My name is Lorie-Mae Steinwand. I am a proud Deh Cho Métis woman, a Registered Nurse, and a Public Health Supervisor in Hay River, Northwest Territories. I am a graduate of UBC’s Indigenous Health Administrative Leadership (IHALP) and Indigenous Public Health (IPH) programs.

I have over 20 years of experience in healthcare, working in nursing, public health, leadership, and administration. I am passionate about supporting community wellness and strengthening healthcare services for First Nations, Metis, and Inuit peoples.

I am excited to be taking on a new role as a Peer Mentor. I look forward to connecting with and supporting members of the IHALP cohort, sharing experiences, building relationships, and learning from one another.

I believe that through collaboration, encouragement, and mutual support, we can continue to grow as Indigenous leaders and make a positive difference in our communities.

ᴡә nɑn̓ ʔәw̓  ʔәy̓ sᴡeyәl (hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ for good day). My name is Crystal, and I am from the Point family of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm. I am the oldest daughter to Jordan and Charlene Point, and my grandparents are late Robert and Gail Point. I also have family ties to the Kwakwaka’wakw of the ‘Namgis and Kwakiutl nations through my grandparents Walter and Mac Cadwallader. I am the Operations Lead with Indigenous Health at BC Women’s and Children’s hospital. I bring with me 2.5 decades of experience in health care in various roles and have been a registered nurse for 11 years with a predominant background in Indigenous Community Health Nursing. I have had the honor and opportunity to work with my Nation of Musqueam as the CHN for 11 years, in addition to working with First Nations Health Authority as a Community Health Practice Consultant and Regional Nurse Manager with the Vancouver Coastal Regional team. In those roles I supported Nurses and Health Directors from the 14 First Nations communities in the VC region. Earlier on in my nursing career I was also a Nurse Manager at the Positive Outlook Program with Vancouver Native Health Society located in the Downtown East Side. Throughout my career as a nurse, I have always had a passion for teaching and being a mentor to others, which also led me to accepting contract teaching at nursing programs; I taught at both UBC and VCC in their undergraduate nursing programs.

Janelle Johnson is from Gitwangak, Gitxsan Nation, in northern British Columbia. IHALP came into her life when she was ready to grow, challenge herself, and step more fully into the leader she wanted to become.

IHALP stood out to Janelle because of its Indigenous-centred approach to leadership, learning, and relationship building. The program was not only about building leadership skills, but also about recognizing Indigenous knowledge, lived experience, culture, community, and identity as strengths in leadership. Learning alongside other Indigenous leaders has been one of the most meaningful parts of her experience.

For Janelle, IHALP has strengthened her confidence, expanded her network, challenged her thinking, and reinforced the importance of Indigenous voices in spaces where decisions are made. It has also played an important role in preparing her for the next stage of her education and leadership journey.

Janelle hopes to carry what she gains through IHALP into her work in Indigenous health, where she can continue creating meaningful change and ultimately bring that knowledge, experience, and leadership back to her Nation and community.

Cynthia Tam, UBC Extended Learning – Program CoordinatorCynthia 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 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 is the program leader for IHALP at UBC-Extended Learning and works with the team in managing the program.