Guided by the principles of Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP) in ethical community-based Indigenous health research, the project examined collaboration processes between FLA OHT and Indigenous partners.

The project involved an analysis of interviews with current and former Indigenous members of FLA OHT working groups and tables, focus groups with members of FLA OHT’s Transitional Leadership Collaborative (TLC), and FLA OHT organizational documents. The results point to five major themes on how to move forward in improving collaboration: growing Indigenous knowledge and relationships, creating Indigenous spaces, increasing Indigenous representation, catalyzing action, and obtaining additional funding and resources.

The research highlights the importance of action-oriented engagement, adequate funding and resources, and responding actively to Indigenous voices, as key steps to ensure that collaboration feels meaningful to Indigenous partners. It also situates collaboration within broader organizational and policy contexts, pointing to the need for actions and investments at multiple levels. In addition to offering recommendations for FLA OHT, the insight generated through this research may be useful for partnerships between other mainstream health institutions and Indigenous peoples.

For more information on this research, please contact Principal Investigator Dr. Amrita Roy at amrita.roy@queensu.ca.