Melody Morton Ninomiya

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Verified

Melody verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• MEd, PhD
• Associate Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University

In health care and child welfare, clinical records and case notes serve multiple functions. When records are aggregated and processed to create administrative data, they can be analyzed and used to inform policy development and decision-making. To be useful, such data should be complete, accurate, and recorded in a standardized way. However, source...

Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing are based on embodied sovereignty, relationality and countless generations of knowledge sharing. We call for epistemic justice in which Indigenous knowledge systems are recognised and valued in research-related contexts. We draw attention to how colonial knowledge systems silence, delegitimise and devalue...

Background: In Euro-Western forms of research, Indigenous Knowledges (IK) and Knowledge systems have been misused, devalued, and stolen. Elders and Knowledge Guardians have expressed the need for IK to be protected for future generations and be included in research in a good way. Objectives: We aim to disrupt the ongoing dominance of Eurocentric re...

This rapid review investigated the mental health concerns of sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE) refugees in Canada. Database searches yielded 365 results across five databases, providing 12 papers for final thematic analysis once inclusion criteria were applied. Three themes emerged: (1) Stigma and discrimination negatively a...

The practice of putting research into action is known by various names, depending on disciplinary norms. Knowledge mobilization, translation, and transfer (collectively referred to as K*) are three common terminologies used in research literature. Knowledge-to-action opportunities and gaps in academic research often remain obscure to non-academic r...

Objectives To better understand what knowledge translation activities are effective and meaningful to Indigenous communities and what is required to advance knowledge translation in health research with, for, and by Indigenous communities. Study design Workshop and collaborative yarning. Setting Lowitja Institute International Indigenous Health C...

Background Adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) can thrive with lifelong support in daily living activities. Previous research examining living support for adults with FASD has heavily relied on caregiver reports rather than lived experiences, which can undermine opportunities for self‐determination. In this study, we examined the per...

Background Caregivers supporting adults with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) report concerns regarding living arrangements and services for their adult children with FASD. Best practices for living support for adults with FASD are under‐researched, and few studies have explored the experiences of caregivers whose children are adults. This st...

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a leading known cause of developmental disabilities in Canada. Youth with FASD often experience challenges while transitioning to the expectations of adulthood. Research has demonstrated that appropriate supports in the transition to adulthood and throughout the lifespan may help mitigate these challenges....

Globally, many resource extraction projects such as mines and hydroelectric dams are developed on the territories of Indigenous Peoples. Recognising land as a determinant of Indigenous Peoples' health, our objective is to synthesise evidence about the mental health impacts on Indigenous communities who experience land dispossession due to industria...

Background: The Canadian healthcare system bares a long legacy of colonisation and assimilation of Indigenous values and approaches to health and wellness. This system often perpetuates social and health inequities through systemic racism, underfunding, lack of culturally appropriate care and barriers to access care. Current funding legislation pol...

Objectives: As the presence of Indigenous Peoples, world views, perspectives, and teachings continues to grow within academia, the institutional narrative regarding Indigenous approaches to knowing, doing, and being evolves and expands. We would like to contribute to this shifting narrative. Introduction: We are a diverse group of trainees invited...

Alcohol is legalized and used for a variety of reasons, including socially or as self-medication for trauma in the absence of accessible and safe supports. Trauma-informed approaches can help address the root causes of alcohol use, as well as the stigma around women's alcohol use during pregnancy. However, it is unclear how these approaches are use...

Introduction While perinatal mental health concerns are common, little attention is paid to noticing or addressing these concerns. Midwives and obstetricians are uniquely positioned to universally screen their patients for mental health conditions during the perinatal period, and provide referrals for additional mental health supports if relevant....

Research on substance use challenges in First Nations communities is often deficit-focused and can reinforce paternalistic stereotypes that lead to further discrimination. In this article, we report on findings of a strengths-based Photovoice project done in collaboration with a First Nations’ community in southern Ontario, Canada to better underst...

Background Indigenous Peoples are impacted by industrial resource development that takes place on, or near, their communities. Existing literature on impacts of industrial resource development on Indigenous Peoples primarily focus on physical health outcomes and rarely focus on the mental health impacts. To understand the full range of long-term an...

We report on the system of care and sources of strength and resilience for mental health among First Nations People experiencing the impacts of historical and contemporary colonization. Aamjiwnaang First Nation, a vibrant community of approximately 2400 members in southwestern Ontario, Canada, partnered in research to reveal sources of strength and...

Knowledge translation (KT) is a critical component of any applied health research. Indigenous Peoples' health research and KT largely continues to be taught, developed, designed, regulated, and conducted in ways that do not prioritize local Indigenous Peoples’ ways of sharing knowledges. This review was governed and informed by Indigenous health sc...

We examined the explanatory roles of social determinants of health (SDOH) for First Nations people using a four-domain model of health and wellness based on the Medicine Wheel (i.e., physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health), including colonial-linked stressors (i.e., historical trauma, childhood adversities, racial discrimination) and cul...

