January 16th, 2025 – Indigenous Health Administration and Leadership Program (IHALP): 2025 Information Session

Join us for the 2025 Indigenous Health Administration and Leadership Program information session! Learn about the IHALP certificate program that is designed to support Indigenous organizations and communities to build strength-based, holistic programming that promotes health and well being. Learn about Indigenous communities and their own measures for success and unique cultural and geographical needs. Ask questions, hear about alumni experiences, and chat directly with course instructors so see if this program is right for you. This session will be recorded. Please sign up even if you can’t make it so that we can email you the link to the recording at a later time. This is a collaboration event with UBC Extended Learning. Learn more about iHALP here: CEIH website.

Thank you for your interest and participation!

This session’s video is now available for viewing.

Thank you to everyone for your continued interest in our events.

We would like to reiterate that everyone is welcome to our UBCLC sessions.

Date: Thursday, January 16th, 2025 (PST)
Time: 10 a.m. to 11:30 am


About the Presenters:

   

Elder Coreen Paul

I am a proud member of the Musqueam Indian Band, and was born and raised on-reserve here at Musqueam. I was married at a very young age to a non-native person, at which time I lost my status, was disenfranchised and left the reserve. After 10 years away from home; in 1985 the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was passed – and Bill C31 was introduced, which was new legislation that allowed me to apply for and regain my Indian Status, and also that of my four (4) sons. I returned home to Musqueam; and it was at that time I became aware of the huge health disparities for people living on-reserve. Since then, I’ve been involved in Musqueam Indian Bands’ Health programs for approximately thirty-one years this September; first as a NNADAP worker, then Health Manager, now as Health Director.

My personal mandate has always been that Musqueam people should have access to; and are entitled to the same programs and services that every person in British Columbia receives. Not only that but, that the Province of British Columbia has a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that as well; and to have that delivered to them in a culturally safe and appropriate manner as well. Continually striving towards that and accomplishing much of it has been my lifelong mission.

   

Melanie Rivers, Tiyaltelwet, BA, PID, MPH, EXAT, is from the Squamish First Nation

Melanie Rivers (Tiyaltelwet), BA, PID, MPH, EXAT is Coast Salish from the Squamish Nation. She develops curriculum for Indigenous programming with the UBC Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health, and is a Community Expressive Arts consultant.

Melanie has more than 20 years’ experience in the design and delivery of culturally appropriate Indigenous health education and policy at the provincial level. She was program lead and educator at the BC Centre for Disease Control Chee Mamuk program, and worked as a senior policy advisor at the First Nations Health Authority. Her areas of focus have included cultural safety and humility, harm reduction, traditional healing and wellness, strategic policy development, HIV/AIDS and health human resources.

In addition to her degrees, Melanie holds a provincial instructor’s diploma from Vancouver Community College, and trained as an Expressive Arts Therapist at the Vancouver School of Healing Arts.

   

Kendra Merasty RNBN, is a proud Swampy Cree iskwew from Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Manitoba. She is currently a full-time student with the University of Saskatchewan in the Masters of Public Health program and a part-time student with the University of British Columbia in the Indigenous Public Health postgraduate certificate program and the Indigenous Health Administration and Leadership postgraduate certificate program. 

Kendra has more than 8 years experience as a bedside nurse working in a variety of healthcare settings. She worked in Northern Manitoba nursing stations, long term care, and in multiple public health positions She loves working with her Indigenous relatives all over turtle island and is very passionate about Indigenous health and wellbeing.

 

Garrity Reese has completed the IHALP program in the 2023/2024 cohort as a student and has since participated as the IHALP peer mentor for 2024/2025 and again in our upcoming 2025/2026 cohort. She’s found the program to be one of her most cherished and connecting learning experiences both as a student and as peer mentor. Garrity’s ancestry is both settler and Indigenous heritage with mixed European and Coast Salish on her mother’s side coming from Boston Bar B.C., Nlaka’pamux. She lives and works on the unceded ancestral land of Semiahmoo. Alongside her work with IHALP, she currently works as a student counsellor and as department chair with Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

   

Cynthia Tam, UBC Extended Learning Senior Program Assistant

Cynthia works with Career and Professional Programs leaders to coordinate and deliver online and in-person programs. She provides administrative and communications support for the instructional team and for students, with an eye to streamlining processes and policies to effectively deliver Extended Learning programming. With more than 15 years’ experience in adult education and administration, Cynthia has a service-oriented mindset and is focused on meeting learners’ needs.

 

 

Karen Rolston, UBC Extended Learning – Director, Careers and Professional Programs

Karen Rolston oversees the development and delivery of UBC Extended Learning’s (ExL) educational offerings for mid-career learners. She focuses on creating valuable, meaningful educational opportunities that support and enrich people’s careers and professional transitions. A member of the ExL Management Team, she works with ExL’s educational programmers, and liaises with community and campus partners to develop online and on-campus programs that are relevant, flexible and accessible. Karen is passionate about creating inclusive, thriving, engaged and respectful workplaces, and enjoys exploring those themes at ExL, and with staff and faculty across UBC as a certified internal organizational coach with Coaching @ UBC.

 

Neha Shivare

Neha is the program leader for IHALP at UBC-Extended Learning and works with the team in managing the program.

 


Resources


The topics we cover can often be sensitive or emotionally triggering. Please make sure that you are looking after yourself. If at any point you feel that you need to talk to a friend, Elder, counselor, or family member: don’t hesitate to do so. Check out our Counseling Support Page.

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