Session 4(c) | Decolonizing Healthcare Education and Practice Through Arts, Nature, Cultural Safety

This session will feature a series of oral presentations highlighting current research, evaluation and quality improvement projects. Each speaker will have 15 minutes to share their work, followed by 5 minutes for questions and discussion. Join us to hear in-depth presentations, gain new insights, and engage directly with presenters during the Q&A.

PRESENTATIONS:

Title: Arts to change hearts: Six years of putting anti-colonial health humanities education to work in training new generations of culturally safer healthcare professionals in northern BC
Speaker: Kelsey Chamberlin, Lisa Striegler
Description: This research explores arts-based, anti-colonial, cultural humility training for healthcare professionals across northern BC. Through 29 workshops with over 600 participants, the program used art, storytelling, and Indigenous ways of knowing to build empathetic awareness and practical skills for culturally safer care. Findings highlight the importance of emotional engagement, place-based relationships, and reflective practices in addressing anti-Indigenous racism and cultivating culturally attuned healthcare environments.

Title: Actioning commitments to decolonizing frontline healthcare Indigenous Peoples in Canada
Speaker: Tammy Rogers
Description: This research examines how healthcare providers in Indigenous health settings enact decolonizing practices in daily care. Using photovoice, interviews, and sharing circles with 20 providers, the study highlights the centrality of relationships, systemic barriers, provider roles, and moral distress. Findings emphasize immersive, experiential learning, relational care, and Indigenous leadership as key strategies for transforming healthcare culture and supporting both providers and the people we serve.

Title: We Are Nature: Integrating Art and Nature into Healthcare Practice and Education in Northern BC
Speaker: Sasha Wade, Judy April, Kristina McKenzie
Description: This two-day immersive workshop engaged Northern Health professionals in hands-on activities with Indigenous Elders, local artists, and community partners to explore the integration of art, nature, and Indigenous knowledge into healthcare. Evaluation results showed increased knowledge, perspective shifts, and confidence in applying holistic approaches, highlighting the value of experiential, culturally grounded learning to enhance empathy, cultural safety, and quality of care in Northern BC.