chaired by Dr. Alika Lafontaine this panel will discuss:

  • What is the current health status of Indigenous Peoples around the world?
  • What is being done on an international level to improve the health of Indigenous people?
  • What can we learn from our international colleagues?

These International panellists will be joined by

Dr. Vyta Senikas - Associate Executive Vice-President and Continuous Professional Learning Division, and Director for the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada

Dr. Judith Bartlett - Metis physician, researcher and health administrator. She is an Associate Professor and an Adjunct Scientist - Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (both in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba). She is Director, Health & Wellness Department, Manitoba Metis Federation, and also continues part-time clinical work.

Violet Ford - Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada Executive Council Member & Vice President on International Affairs.

Jessica Yee - The founder and Executive Director of the Native Youth Sexual Health Network and 2009 National Aboriginal Role Model.

Other international presenters will participate in various breakout sessions, including several Canada/U.S. workshops on Indigenous Knowledge and North American Health Care Systems, a workshop on Efficacy of Traditional Medicines with a Mayan presenter from the Belize Indigenous Training Institute, and a panel on Indigenous philosophies and ceremonies as the basis of action, which details a partnership with the Union of Yagé Healers of the Columbian Amazon.