University of BC researchers are working with Indigenous scholars and communities to bring Indigenous perspectives into brain science—hoping to open-up new pathways for treating mental health and neurological conditions that are centred on collaboration, respect, and self-determination.

In a paper published this week in Nature, “Two-Eyed Seeing and other Indigenous perspectives for neuroscience [8],” Dr Judy Illes [9], professor of neurology in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and director of Neuroethics Canada, and Dr Melissa Perreault [10], a member of the Métis Nation and an associate professor at the University of Guelph, explore approaches to integrating Indigenous knowledge with Western approaches in neuroscience. The paper is a product of the Crosscultural Working Group of the International Brain Initiative [11]. It was also informed, in part, by the work of former UBC graduate student, Louise Harding [12].

Read an interview with Dr Perreault, Dr Illes, and Louise Harding in Pathways—the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s digital magazine to learn more:

• Why is an Indigenous understanding of brain health important for neuroscience? [13]
• What does incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing into scientific research look like? [13]
• How can neuroscience better integrate a Two-Eyed Seeing approach? [13]

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