Background: Meaningful knowledge translation (KT) strategies are essential to community-engaged research. The CHIWOS-PAW study uses Indigenous re-search methods to explore how Indigenous Women living with HIV on Coast Salish Territories understand their health and wellbeing through Traditional Medicines and Knowledges. We describe our process to disseminate findings from CHIWOS-PAW with healthcare providers and the broader community through Indigenous KT strategies.

Methods: Our team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous re-searchers, including an Elder, hosted a gathering with the CHIWOS-PAW Wise Women (participants) to discuss how to best share our findings with the community. Through Indigenous Water Teachings and Ceremony, we gathered streams of knowledge to co-create KT outputs to share study findings on how Indigenous Women living with HIV envision their healthcare. Together, we developed a KT strategy to identify our target audience and determine how to best reach them.

Results: Embracing Indigenous arts-based KT methods, we created a strengths-based poster series with Water and Animal Teachings, which summarized key study findings, including: (1) How is health and wellbeing a journey?; (2) How is health connected with Traditional Medicines and Ceremony?; (3) Why are meaningful relationships and community important?; and (4) How are healing health partnerships built?. We expressed gratitude to healthcare providers for their dedication and support. The Wise Women identified healthcare providers and organizations beyond HIV services (e.g., dentists, physiotherapists, labs) as key audiences to reach. Following a multimodal, push-pull approach, poster dissemination was launched September 2022 and resulted in 190 website views, 745 twitter interactions, 4 e-blasts, 18 presentations, and 200+ organizations/providers reached thus far. Posters were disseminated alongside our published CHIWOS-PAW methods manuscript to provide context to an Indigenous approach to research.

Conclusion: With our community experts, we developed an Indigenous arts- and strengths-based KT strategy to support positive actions and meaningful relationships with healthcare providers.

Background: Indigenous values of social connection and relational care are foundational to harm reduction (HR) programming, which inform responses to the disproportionate impacts of HIV, drug poisonings, and COVID-19 among Indigenous Peoples. Amid rising rates of HIV infection and drug poisoning deaths, physical distancing ordinances to limit COVID-19 transmission and capacity limits within community-based health and social service organizations have reduced access to culturally responsive Indigenous harm reduction (IHR) programming. These intersecting pandemics have created an urgent need for frontline organizations to adapt and provide culturally responsive IHR services.

Methods: Utilizing a Two-Eyed Seeing (Etuaptmumk) approach to knowledge synthesis, we combined a rigorous state-of-the-art literature review with Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Doing. We completed regional sharing circles (n=6) and key informant interviews (n=4) with service providers/users of frontline HR organizations (n=38). Utilizing western and Indigenous qualitative data analysis methodology, we created a Wise Practices Asset Map of culturally responsive IHR services across Canada.

Lessons Learned: HR services that support connections to kin, community and culture are vital for meeting the needs of Indigenous people who use drugs, particularly amid intersecting public health emergencies. Land-based healing (including use of Sacred Medicines), language revitalization, cultural activities, and ceremony have been effectively implemented within Indigenous and non-Indigenous HR services over the past three years. Indigenous and non-Indigenous HR community champions are spearheading efforts to meaningfully engage Indigenous people and partner organizations in implementing Indigenous approaches to HR, including cultural safety training, Elder engagement, Indigenous-led HR outreach and education, culturally-informed physical spaces, culturally-informed grief support, and more.

Conclusion: This presentation will share results from this rapid synthesis of evidence-based wise practices to facilitate the data-to-action trajectory of effective community pandemic responses. These findings will support frontline HR organizations to implement context-specific, trauma-informed and culturally responsive services for Indigenous people amidst converging pandemics.

Background
Peer support is an evidence-informed method to support people accessing treatment and care for addictions and chronic illnesses such as HIV. Incorporating culturally appropriate peer support networks into standard care delivery will improve health policies and systems for people living with HIV (PLWH).
Methods
A Peer Support Network provided access to cultural connections, traditional ceremonies, and land-based activities (medicine picking, camping, canoeing) to assist PLWH in acute care settings and rural/on-reserve Indigenous communities. Peers and Elders/Knowledge Keepers guide the cultural activities and program direction. This network aims to continue land-based opportunities for peers to remain engaged in HIV care and supported on their healing journeys.
Results
After three land-based trips in the summer of 2022, 17 peers were engaged, 3 peers participated in multiple trips, and 14 peers carried on to receive Peer Support Training certification – soft skills training on communication, boundaries, referrals, and harm reduction – in December 2022. The Wellness Wheel Peer Support Workers report their impact on PLWH: [“This work is so rewarding… patients have said that if it wasn’t for me helping them, they wouldn’t have anyone”]. One peer reflects on land-based learning: [“As Indigenous people, we have had a lot of trauma ... People enjoy getting back on the land; you’re connected to mother nature and to everything”]. Peer Support Workers have impacted the HIV care cascade outcomes for PWLH by supporting clients in the circle of care and navigating acute care settings and community support.
Conclusion
The Wellness Wheel Peer Support Workers demonstrate a low-cost, low-barrier, supportive intervention for the epidemic of addiction and HIV/HCV in Saskatchewan using strengths-based Indigenous philosophies. Partnerships with community leadership, health staff, and urban clinical teams have increased the recognition and utilization of peer support workers as best practices to provide culturally appropriate care for PLWH.

