The University of Northern British Columbia and the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) are marking a significant milestone as the Centre celebrates 20 years of advancing Indigenous health and wellness from its home on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. As part of this anniversary year, Dr. Terri Aldred, a distinguished First Nations physician and educator, has been appointed as the NCCIH’s new Academic Lead.

“Hosting the NCCIH has been a privilege for UNBC, helping position the university as a place where Indigenous-led knowledge and research thrive” says UNBC President Dr. Geoff Payne. “As the Centre marks 20 years of national impact from its home at UNBC, we are honoured to support Dr. Aldred’s leadership in this important next chapter."

Dr. Aldred will be formally introduced at a special event on May 7, 2025, as the NCCIH commemorates its 20th anniversary at UNBC’s Prince George campus. The celebration will recognize the Centre’s longstanding contributions to Indigenous health and public health systems nationwide.

Read the NCCIH’s full release regarding Dr. Aldred’s appointment below:

A prominent First Nations physician has been appointed Academic Lead for the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH). Dr. Terri Aldred will guide the work of the Centre, a federally funded organization supporting First Nation, Inuit, and Métis public health and health equity through knowledge translation and exchange.

A member of the Tl’azt’en Nation, located north of Fort St. James in British Columbia, Dr. Aldred has served on the Advisory Committee of the NCCIH since May 2023 and is currently Committee Co-Chair (a position she will leave upon becoming Academic Lead). Dr. Aldred is the Medical Director for Primary Care for the First Nations Health Authority, which plans, designs, manages, and funds the delivery of First Nations health programs across B.C. She is also a family physician with Carrier Sekani Family Services in north-central B.C.

Dr. Aldred won a 2021 Alumni Horizon Award (formerly the Rising Star Award) from the University of Alberta, where she completed her Bachelor of Health Science degree and Doctor of Medicine. In 2018 she won the prestigious Mikhael Award for Medical Education from the Resident Doctors of Canada. Dr. Aldred won a 2021 Alumni Horizon Award (formerly the Rising Star Award) from the University of Alberta, where she completed her Bachelor of Health Science degree and Doctor of Medicine. In 2018 she won the prestigious Mikhael Award for Medical Education from the Resident Doctors of Canada.

“I am honoured to advance and celebrate First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people’s wellness, from coast to coast to coast and from our hub on Dakelh Territory at UNBC,” says NCCIH Academic Lead Dr. Terri Aldred. “The future is bright, and I am excited to be part of the NCCIH’s strong purpose and vision.”

“The qualities that earned Terri Aldred the Mikhael award are ones that make her an ideal candidate to be our Academic Lead,” says Co-Chair of the NCCIH Advisory Committee Warner Adam. “Those qualities include creativity and leadership, and a commitment to bring about change that contributes to long-term improvement to medical education. In Terri’s case, her commitment goes beyond medical education to encompass the full spectrum of Indigenous health and wellness.”

Dr. Aldred will assume the position of NCCIH Academic Lead on May 6, 2025. Dr. Aldred will step into the shoes of Dr. Deanna Nyce who has served in the position on an interim basis for the past year. Dr. Nyce will return to her role as a member of the NCCIH Advisory Committee.

“I know I leave this role in good hands with Dr. Aldred,” says Dr. Nyce. “She is deeply passionate about Indigenous health and understands that health and social justice are interwoven. She will carry forward the work of the Centre to address health disparities based on a foundation of Indigenous ways of knowing and being.”

Dr. Aldred’s leadership priorities include translating more of the NCCIH’s research on standards and best practices into day-to-day practice. “That’s an expanding area of work that’s very important,” she says.

Another priority is working on long-term approaches to achieve optimal states of health and well-being for Indigenous people. “Addressing the root causes of disease and illness and setting people up to be healthy and thriving takes time and a lot of coordinated effort across multiple sectors", she says. "As a National Collaborating Centre, we’re in a good place to support that."

Dr. Aldred will be formally introduced as Academic Lead on May 7, 2025, when the NCCIH celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Background

The National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health was established in 2005 and is funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada. The NCCIH supports a renewed public health system in Canada that is inclusive and respectful of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The NCCIH fosters links between evidence, knowledge, practice and policy while advancing self-determination and Indigenous knowledge.