The COVID-19 pandemic has brought Public Health to the forefront of our concerns for the 21st century and showed us how justice, politics, economics, education, and every sphere of our lives is inextricably linked to Public Health. The way Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities were disproportionately affected during the pandemic is a tragic example of this. Their exclusion from strategic decision-making and lack of access to healthcare services aggravated pre-existing structural inequalities. Now, more than ever, recognizing these inequities in Indigenous Health can help us reflect on the broader issues of Human Rights, sovereignty, sustainability and the fundamental role indigenous voices must play in shaping our future.

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It is equally important to look at Indigenous Health from another angle. One that focuses on valuing the wisdom these communities have accumulated over thousands of years about our bodies and how the surrounding environment affects them. Traditional knowledge is now beginning to earn recognition as an essential tool to face our present-day challenges regarding our Health, the Health of our planet, and the way the two are profoundly connected.

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There's no one better suited to help us think over these issues than Dr. Nicole Redvers. She is a member of the Deninu K'ue First Nation, a professor at the Department of Indigenous Health at the University of North Dakota and a co-founder and chair of the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation. Dr. Redvers is also an internationally recognized researcher and author whose work alongside indigenous communities worldwide actively contributes to a better future.

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EXPLORE DR. NICOLE REDVERS' WORK:

- Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation: https://arcticindigenouswellness.org/

- "The Science of the Sacred" book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/599277/the-science-of-the-sacred-by-nicole-redversnd/

- Indigenous Health Ph.D. program at the University of North Dakota: https://und.edu/programs/indigenous-health-phd/

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