INAUGURAL INDIGENOUS ISSUES SERIES EVENT ADDRESSES HEALTHCARE INEQUITIES, INSPIRING GLOBAL HARVARD COMMUNITY TO TAKE ACTION 

By Nancy J. Coombs, Founder, Indigenous Issues Series

The Harvard Club of Toronto presented Healthcare Discrepancies in Indigenous Populations, the first event in its new Indigenous Issues Series, on October 22nd. Dr. Anna Banerji – a pediatric infectious and tropical disease specialist who has worked with Indigenous peoples for nearly thirty years - shared her personal reflections with Harvard alumni and guests from around the globe during the virtual event. Dr. Banerji is Associate Professor in Pediatrics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, at the University of Toronto. She founded the Indigenous Health Conference and serves as co-chair of the North American Refugee Health Conference. She was awarded the Order of Ontario in 2012 and, among her many degrees, she earned an MPH in International Health from Harvard’s School of Public Health.  

The purpose of the series - launched on Canada’s first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation - is for the Harvard community to listen and learn from experts while working together towards lasting change. In addition to active allyship, it strives to honour the university’s 1650 charter commitment to Indigenous education by promoting the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP) as well as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

To open the inaugural event, Indigenous leader Archbishop Mark MacDonald spoke about “Reconciliation.”  Noting the degradation of Indigenous land and populations on Turtle Island, he gave an urgent, yet hopeful, message of today’s “rehumanizing” period, including Dr. Banerji’s impactful work in the Arctic and beyond. He made it clear that all people need to share in Indigenous wisdom and way of life including a deep connection to the environment. “There is no liveable future of the planet that doesn’t address Indigenous people” with 80% of the world’s biodiversity under Indigenous oversight. He concluded with a Navajo blessing that ends, “It is completed in beauty.” 

 

In her talk, Dr. Banerji, a driving force in combatting the life-threatening Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in Inuit babies, spoke in detail about why they have highest rates of RSV hospitalizations in the world.  She shared her research and explained the impetus behind her petition in support of providing the preventative palivizumab vaccine – more cost effective than hospitalizations - to Inuit babies. More than 175,000 have signed it, including many in the Harvard community; she hopes it will lead to making the vaccine widely available to Inuit babies. Many Canadian medical schools and professional organizations have endorsed it, as well as Bob Rae and David Suzuki, among others. 

 

Dr. Banerji has been to the Arctic more than fifty times. Depression, substance abuse, food insecurity and overcrowding are some of the dire challenges faced in Nunavut, she said. She also addressed intergenerational trauma, including the societal impact of residential schools and displacement, that has - with these other factors - contributed to Nunavut having the highest suicide rate in the world. She spoke about her Inuit son, Nathan, who she adopted in 2004. When his mental health deteriorated, she urgently tried to get help for Nathan from many agencies and health professionals but was refused, despite her repeated pleas. She spoke of the wider implications of systemic discrimination and of the tragedy of Nathan taking his own life. A memorial scholarship for Indigenous medical students was created in Nathan’s name, and she said a big part of filling the gaps in the medical system is for Indigenous people to take ownership of their own healthcare. This bursary is one step in that direction.

 

She told the Harvard alumni and guests, “We all have a voice.”  She urged people to “’unlearn’ the false history by seeking the truth and reading the TRC Report’s executive summary”. It is important, she said, to also work directly for change and “write to your MP and defend Indigenous rights by attending protests.” She underscored that equal access to quality healthcare is a human right, as is equitable distribution of food, safe drinking water and sanitation, adequate housing, and a safe and healthy environment, which all help sustain Indigenous wellness. She emphasized shared efforts, saying, “We’re in this together.” She also promoted the documentary, “Wounded Healers” produced by the Ilisaqsivik Society in response to the Inuit’s collective trauma.

 

Attendees commended Dr. Banerji for her “moral courage”, “heartfelt testimony” and strength in sharing her story. The new series’ powerful launch ended on a hopeful note, with Dr. Banerji quoting, “You have to kick at the darkness until it bleeds daylight.” Her dedication in helping the Indigenous community gain greater access to effective healthcare and mental health resources is a shining example of that.

 

To keep working together towards positive change, here are some action items mentioned at the event:

Following November’s Community-led Solutions for Indigenous Housing, Food Security will be the next event in the Indigenous Issues Series, being planned for the new year.