With guidance from the Governing Council, the Operations Team (OT) is responsible for the implementation of BC NEIHR policies, programs and activities. The OT includes NPI Jeff Reading (SFU), Evan Adams (First Nations Health Authority), Nadine Caron (UNBC, UBC), Daniel Sims (UNBC), Krista Stelkia (SFU), Rob Hancock (UVic), as well as Tara Erb (Network Coordinator). With support from the IHRFs and partners, the OT collaborates to fulfill the following responsibilities: policy implementation, program development and implementation, and partnership and funding development. The OT meets monthly as well as during the annual Governing Council in-person meeting.

Nominated Principal Investigator:

Dr. Jeffrey Reading

Jeffrey Reading has more than two decades of experience enhancing knowledge in Indigenous health issues, both in Canada and globally. He obtained Master of Science (1991) and Doctor of Philosophy (1994) in Community Health Sciences, (now the Dalla Lana Faculty of Public Health), University of Toronto and was the inaugural Scientific Director of the Institute of Aboriginal Peoples’ Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research from 2000 to 2008. Jeff led a movement calling for a national advanced research agenda in the area of Aboriginal Peoples’ health and led the CIHR cross-cutting initiative in rural and northern health research. Jeff’s broad interests in research in Public Health has brought attention to issues including but not limited to: the social determinants of health, environmental issues including provision of safe potable water, health promotion and disease prevention, heart health, diabetes, tobacco misuse and accessibility to health care among Aboriginal Canadians. Jeff has played a pivotal role in the introduction of Canadian ethics guidelines for Aboriginal health research. In 2016, Jeff was appointed the Inaugural British Columbia First Nations Health Authority Chair in Heart Health and Wellness at St. Paul’s Hospital based at Simon Fraser University, renewed in 2021 for 5 years to 2026. Jeff is a member of the BC Covid-19 strategic research advisory committee.

Network Coordinator:

Tara Erb, University of Victoria

Tara is of mixed Moose Cree First Nation from Moose Factory and French European ancestry and grew up in Toronto, Ontario. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of Victoria (UVic) and a Master of Arts in Sociology (UVic), with a research focus on facilitating Indigenous cultural safety and anti-racism training. Tara is currently completing her PhD in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University under the supervision of Dr. Krista Stelkia and with a research focus on Indigenous Cultural Safety in Research Environments/Structures, specifically ethics and ethical processes. Her research interests include: Indigenous health and wellness, Indigenous cultural safety, anti-Indigenous racism and social theory.

Currently, Tara is the Network Coordinator of the BC NEIHR residing as a guest on the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEC peoples territory.

Administrative Assistant:

Kali Douglas, University of Victoria

Kali is a settler of mixed European and Ashkenazi Jewish descent who has spent most of her life on the unceded lands of the WSÁNEĆ, lək̓ʷəŋən and Kʼómoks peoples. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a Minor in Indigenous Studies at the University of Victoria. Her academic interests include Indigenous health, education and governance, as well as food sovereignty and self-determination. Kali appreciates the opportunity to work with the BC NEIHR and continue her learning journey.

Currently, Kali is the Administrative Assistant of the BC NEIHR, residing as an uninvited guest on on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Quw’utsun / Cowichan Tribes, whose living language is Hul’q’umi’num.