Dal alum devoted to Indigenous mental health selected for $100K award – Dalhousie University
April 4, 2023
Dr. Christopher Mushquash wins Gairdner Award
Dal alum Dr. Christopher Mushquash (PhD’11) has been awarded a prestigious Gairdner Award, valued at $100,000, for Indigenous-led mental health and substance use research that leads to culturally and contextually appropriate services for Indigenous people.
Dr. Mushquash is a clinical psychologist, professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction at Lakehead University. He’s also a psychologist at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care; vice president research, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre; and chief scientist at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute.
He merges his clinical experience as a psychologist with his community-based participatory approach to research to meet community needs and improve systems and services that make a difference in people’s lives. His innovative work focuses on Indigenous mental health and substance use through evidence-based practices that align with First Nations values. This approach ensures his research and its outcomes are culturally and contextually appropriate for people in First Nations, as well as those in rural and northern communities.
