Dr. Wanda Phillips-Beck: Evidence meets culture to transform Indigenous nursing care in Manitoba
Dr. Wanda Phillips-Beck’s journey into research was a calling. “I did not set out to become a nurse researcher, this path chose me,” she says.
Dr. Phillips-Beck is an Anishinaabe nurse and scholar and an Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing in Manitoba. She has seen firsthand her peoples’ struggle to access health care that respects Indigenous culture and traditions, so she chose to help bridge those gaps by conducting research that weaves together scientific rigor with the teachings of Indigenous Elders.
One of her most impactful initiatives as Chair has been her clinical placement program and study that places undergraduate and graduate students in Indigenous community health centres. “I developed an advisory circle made up of Indigenous Grandmothers, Knowledge Keepers and academics,” she says. “Through my meetings with them, I came to appreciate that to truly learn about Indigenous Peoples requires being present in their communities.”
The placements give students the opportunity to work in a care setting, be mentored by those within the community, and learn how health care delivery must differ for Indigenous Peoples. Dr. Phillips-Beck facilitated agreements between six Indigenous communities and the University of Manitoba’s College of Nursing, to support nursing students who are interested in learning about Indigenous health and how to provide culturally appropriate care.
Dr. Phillips-Beck also mentors students, guiding graduate students in choosing research topics relevant to Indigenous communities, gathering feedback from the Grandmothers’ circle, and supporting students to incorporate Indigenous methodologies into their research. She also worked with the College of Nursing (Pathways to Indigenous Nursing Education) and Global Skills Opportunities to send undergraduate students to New Zealand to learn from a Māori nursing program that is grounded in Indigenous worldviews and values. These opportunities help build a health care workforce rooted in respect and cultural understanding.
While continuing her own research focused on Indigenous health, Dr. Phillips-Beck is also helping reshape nursing education. She is leading the development of a foundational course on Indigenous health at the University of Manitoba’s College of Nursing. It is her goal to eventually create an Indigenous nursing leadership stream. She plans to also publish the findings from her clinical placement research and collaborate with Indigenous nurses, nurse leaders, and Elders to develop leadership competencies for Indigenous nurses.
“For me, research is not simply a profession,” she says. “It is a way to honour my ancestors, support my community, and help build a more equitable health care system for generations to come.”
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