The Atlantic Aboriginal Health Research Program (AAHRP) is being created to strengthen the capacity of Aboriginal people in health research. The program, proposed by the Mi'kmaq Health Research Group (MHRG) is being funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health (CIHR - IAPH).

AAHRP will support the following kinds of activities:

(a) Provide a supportive environment and resources to encourage Aboriginal students to pursue careers in health research. Financial support will be available for summer internships for undergraduate students, for master's and PhD level study, and for post-doctoral and junior faculty appointments.

(b) Work with Aboriginal communities in the region to strengthen their capacity to pursue individual research of interest in cooperation with university personnel, to collaborate in research projects and to use research results in their work.

(c) Provide small research grants to support health research by university researchers working in collaboration with Aboriginal communities.

Research priorities:
Based on regional workshops conducted by the MRHG, the AAHRP will focus on:

· Understanding the determinants of health. Feed back from the regional workshops indicated that a better understanding of the factors that contribute to good or poor health must be explored in order to understand root causes. Workshop participants mentioned factors such as housing conditions (mould, mildew, second hand smoke), the impact of the physical environment (sprays, landfills, industrial pollution), the debilitating effects of poverty and unemployment, the role of cultural and spiritual factors.

· Undertaking preventive measures. Community consultations also noted many health behaviours that could be modified if there was better understanding. For example, increasing the proportion of mothers who breast feed their newborns, reducing smoking and alcohol consumption, improving nutritional practices and physical exercise as part of a strategy for reducing the prevalence of diabetes.

· Mental health and addictions. Many examples of mental health and addiction issues were referenced during the consultations, including the connection between addictions and apprehensions in child welfare, the stress affecting communities who are in crisis situation, depression and suicide among Aboriginal youth.

How will AARHP be Governed?

AAHRP is governed by a board that is comprised of a majority of members that are Aboriginal persons. Members are chosen from the different geographic areas (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador) and cultural groups of Aboriginal people (Mi'kmaq, Maliseet, Innu, Inuit) in the Atlantic Region. The board includes an elder, a student, several Aboriginal community-based health service providers, two university-based researchers, a medical doctor with extensive experience working with Aboriginal communities, two members of the Aboriginal community at large, the Vice-President Research from Dalhousie University or their designate, and a representative of the Mi'kmaq Health Research Group.

While Dalhousie University is the lead university for this proposal, students and research projects supported by the centre can be located at any of the Atlantic Region universities. Indeed the centre can play a valuable role in matching community-based research and information needs with university-based resources. The program is expected to benefit Aboriginal persons located both on and off reserve.

The Mi'kmaq Health Research Group brings together the health directors or health policy advisors of the Union of Nova Scotia Indians, the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq, the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation Chiefs, as well as Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal faculty members from Dalhousie University.