American Indian and Alaska Native communities contend with substantial mental health disparities due to high levels of economic and social disadvantage, acculturation, and stress; however, these issues cannot be understood without the larger context of historical and ongoing trauma. Education has long been used as a tool for assimilation, resulting in less than one-fourth of the Native population holding a college degree. Current critiques of these issues are remiss to address the role of Native data in resolving these disparities. This presentation will illuminate the role of colonialism across Indigenous mental health and higher education, demonstrate the lack of Native data as a social justice issue, and conclude with decolonization as a pathway towards Indigenous data sovereignty and governance.
Featured Resources
Big Anxiety Research Centre
2023 | Australia, Canada
How can we frame suicide research and prevention differently? This panel brings together suicide experts and advocates to discuss the sociocultural, political, and environmental dimensions of suicide. The speakers will share key learnings from research and advocacy and reflect on how we can draw from Indigenous knowledge and scholarship to…
Black Dog Institute
2023 | Australia, United States, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand
Six Indigenous global leaders in mental health and wellbeing from four different countries held a free two-hour webinar as part of Black Dog Institute’s Summit on Self-Harm, held in November 2022. As part of the webinar, each shared their experiences of walking in two worlds and of navigating mental health…
Victoria O’Keefe
2022 | United States
Victoria O’Keefe is and Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health, and is part of their Centre for Indigenous Health. Victoria is Cherokee Nation and Seminole Nation. She is also a psychologist. In this video she discusses the Decolonising Mental Health Systems webinar held in November 2022…
Jeffrey Ansloos
2022 | Canada
Associate Professor Jeffrey Ansloos is from the Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba. He is an Associate Professor of Indigenous Health and Social Policy and the Canada Research Chair in Critical Studies in Indigenous Health and Social Action on Suicide at the University of Toronto. He is a trained as…
Featured Resources
Big Anxiety Research Centre
2023 | Australia, Canada
How can we frame suicide research and prevention differently? This panel brings together suicide experts and advocates to discuss the sociocultural, political, and environmental dimensions of suicide. The speakers will share key learnings from research and advocacy and reflect on how we can draw from Indigenous knowledge and scholarship to…
Black Dog Institute
2023 | Australia, United States, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand
Six Indigenous global leaders in mental health and wellbeing from four different countries held a free two-hour webinar as part of Black Dog Institute’s Summit on Self-Harm, held in November 2022. As part of the webinar, each shared their experiences of walking in two worlds and of navigating mental health…
Victoria O’Keefe
2022 | United States
Victoria O’Keefe is and Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health, and is part of their Centre for Indigenous Health. Victoria is Cherokee Nation and Seminole Nation. She is also a psychologist. In this video she discusses the Decolonising Mental Health Systems webinar held in November 2022…
Jeffrey Ansloos
2022 | Canada
Associate Professor Jeffrey Ansloos is from the Fisher River Cree Nation in Manitoba. He is an Associate Professor of Indigenous Health and Social Policy and the Canada Research Chair in Critical Studies in Indigenous Health and Social Action on Suicide at the University of Toronto. He is a trained as…
