Dr. Holly Graham: Changing the nursing landscape in Saskatchewan
Dr. Holly Graham (PhD), a Cree scholar from the Thunderchild First Nation in Saskatchewan, is a nurse, psychologist, and professor who holds an Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing. When she first began practicing as a registered nurse, she noticed a glaring absence of education or awareness about the health disparities between Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) and non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Motivated to understand and address these inequities, she returned to the University of Saskatchewan two decades ago to learn about their root causes.
Today, through the Indigenous Research Chairs in Nursing initiative, Dr. Graham is reshaping nursing care practices and supporting the next generation of Indigenous nurses.
With funding from the Chair initiative, Dr. Graham established the first Indigenous nursing Professional Practice Group in Canada. Named kā-wīci-pimohtēmāt, which means "a person who walks with others on their journey," the group brings together Indigenous nurses with a shared mission to educate, collaborate, and enable all Saskatchewan nurses to address the current health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples. It also serves as a vital communication bridge between the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan and Indigenous nurses across the province. The group provides mentorship and support to Indigenous undergraduate and graduate nursing students, as well as practicing nurses in Saskatchewan and beyond.
Dr. Graham emphasizes that funding from the Chair initiative has been instrumental in recruiting, retaining, and mentoring Indigenous nurses pursuing graduate studies. This support has enabled the mentees to receive Reconciliation Awards, attend national and international conferences and training events, and participate in specialized training. It has also helped establish a formal mentoring process to guide their professional development.
In related work, Dr. Graham has provided large-scale anti-racism education and training across Saskatchewan. She developed the CPR RACISM guide for health care providers to recognize and address racism in clinical settings. The guide is being integrated into nursing curriculum across Canada and is also being shared with Saskatchewan's 14,000 registered nurses through an educational video.
By grounding her work in the truths of the past, Dr. Graham is guiding the health care system toward a more just and inclusive future—one that honours Indigenous knowledge and walks forward in a good way.
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