National Indigenous History Month 2026
As we mark National Indigenous History Month, we honour the contributions and leadership of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. It's been an inspiring year of connection and collaboration, and many of the themes from last year still ring true.
We remain committed to cornerstone initiatives such as the Indigenous Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative, the Network Environments for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR), the Indigenous Research Chairs in Nursing, and the Research Excellence, Diversity, and Independence (REDI) Early Career Transition Award. These are key pillars that support Indigenous health research and create meaningful, accessible knowledge mobilization opportunities.
We also invested in rapid response research on wildfire impacts in Indigenous communities. As climate change continues to contribute to more frequent wildfires in Canada, Indigenous communities are experiencing a disproportionate impact, and this research will inform emergency responses and help build more responsive and effective support systems for Indigenous communities during environmental crises.
Relationship building efforts are advancing across the country. Dr. Chelsea Gabel's listening tour is one example of how we are meeting people where they are by listening, building trust, and ensuring community voices directly inform our work. The Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health (IIPH) is further expanding partnerships with Indigenous groups, communities, and organizations, as well as with provincial, territorial, and federal partners, to support stronger alignment, shared leadership, and sustained impact.
We're proud to add that all CIHR Scientific Directors are committed to meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities in the development of their strategic plans and to working closely with IIPH to ensure that First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples are rightfully and respectfully considered in the development of strategic initiatives across all CIHR Institutes.
IIPH continues to advance work toward finalizing its Strategic Plan, which prioritizes Indigenous governance and data sovereignty, strengthens and sustains Indigenous led research capacity, and deepens collaboration across CIHR Institutes. Co-development work is ongoing, with more in-person engagement planned for the end of this month.
At the same time, we are working on practical solutions to better support Indigenous scholars at different career stages, including strengthening mentorship opportunities, improving peer review, and creating spaces such as the IIPH Think Tank and the Strategic Plan process to co develop what comes next. This work builds on growing momentum, including joint Institute Advisory Board meetings with NEIHR partners and continued engagement from CIHR leadership, collaboration that will continue at this month's Institute Advisory Board meeting in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Most of all, this is an invitation to look ahead together. Chelsea and the IIPH team encourage Indigenous partners, communities, and organizations to reach out, whether to explore partnership opportunities or simply to start a conversation. We remain committed to learning, improving, and working together to advance Indigenous led research that supports health and wellbeing across communities, regions, and Nations.
Sincerely,
Dr. Paul Hébert
President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Dr. Chelsea Gabel
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Indigenous Peoples' Health
Dr. Christine Chambers
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health
Dr. Patricia Conrod
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction
Dr. Katherine Frohlich
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health
Dr. Rick Glazier
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research
Dr. Mary Jung
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
Dr. Angela Kaida
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Gender and Health
Dr. Charu Kaushic
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity
Dr. Fei-Fei Liu
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Cancer Research
Dr. Ariane Marelli
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health
Dr. Christopher McMaster
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Genetics
Dr. Jane Rylett
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Aging
Dr. Rae Yeung
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
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