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A common concern we hear from Indigenous early career researchers be they graduate students or new tenure track professors, is how to work within academia while still being of service to their communities and Nation. Add to this, the fact that historically academic research has caused our communities harm, it is a wonder Indigenous people become academics at all. In this episode, Heather sits down with Dr. Jodi John (Kanyen’kehá:ka, Bear Clan) to discuss the transition from 20 years of clinical practice as her community’s registered dietitian to become a researcher. Jodi shares that she’s able to navigate these tensions because her research is grounded in relationships and “a web of love”. It is her love for her community that propelled her to explore how community care providers build relationships with community clients and the impacts on access, engagement, and care. Jodi illuminates how culturally grounded healthcare that honors connection, visiting, and reciprocity creates a more meaningful and effective approach than the impersonal practices of Western healthcare, which is the foundation for planetary health. Now, her research has become an opportunity to bring community together through cooking and trying out new healthy recipes that incorporate traditional foods into modern meals. Jodi also introduces her exciting new project in partnership with community midwives and lactation consultants, which reframes breastfeeding as Indigenous food sovereignty, expanding how we think about health, sovereignty, and the ways communities support families through food.
Dr. Jodi John is an Assistant Professor and researcher at Queen’s University, and Queen’s National Scholar in Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Community Health. Heather and Jodi explore how reconnecting with traditional food systems can transform health beyond the physical to include the spiritual and mental aspects of well-being and why restoring food sovereignty is vital to the health of both people and planet.
This podcast is created by the Archipelagos of Indigenous-led Resurgence for Planetary Health research collective. You can find out more about our research on our website: https://indigenousplanetaryhealth.ca/. We receive funding for this podcast from the Impact Chair in Transformative Governance for Planetary Health at the University of Victoria and from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. We receive production support from Cited Media.
