Dr. Clark will discuss postcolonial theories and Indigenous pedagogy as important elements of medical education in the 21st century. A brief analysis of the Euro-western dominance of the health sciences will be presented to emphasize the significance of decolonizing medical education within teaching institutions. The role of community partnerships will be underscored for achieving a new curriculum that prepares medical students for working in colonized clinical environments. Essential to these ideas is the relevance of Indigenous ways of knowing and epistemologies will be highlighted and why it is essential for physicians and research scientists to be aware of this knowledge in a post-pandemic world.

 

Dr. Wayne Clark is originally from Churchill and an enrolled Inuk of the Nunavut Land Agreement (Tikiraqjuaq). He is Executive Director of the Indigenous Health Program for the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta. From 2013-2020 Dr. Clark was the Director of Indigenous Health Services for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority overseeing Indigenous language interpretation, discharge planning, and patient advocacy for Indigenous patents within hospitals and other health facilities. He has also worked for other government agencies in health, research, and industry. Dr. Clark is board member and treasurer for the Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health and a fellow of the International Arctic Science Committee, Social & Human Working Group.