About

I (Janna) am an occupational therapist who has lived and worked in Nunavut off and on since 2006. All occupational therapists (OTs), physiotherapists (PTs) and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are trained in Southern Canada but aren’t taught how Inuit knowledge and perspectives can be represented and respected in services, especially services for children. I wanted to lead a research project that would help address this gap.

The research was completed as part of doctoral studies in public health at the University of Toronto. It was informed by 25 people in 2 communities who shared their perspectives. Participants and stakeholders helped with data analysis.

Co-researchers on the project included my academic supervisor, Stephanie Nixon, academic committee members, Andrea Andersen, Anita Benoit and Earl Nowgesic, and community collaborator, Leetia Janes.

This research was financially supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Reference # 752-2019-2356), Northern Scientific Training Program, Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation, Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, Ontario Graduate Scholarship and Stephanie Nixon & Associates Inc.

The research was licensed by the Nunavut Research Institute, license #02 059 19M-N.

I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out via email at: janna.maclachlan@alum.utoronto.ca