MEET THE TEAM
The Urban Indigenous Wellbeing Collective is an interdisciplinary research collective of Elders, community members, partner organizations, and Indigenous and settler researchers and trainees. Guided by principles of an Indigenous relational approach, this team is committed to respectfully working with, and responding to, Urban Indigenous Community identified research priorities. Team members have experience and expertise in community-led Indigenous research methodologies, Indigenous health, health promotion, identity and belonging, cultural safety, land-based healing, population health, geography, creative practices, occupational therapy, and mental wellness.

Gabrielle Legault (Lead)
Gabrielle Legault is Métis from Saskatchewan and an Assistant Professor of Indigenous Studies at UBC Okanagan. Her research focuses on Indigenous identities, belonging, and wholistic wellbeing with an interest in supporting urban Indigenous youth.

Shawn Wilson
Shawn Wilson is an Associate Professor of Indigenous Studies at UBC Okanagan. Through working with Indigenous Peoples internationally, Shawn has applied Indigenist philosophy within the contexts of Indigenous education, health and counsellor education and his research focuses on the inter-relatedness of identity, health, healing, culture and wellbeing.

Alanaise Ferguson
Alanaise Ferguson is an Indigenous scientist-practitioner and educator in Counselling Psychology. She aims to decolonize mental health practices by addressing serious manifestations of colonial violence such as gangs and gender based violence. As one of very few Indigenous Registered Psychologists in British Columbia, she maintain active service within several Indigenous communities.

Skye Barbic
Skye Barbic is an Assistant Professor in Occupational Therapy in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC Vancouver and Head Scientist for Foundry. Skye’s areas of expertise include youth mental health, substance use, and youth housing/community dwelling.

Sarah de Leeuw
Sarah de Leeuw is a Professor in the Northern Medical Program at the University of Northern British Columbia and Department of Geography and Community Health Science. Her areas of expertise include social-cultural geography, health-humanities, social determinants of health using anti-colonial methodologies.

Tania Willard
Tania Willard is a mixed Secwépemc and settler artist whose research intersects with land-based art practices. Her practice activates connection to land, culture, and family, centring art as an Indigenous resurgent act though collaborative projects like language revitalization in Secwépemc communities.

Peter Hutchinson
Peter Hutchinson is an Assistant Professor in Indigenous Studies at UBC Okanagan. Peter’s research focuses on Indigenous public and population health, cultural safety in health services, anti-indigenous racism in health services, chronic disease, and tobacco cessation.

Elder Bill McKenna
Bill is Secwepemc and a member of the Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation. After 39 years working for the BC provincial government Bill retired and began working in a new direction. For 3 years Bill participated with a group of Elders supporting Indigenous families who were involved with the Ministry of Child and Family Development. For a time Bill was also the Vancouver Urban Outreach Liaison for the Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw. The Tribal Council representing the 4 northern Secwepemc Nations. Since relocating to Kelowna Bill has become a Board Member for the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society and has recently been named as a KFS delegate to the School District 23 Indigenous Education Council.

Karlyn Olsen
Karlyn Olsen is a settler born on the unceded territory of the Syilx, Sinixt and Ktunaxa Peoples. Karlyn is honoured to work with and learn from communities. She is Research Manager at UBC Okanagan for Indigenous Health Promotion and Cultural Safety Projects.

Mimi Mutahi
Mimi Mutahi is a Kenyan living and working on the traditional, unceded, ancestral territory of the Syilx Peoples. She is a Conference Coordinator for Indigenous Health and approaches her work in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences from both her Economic and Equity and Inclusion lens.

Denica Bleau
Denica Bleau is a Métis counsellor, advocate, artist, and PhD student, originally from Treaty 4. Denica has worked/volunteered within the communities of Treaty 4, Secwepemc and Syilx Territories, Pictish and Gaelic Celt (Celtic) Territories (Scotland), and Incan Territory (Peru), in the realms of counselling and social work within prison and following release. Denica's research is focused on Indigenous Land-based healing from the effects of criminalized and institutionalized trauma.

Dante Carter
Dante Carter is a nêhiyaw-iskwêw (Cree woman) from Onion Lake Cree Nation. She is in her first year of her Masters program in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies Indigenous Knowledges Theme. Her community-based research, focused on Nanâtawihowin (Healing & Finding Place), delves into economic development that enhances community supports for Indigenous women and two-spirited folx to fortify matriarchal systems that safeguard youths’ cultural identity. Her research will be conducted in partnership with her home community.

Geraldine Manossa
Geraldine Manossa is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation in Treaty 8. She is a 1st year, PhD student in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies: Indigenous Knowledge stream. Her research focuses on how land-inclusive reconciliation efforts can be implemented with Indigenous communities. She has worked with both the First Nations Health Authority and En’owkin Centre in developing Indigenous transformative, community-based and Nation-led initiatives, services and programs.

Noah Chenoweth
Noah Chenoweth is Syilx from the Upper Nicola Indian Band part of the Okanagan Nation. Noah also has ancestry within other Interior Salish Nations including NłeɁkepmx and St’at’Inc. He also has mixed ancestry with Norwegian and German lineage. Noah is currently pursing a Ph.D. in the Indigenous Knowledge stream focusing on experiential education for Indigenous students within higher education. Specifically analyzing how land-based pedagogies and global exchanges can enhance educational experiences for Indigenous students. He hopes to join UBCO as faculty.

