Nothing about us without us’ on healthcare, star native doctor tells Hamilton medical students – TheSpec.com
First Nations’ treatment often ignores colonial legacy, Adams says
Evan Tlesla Adams says he doesn’t want to be “the star of the show” now that he’s a doctor, although his other life as an actor inevitably attracts attention.
A member of British Columbia’s Sliammon First Nation, he’s best known for his acclaimed role as Thomas-Builds-The-Fire in the 1998 film Smoke Signals, but has also appeared in TV shows like The Beachcombers and Da Vinci’s Inquest.
The spotlight’s followed him into his medical career, where he became British Columbia’s first-ever aboriginal health physician advisor, then a deputy minister, and finally chief medical officer for B.C.’s First Nations Health Authority, his current post.
