Dr. Jason Hickey: Creating opportunities for the next generation of Indigenous nurses and nursing researchers in Atlantic Canada
As an Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing based in New Brunswick, Dr. Jason Hickey is creating transformative opportunities for Indigenous nurses, nursing researchers, students, and communities by championing collaboration and Indigenous leadership. His work is grounded in the belief that meaningful change happens through partnership.
“This has never been the work of one person—it has unfolded through meaningful partnerships with Indigenous organizations, mentors, and knowledge holders who guide and shape everything we do,” says Dr. Hickey.
Thanks to the Chair initiative funding, Dr. Hickey was able to launch training opportunities in nursing, enabling culturally rooted learning experiences.
“The course release gave me, a white settler academic, the time necessary to develop the relationships and understand community priorities well enough to meaningfully engage in these collaborations,” says Dr. Hickey.
Collaboration with several Indigenous organizations and community leaders has opened doors for Indigenous nursing students and graduate trainees to participate in hands-on research and service initiatives. These students gain not only research skills, but also critical experience navigating ethical, cultural, and relational responsibilities. They are mentored by both academic and community leaders, some of whom are Indigenous nurses themselves. Funding from the Chair award directly supported scholarships for five Indigenous nurse graduate students worth $155,000.
Dr. Hickey has also played a key role in supporting Indigenous-led, health and wellness programs that respond directly to community-identified priorities. One example is the Sakələməlsowakən Family Success Program, which offers crisis response, family support and care planning, health promotion and education, and mental health counseling. The program has served hundreds of individuals and provided invaluable learning experiences for nursing students and other health professional students via firsthand experience.
Other exciting projects underway include working with the Under One Sky Friendship Centre to build the Awitgati Longhouse and Cultural Centre, a 20,000 sq ft, net-zero Indigenous healing centre, which will open in late 2026. Dr. Hickey is also working with Indigenous organizations, trainees, and early career researchers in New Brunswick to generate high-quality, locally relevant data that Indigenous communities can use to inform policy, funding, and programming on their own terms.
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