Lindsay DuPré
Lindsay DuPré is a Métis scholar, community collaborator, mom and auntie. Her teaching and research interests include: Indigenous epistemologies and methodologies, community health and wellbeing, and digital pedagogy. Lindsay is a Vanier scholar and her doctoral project titled Indigenous Knowledge and changing environments: epistemic nurturance and protection through home examines the inseparable links between kinship, epistemic justice and community resilience within a Cree and Métis cultural context on the prairies. Lindsay is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan.
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Sandra Fox
Sandra Fox (she/her/hers) is from the Musqueam Indian Band and is of mixed Musqueam and British ancestry. She lives as an uninvited guest with her two children in Syilx territory and is currently part of the Indigenous Health Research Unit at the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute. She is beginning her first year of a PhD in Indigenous Knowledges, looking at how frameworks of Indigenous knowledges can strengthen Indigenous identity, health, and education and transform Western institutions.

Mathew Fleury
A proud Citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation, Mathew Fleury is an Adjunct Professor in Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and the Research and Evaluation Lead at Kílala Lelum Health & Wellness Cooperative in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. He draws on lived, academic, and professional experience to advance community-driven research, policy, and programming on substance use, HIV/AIDS, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ health. His scholarship aims to draw parallels between Indigenous methodologies, queer theory, and ‘hard’ science to examine the scientific and sociopolitical impacts of HIV/AIDS, particularly related to Indigenous Peoples.
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Nicole Halbaur
Bio coming soon.
FOUNDING MEMBERS
The Urban Indigenous Wellbeing Collective was founded in 2021, thanks to the dedication and vision of our founding members. While they are no longer active members of the Collective, their contributions were integral in shaping the foundation and mission of our collective. We honour their legacy and the solid groundwork they established for our ongoing work in prioritizing Indigenous health and wellbeing.

Elder Diana Moar
Elder Diana Moar and her family are Anishinaabe and members of the Berens River First Nation in Manitoba. She lives and works within the Unceded, Traditional, Ancestral Territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation. Elder Diana is an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Faculty of Health and Social Development and School of Nursing teaching cultural safety. She is the Elder Advisor for several urban Indigenous-led Traditional and Western approaches to health and wellness research projects. Elder Diana has been in the role of Indigenous Patient Navigator since 2008 teaching nurses, physicians, social workers, and other health care professionals and students.
Building trusting relationships that are respectful, honouring, loving, and kind are gifts that are part of our Healing and Wellness Journey.

Donna Kurtz
Donna Kurtz is a Registered Nurse and Associate Professor Emerita in the UBC Okanagan Faculty of Health and Social Development and the former Indigenous Health Liaison. Over the last twenty years Donna has worked with and learned from several urban Indigenous Peoples and communities, including Elders, Knowledge Keepers, Healers, youth and leaders, who led the way for meaningful relationships with health authorities and multidisciplinary teams. This resulted in community led co-development, implementation and evaluation of culturally safe and distinctive Indigenous health research projects that honoured Traditional and Westernapproaches to wellness.
COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
TO THE INDIGENOUS WELLBEING GATHERING CONFERENCE
Since January 2025, the Community Advisory Committee has played a vital role in guiding the vision and planning of the 2025 Indigenous Wellbeing Gathering Conference. Made up of community members, Elders, knowledge keepers, and youth, the CAC works alongside the Urban Indigenous Wellbeing Collective to provide insight and direction that help shape the conference. Their collaboration strengthens our commitment to creating a conference that is community-driven and culturally grounded.

Elder Bill McKenna
I am Secwepemc. My family are members of the Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation. I am a member of the Board of Directors at the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society and a member of the Indigenous Education Council at School District 23.

Nikki McCrimmon
Nikki McCrimmon (Desjarlais) is a proud Métis woman from Elizabeth Métis Settlement with ancestral ties to the Desjarlais, Cardinal, Alook, and Gladue families, and First Nations heritage through the Big Stone Cree Nation in Treaty 8 Territory. She serves as Executive Director of Métis Community Services Society of BC and actively contributes to several local initiatives focused on Indigenous health, food sovereignty, reconciliation, and community well-being.

Casey Hewes
Casey is Nehiyaw and of mixed European descent, and a father currently pursuing a PhD in Indigenous Health focused on cardiac health in primary care with Indigenous Peoples. He has a background in nursing and health system leadership.

Laura McNab-Coombs
Laura McNab-Coombs is a Metis woman living on unceded Sinixt territory in what is now called the West Kootenays. She works as the Indigenous Cultural Safety Lead for BC Cancer Clinical Trials and is passionate about combating anti-Indigenous racism and oppressive practices in healthcare and health research.
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Lena Mitchell
Selena (Lena) Mitchell is a young syilx woman from Armstrong, located in syilx territory. Growing up within the community, she developed a strong interest in her community’s language and traditions. Selena is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of nsyilxcen language fluency program, where she is working to master her ancestral language. She’s dedicated to supporting language revitalization and hopes to use her education to help others in her community reconnect with their roots. Through her studies, Selena aims to contribute to preserving and strengthening syilx culture for future generations.

Previous Members
We also want to acknowledge our previous CAC members - Annette Loe, Christian Isbister, Kelly Fosbery, and Saige Werstuik - whose contributions over the past year have been impactful in shaping the 2025 Indigenous Wellbeing Gathering Conference and have strengthened our work.
