Yukon SPOR SUPPORT Unit (SSU) Summit

Hi! My name is Amanda Higgins, and I am a research assistant with the STIC Lab. At the beginning of this November, Dr. Christine Cassidy, Implementation Scientist and Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Dalhousie University and Jackie Pidduck, Transition Coordinator Children's Health Program at IWK Health and I presented at the Yukon SPOR SUPPORT Unit (SSU) Summit held in Whitehorse, Yukon.

The research project that we presented was the Transition in Care study, Exploring the Transition from Pediatric to Adult Care – A Qualitative Study. You can learn more this project about here: https://mssu.ca/research/research-projects/transitions-in-care/
When the team at Yukon SSU reached out to us to present our project at their upcoming summit, we were delighted. When I was told I had the opportunity to deliver it in person in Whitehorse, I was so excited! I spent the next couple of months preparing to go North, buying snow pants, getting my winter gear out in October, and making sure my winter boots fit. I spent a couple of days exploring Yukon. From the beginning I was in awe of the mountains. I took a walk around the Yukon River and tried to embrace the cold as best I could. The next night was my favourite, as I had booked a tour to see the northern lights and it did not disappoint. After a couple of hours in the cabins, the sky lit up in shades of brilliant greens. The next day I spent time in a wildlife reserve which gave me an opportunity to see species that I may never have another opportunity to see, including a moose!

Then I spent two amazing days with a great group of researchers at the Summit. Our presentation went very well. I presented with Christine and Jackie who were in Halifax and presented via Zoom. This was different, but it was amazing how technology allowed us to all be a part of the Summit! My perspective on Indigenous health has broadened, through learnings from the Summit, and has made me bring a new lens to health equity in all my current work being done in Nova Scotia. I learned how to ensure that research and health teams incorporate Indigenous leadership and guidance in an authentic and meaningful way to improve care and health outcomes.
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It was an amazing experience that I am so grateful to have had!