About the AIM-HI Network

The Alberta Indigenous Mentorship in Health Innovation (AIM-HI) Network represents a commitment on the part of established Indigenous and non-indigenous health researchers at distinct stages of their careers and community partners to strengthen and provide new and expanded opportunities for FNMI mentees to purse and succeed in health research careers.

We have developed an intergenerational, multilayered and cascading mentorship program for mentees at all levels – from undergraduate through to new investigator stages- and in all health focused research disciplines, including the health, social and laboratory sciences.The program encourages network and interdisciplinary gatherings among peers affiliated with six Alberta universities and the oldest tribal college in Canada, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Alberta partner organizations, and between Indigenous Mentorship Network Program nodes. By establishing enduring infrastructure, sustainability is promoted in training by building capacity in Alberta for FNMI health research mentees, and in partnership with FNMI communities of support, it dynamically reaches future mentees in urban and remote sectors throughout the province and in the Canadian North.

We will establish a generation of FNMI health researchers, through participation in the AIM-HI network, who will strengthen their personal and professional resources and gain resilience along their path to academic success. The enduring connection to community will support meaningful application of their research knowledge, ultimately for the improved health of FNMI communities. Finally, we will generate evidence on wise practices for indigenous mentorship, demonstrate the impact of the network, and advocate for systemic change to enable FNMI promotion and success in academia and in health research more broadly.