Alex McComber
Scientific Series: January 11, 2024
Considerations to Ensure Respectful Relations with Indigenous Patients
This presentation will provide participants with an overview of Indigenous world view and perspectives of health and wellness; a view of Canadian colonial history and impacts from an Indigenous lens with an aim to facilitate discussion on understanding the importance of cultural safety in building relationships with Indigenous patients.
At the end of this session, participants will:
Reflect on their culturally safe, personal practices of patient engagement.
Understand that cultural safety is a personal journey beyond attending cultural information workshops.
Appreciate Indigenous patients’ perspectives of seeking respectful provincial health services.
Alex M. McComber is Bear Clan Kanien'keha:ka, a husband, father, and grandfather from Kahnawake Territory, Quebec. He is a community health activist, researcher and consultant; areas of expertise include diabetes prevention, Indigenous community-based participatory research, health promotion, community mobilization and mentorship, personal and community empowerment, Indigenous health and wellness, and research ethics.
Alex was invited to join the McGill Dept. of Family Medicine in 2016 as an Assistant Professor to support the creation of an Indigenous Program within the Dept. of Family Medicine that focuses on Indigenous teachings and respectful knowledge exchange, cultural safety education in health research and care, and patient participation in health research. He has developed and delivered a graduate level course and lectures on Indigenous health research, Indigenous world view and culture, understanding colonial history and health impacts, and understanding cultural safety. He involved with various community, regional and national research endeavors including the Indigenous Health Centre of Tiohtia:ke urban Indigenous clinic; the Indigenous Expertise & Indigenous Patient Partner Circle and the McGill University Data Vaolorisaton Axis (both with the Quebec SPOR Support Unit); the Tahatikonhsontóntie' Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research (NEIHR); the Teionkwaienawa:kon Quebec Indigenous Mentorship Network (QIMNP); and the Indigenous Youth Mentorship Project (IYMP).