Background: The Northwest Territories (NWT) are disproportionately impacted by sexually transmitted infections (STI) compared with Canada’s national prevalence. When untreated, STIs increase HIV acquisition risks. Safer sex self-efficacy—knowledge, intention, and relationship dynamics central to safer sex negotiation—is vital to HIV prevention. To address knowledge gaps regarding strategies to increase safer sex self-efficacy (SSSE) with Northern adolescents, our study examined factors associated with SSSE among Northern and Indigenous youth in the NWT.

Methods: We conducted pre- and post-test surveys with a convenience sample of adolescents aged 12-19 years participating in Fostering Open eXpression among Youth (FOXY) and Strengths, Masculinities, and Sexual Health (SMASH) arts-based sexual health workshops developed with and for Northern and Indigenous youth in 17 NWT communities in 2020-2021. Using post-test data, we conducted descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses to examine associations between sociodemographic (e.g., age, gender, Indigeneity), psychosocial (self-esteem), and HIV cascade (HIV/STI knowledge, prior FOXY/SMASH participation) variables with SSSE (using the Condom Use Self-Efficacy Scale).

Results: Participants (n=256; mean age: 13.5 years, standard deviation=1.4; Indigenous: 73.5%; white: 15.5%; racialized: 11.0%; sexually diverse: 24%) included cisgender men (55.6%), cisgender women (39.9%), and transgender/non-binary persons (n=4.4%). Most (n=167; 57%) were first-time FOXY/SMASH participants. In multivariable analyses adjusted for age and gender, HIV/STI knowledge (β=0.21, 95%CI: 0.04-0.37, p=0.014), prior FOXY/SMASH participation (vs. first time) (β=1.77, 95%CI: 0.35-3.20, p=0.015), and self-esteem (β=1.73, 95%CI: 0.06-0.20, p<0.001) were associated with higher SSSE. Indigenous (β= -2.47, 95%CI= -3.49, -0.44, p=0.003) and racialized (β= -3.41, 95%CI= -5.62, -1.20, p=0.003) (vs. white) participants reported lower SSE.

Conclusion: We found higher HIV/STI knowledge, self-esteem, and prior FOXY/SMASH participation were linked with increased SSSE among participants. HIV prevention strategies with Northern youth can integrate arts-based approaches, share HIV/STI knowledge, build self-esteem, and include booster sessions while addressing Indigenous and racial disparities in SSSE.

Background: The Feast Centre for Indigenous STBBI Research is dedicated to community-led research and training across the four pillars of health research (Clinical, Basic Science, Epidemiology, Social Science). The Feast Centre Council of Elders, comprised of a diverse representation of Elders, contributes to decolonizing STBBI responses and increased use of Indigenous knowledges in STBBI research that encourages transformational change in addressing the health needs of Indigenous people living with or affected by STBBI.

Method: Exploring the Meaningful Partnership of Elders in Indigenous STBBI Research is an MSW study that focuses on the expertise of Indigenous Elders. The Talking Circle method was used to highlight the significance of oral tradition and storytelling for Indigenous Peoples and offered a cultural signal to the Elders that this study was premised on egalitarian and supportive values. Thirteen Elders were recruited nationwide to participate in three virtual Talking Circles to explore their experiences in Indigenous STBBI research and to offer guidance to researchers on how to develop and strengthen meaningful research partnerships in the future. 

Key Learnings: Five overarching themes emerged from the thematic analysis of these Talking Circles: (1) Understanding the historical and ongoing impacts of colonialism and the need to decolonize STBBI research; (2) Prioritizing the knowledge and lived experience of Elders and Indigenous people living with STBBI throughout the research process; (3) Centering spirituality and ceremony in Indigenous STBBI research; (4) The importance of implementing Indigenous methodologies in STBBI research; and (5) Foregrounding Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing in STBBI research.

Implications: Indigenous knowledges are sacred, localized and require deep respect when requested, applied, and shared. This study offers Indigenous STBBI researchers a robust foundation to build meaningful research partnerships with Elders to improve STBBI research and benefit the sexual health and wellbeing of Métis, Inuit, and First Nations communities.