Advocating Inclusivity: OVC Professor's Commitment to Empowering Indigenous Students

The banner image is a painting by Mark Seabrook titled Anishinaabe miinwa mukwa dodem (Anishinaabe and the Bear Clan.)

Dr. Jeff Wichtel, dean of the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), and Dr. Melissa Perreault, a neuroscience professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, welcomed a new collection of Indigenous artworks in OVC’s Enhanced Clinical Learning Centre.

The colourful artworks vividly depict Indigenous culture, spirituality, traditions and connection to the land, sparking discussions about integrating Indigenous knowledge into OVC’s spaces, education and research. Perreault and Wichtel’s commitment to inclusivity and Indigenization at OVC highlights their shared goal of building a more diverse and enriched community.

“These artworks speak to the interconnected nature of the world around us,” says Wichtel. “We hope that everyone passing through this space will pause to appreciate their beauty, while fostering future collaborations at OVC that are enriched by the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge and ways of living.”

“The goal of Indigenizing a space is twofold,” says Perreault. “First, it is to give Indigenous students, staff and faculty spaces where they feel welcome and comfortable. The other goal is to educate non-Indigenous people on Indigenous culture.”

Perreault is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario and an active supporter of Indigenous students and researchers. Drawing on the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing – viewing the world through both Indigenous and Western knowledge and world views – she advocates for the inclusion of Indigenous voices in research. She also builds networks of support for Indigenous students at the University of Guelph.

Perreault started at U of G’s College of Biological Science in 2017 before joining OVC’s Department of Biomedical Sciences as a full-time faculty member in 2021.

Going beyond the boundaries of traditional Indigenous studies

As a neuroscience researcher focusing on brain disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and autism spectrum disorders, Perreault points out that unlike many other Indigenous researchers, her work does not primarily focus on Indigenous people.

“The pressure for Indigenous peoples to pursue Indigenous-focused studies and research is immense, not only from non-Indigenous people but from our own communities as well,” says Perreault.

When she speaks to high school and university students, she encourages them to explore all post-secondary pathways. “It shouldn’t matter what field of study we pursue because we bring our knowledge and our culture with us wherever we go,” she says. “Our unique perspective permeates and influences everything that we do.”

An Indigenous lens on the Canadian Brain and Research Strategy

The Canadian Brain and Research Strategy (CBRS) unites 30 neuroscience and mental health institutes nationwide to identify and support this research community’s needs. As a member of CBRS’s Indigenous Knowledge Holders Group, Perreault published a paper summarizing IKHG’s priorities to highlight the importance of including Indigenous perspectives and knowledge in neuroscience and mental health research and integrating Two-Eyed Seeing into research and education.

Perreault says that to fully understand Indigenous health, it is essential to appreciate the important role of spirituality and ceremony within Indigenous cultures.

“Indigenous people take a holistic view to health, and an important part of that is spirituality,” says Perreault. “If Western medicine does not acknowledge that, it can have significant negative impacts on the individuals that they’re trying to treat, despite having the best interest of their patients in mind. Their treatment approach therefore needs to be culturally informed and welcoming and inclusive of Indigenous traditions. Unfortunately, there is currently little training to facilitate this type of engagement.”

The other priorities brought forward by IKHG include establishing partnerships to embrace community engagement, strengthening ties among Indigenous researchers and fostering a deeper understanding of Indigenous diversity.

“There are over 630 distinct First Nations communities, representing over 50 Nations and 50 Indigenous languages,” says Perreault. “Similarly, there are 53 Inuit Nations across the northern regions of Canada and almost 600,000 individuals who self-identify as Métis.”

Despite comprising close to five per cent of the Canadian population, says Perreault, Indigenous people are underrepresented in brain research, both in neuroscience scholarship and in participation in mental health studies. Perreault hopes to address these shortfalls through her efforts at CBRS.

Creating support networks for Indigenous students at the University of Guelph

“When I started working at U of G, I wanted to enhance supports for Indigenous students in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs and to ensure they felt a sense of belonging so we could recruit and retain them in these fields,” says Perreault.

Her proudest accomplishment is the Indigenous STEM Mentorship Program, which has grown to include 50 faculty members from 10 departments across U of G. The program is open to undergraduate First Nations, Métis and Inuit students and provides one-on-one mentorship addressing individual student needs and interests.

Perreault also advocated for a new Indigenous Undergraduate Research Assistantship meant to stimulate students’ interest in research and give them an additional opportunity to acquire hands-on experience.

Under Perreault’s guidance, a group of Indigenous students at U of G has developed an undergraduate orientation handbook that includes information on everything from housing to scholarships and that offers guidance on how to contact faculty members and apply for research grants. A version of this handbook has been tailored to graduate students as well.

Two-Eyed Seeing at OVC

In spring 2023, OVC announced plans to increase enrolment in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program through a Collaborative Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program with Lakehead University in Thunder Bay – a post-secondary institution with more than 1,000 self-identified Indigenous students.

Perreault says she’s excited about the prospect of more Indigenous students coming to study at OVC. “Indigenous students will be able to bring the skills they learned at OVC back to their own communities, while non-Indigenous students will learn from Indigenous people’s deep connections with animals and the land. Uniting these two forms of knowledge will greatly enrich both communities. By merging Indigenous views of harmony with the natural world with Western veterinary medicine, we can cultivate collaborations that will benefit animals, people and the land we share.”

Perreault understands the importance of fostering alliances with non-Indigenous people to integrate Two-Eyed Seeing at OVC. “There are so few of us, so Indigenizing the college relies heavily on the support of allies. The goal is to create an inclusive learning environment where we feel empowered to share our perspectives and knowledge in a safe environment, should we choose to do so.”

“Indigenous people are under-represented throughout the veterinary and science communities — our goal is to correct that inequity,” says Wichtel. “As we make progress on this journey of Indigenization, we look forward to a future when the animal health needs of Indigenous communities will increasingly be addressed by community members themselves.”

This article originally appeared in The Crest magazine (Summer 2024)