Brittany Wenniser铆:iostha鈥疛ock, PhD, a proud member of the Bear Clan from the Akwesasne Kanien鈥檏eh谩:ka (Mohawk) Territory, has dedicated her career to advancing Indigenous health equity. An Assistant Professor in 每日探花鈥檚 Department of Family Medicine, Prof. Jock combines academic rigour with community-driven approaches to reshape health programs and ensure they address the unique needs of Indigenous Peoples.听
A journey to public health听
Prof. Jock鈥檚 academic path began with a chemistry degree from Syracuse University. A summer internship at Health Canada shifted her focus. 鈥淚 found I was really enjoying the public health aspect, looking at policies and the science that informed policy, which brought me to epidemiology,鈥� she recalls.听
While she found epidemiology fascinating, she grappled with its limitations in Indigenous contexts. 鈥淚f I were to come back to my community and say, 鈥楬ere are the risk factors for diabetes,鈥� well I think everyone already knows that,鈥� she explains. 鈥淭he big problem is what do we do about it?鈥� This realization led her to pursue advanced degrees in Epidemiology and Social and Behavioural Interventions at Johns Hopkins University, where she developed tools to connect research with community-led action.听
Joining 每日探花 and the KSDPP听
Prof. Jock鈥檚 appointment at 每日探花 allows her to deepen her commitment to participatory research, specifically through her involvement with the (KSDPP). The trailblazing participatory research initiative in Kahnawake, a sister community to Akwesasne, has pioneered community-led diabetes prevention strategies for the past 30 years. Established in 1994 through collaboration among Kahnawake community members, health professionals, educators, and academics, notably from 每日探花鈥檚 Department of Family Medicine, such as Kahnawake community member, KSDPP co-founder and Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Alex McComber. The program has maintained a strong research partnership with the department since its inception.听听
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to work alongside Indigenous colleagues in the Department,鈥� says Prof. Jock. 鈥淔amily medicine is very collaborative in nature. Part of what drew me to 每日探花 is that study in the KSDPP program is one of the foremost examples of participatory research.鈥澨� One of her Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council-funded research projects aims to support the integration of Indigenous knowledges and methodologies into health research, with a focus on Kanien鈥檏eh脿:ka (Mohawk) knowledge.听
Prof. Jock鈥檚 current work with KSDPP includes a follow-up study titled 鈥�Mobilizing resilience through community-to-community (C2C) exchange: Seven Generations thinking for wellness and diabetes prevention,鈥� funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Team Grant. This study focuses on mobilizing lessons learned in Kahnawake to other First Nations communities, expanding access to successful primary prevention strategies.听听
Redefining research with Indigenous knowledge听
Central to Prof. Jock鈥檚 work is integrating of Indigenous knowledge systems into health research. Western frameworks often fail to capture the unique dynamics of Indigenous communities, so Prof. Jock collaborates with others to develop approaches rooted in Indigenous knowledges.听听
鈥淎 lot of things that are important, we can鈥檛 measure,鈥� she notes, 鈥淭here are validated scales that have been tested over time and in different settings, but they don鈥檛 always make sense for Indigenous communities鈥攐r we just don鈥檛 have measures for things that matter.鈥�听
To address these gaps, Prof. Jock uses mixed methods research, combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. These approaches prioritize Indigenous ways of knowing and values storytelling, community narratives and qualitative insights alongside numerical data. She believes this balance is essential for capturing the holistic nature of health in Indigenous communities, where physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects are interconnected.听听
鈥淗ealth is inherently social, it鈥檚 something that is relational. We can鈥檛 always put a number on it. We need to understand people鈥檚 experiences,鈥� Prof. Jock explains. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I really like using qualitative (textual) methods to complement quantitative (numerical) methods鈥� the limitations of one are the strengths of the other.鈥�听
Participatory research remains at the heart of her methodology. By involving communities in decision making from start to finish, her work works to break the traditional dynamic where researchers make decisions about communities without their input. This approach not only enhances the relevance of research findings, but it also builds trust and assures that the results are more meaningful and impactful to the people they want to serve.听听
鈥淚 see my role as bringing a participatory approach to all my projects. Meaning that community is at the table and making decisions about the research, rather than us as outsiders鈥� as researchers鈥� making decisions about the community without community. That dynamic has to change, and it is changing.鈥�听
A vision for change听
Prof. Jock takes part in other initiatives that share her vision. Internationally, she co-leads a special interest group, called the Indigenizing Wellbeing Research Circle, within the International Society for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. This endeavour is part of a larger movement to Indigenize research and ensure Indigenous perspectives inform scientific discourse on health and wellness. 鈥淲e鈥檙e coming together to explore how we can centre Indigenous knowledge in research,鈥� she explains.听听
As Prof. Jock continues her work at 每日探花, she hopes to inspire a shift in how research is conducted鈥攐ne that prioritizes equity, respect and collaboration that will pave the way for meaningful change in Indigenous health, promising a future where community-driven solutions take centre stage.听
