Our Speakers

Dr. Rheanna Robinson is an Associate Professor in the Department of First Nations Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and a Co-Lead for the Indigenous Research Stream with the Canadian Institute of Inclusion and Citizenship at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She is an Indigenous (Métis) scholar and a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation with expertise in Indigenous Disability Studies and Indigenous Education. Her research is grounded in lived experience and guided by the importance of building meaningful relationships and the Four R’s (Respect, Relevancy, Reciprocity, and Responsibility). Dr. Robinson values the role of Indigenous scholarship in academia and how Indigenous knowledges continue to offer the world meaningful representations of equity and inclusion in diverse and varying ways. 

Emily Jurek was born and raised in Quesnel, BC, on Lhtako Dene territory. She completed her bachelor's degree in Piano Performance at Andrews University in Michigan, then returned to BC to work in volunteer management for a year before entering medical school at UBC. She is an avid wilderness enthusiast and enjoys hiking, canoeing, biking, birding, and snowshoeing. Having grown up in the North, she deeply values rural medical care and hopes to practice medicine in northern BC upon completion of her training. 

Ashley Wilkinson is a Health Sciences PhD candidate at the University of Northern British Columbia, building on a Masters in Health Sciences with a specialization in Indigenous and Northern Health from Lakehead University. She has several years of experience in health research related to community health and social issues for systemically marginalized groups across diverse urban, rural, and remote geographies. Her broader research interests include health equity, anti-racism, Indigenous health, and she is committed to community-engaged research approaches that centre the voices of those most affected by systemic inequities.