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UBC President Santa Ono and Joe Gallagher, chief executive officer of the FNHA, announce a new chair to improve cancer outcomes and wellness among First Nations and Indigenous peoples. 

The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) and the University of British Columbia have created a faculty position dedicated to improving cancer outcomes and overall wellness among First Nations and Indigenous people. The chair will focus on the impact of cancer on the health and wellness journey of First Nations and their families. It will take a holistic approach to developing strategies to prevent and address cancer, acknowledging how colonization, racism, marginalization and poverty have led to the current disparity in health outcomes.

“The chair is an advancement of the work that continues to be achieved through the unprecedented collaboration amongst BC First Nations to take control of their health and wellness. It will look at cancer through a First Nations lens of health and wellness and bring together the best of both First Nations and Western medicine approaches,” said Joe Gallagher, chief executive officer, FNHA. “The FNHA looks forward to partnering with UBC on this chair as an initial step to creating a broader collaborative relationship to address First Nations health and wellness in the spirit of reconciliation."

Read the full release from UBC Public Affairs 


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