Background Indigenous Peoples are impacted by industrial development projects that take place on, or near, their communities. Existing literature on impacts of industrial projects on Indigenous Peoples primarily focus on physical health outcomes and rarely focus on the mental health impacts. To understand the full range of long-term and anticipated...

This study systematically reviewed evidence regarding health program and service evaluations in Indigenous contexts. Following the PRISMA guidelines and combining terms for ‘Indigenous populations’ and ‘health programs and services’. Eight principles emerged: Principle 1: Adopting Indigenous led or co-led approaches is vital to balance power relati...

Introduction: Many Indigenous peoples around the world are disproportionately affected by mental health challenges, due to intergenerational and collective trauma stemming from historical losses and ongoing colonialism. A growing body of literature suggests that mental wellness initiatives are more culturally safe and result in more successful and...

https://theconversation.com/indigenous-community-research-partnerships-can-help-address-health-inequities-152705

Research to address the health burdens experienced by Indigenous populations is essential. In the Canadian context, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada determined that these health burdens are the result of policies that have undermined opportunities to address community-level health needs. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research G...

Background: Mental health, substance use/addiction and violence (MSV) are important issues affecting the well-being of Indigenous People in Canada. This paper outlines the protocol for a research-to-action program called the Mental Wellness Program (MWP). The MWP aims to increase community capacity, promote relationship-building among communities,...

Background: Measurement of what knowledge is taken-up and how that information is used to inform practice and policies can provide an understanding about the effectiveness of knowledge uptake and utilization processes. In 2007, the Knowledge Uptake and Utilization Tool (KUUT) was developed to evaluate the implementation of knowledge into practice....

The word ‘vulnerable’ is frequently used in public health research and practice. We use critical discourse analysis to explore the use of this term in articles published between January 2015 and January 2018 in the American Journal of Public Health and the Canadian Journal of Public Health. We find that terms such as ‘vulnerable groups’ are often v...

Globally, Indigenous mental health research has increasingly focused on strengths-based theory to understand how positive factors influence wellness. However, few studies have examined how social support buffers the effects of trauma and stress on the mental health of Indigenous people. Using survey data from 207 males and 279 females in 2 Ontario...

The association between fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), residential schools and subsequent assimilatory policies in Canada is of such significance that it was included in the groundbreaking Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Final Report through Call to Action #33, which focuses on collaboratively developing FASD prevention pro...

While mental well-being is recognized as a significant public health priority in numerous Indigenous communities, little work has focused on the mental health needs of Indigenous men. In this article, we describe results from the mixed-methods research used to inform the development of mental wellness programming for boys and men. Quantitative and...

Globally, Indigenous mental health research has increasingly focused on strengths-based theory to understand how positive factors influence wellness. However, few studies have examined how social support buffers the effects of trauma and stress on the mental health of Indigenous people. Using survey data from 207 males and 279 females in 2 Ontario...

Plain English summary Integrated knowledge translation is a research approach in which researchers work as partners with the people for whom the research is meant to be of use. A partnered approach can support the use of Indigenous ways of knowing in health research that may then be used in health care. This is important as current health care mode...

This paper describes how a study using institutional ethnography (IE) was used as a decolonizing method of inquiry in a rural Indigenous community in Canada. IE honors lived experience, reveals institutional and colonial practices, provides clear empirical evidence, and can offer clear recommendations that can benefit Indigenous communities. At the...

Objectives In this paper, we provide an overview of best practices in FASD prevention, diagnostic, and interventions and supports. In Canada, people diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) represent a fraction people living with FASD. While social stigma may deter people from seeking an FASD diagnosis, other deterrents include the lac...

With increased attention to knowledge translation and community engagement in the applied health research field, many researchers aim to find effective ways of engaging health policy and decision makers and community stakeholders. While visual graphics such as graphs, charts, figures and photographs are common in scientific research dissemination,...

Background Effective knowledge translation (KT) is critical to implementing program and policy changes that require shared understandings of knowledge systems, assumptions, and practices. Within mainstream research institutions and funding agencies, systemic and insidious inequities, privileges, and power relationships inhibit Indigenous peoples’ c...

Historically, Indigenous health research in Canada has failed to engage Indigenous peoples and communities as primary stakeholders of research evidence. Increasingly, research ethics and methodologies are being positioned as tools for Indigenous self-determination. In response, mainstream institutions have developed new ethical principles for resea...

Objective This study aimed to make visible how health supports and services are organized and coordinated around children diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in a rural Indigenous community in eastern Canada. Methods Institutional ethnography was used for this community-based study as a decolonizing method of inquiry. Institutional ethno...

I make visible how institutional ethnography (IE) was used as a decolonizing method of inquiry. At the heart of decolonizing research is the task of shifting whose knowledge is privileged; from those with power (often researchers) to those who are being researched (those subject to the effects of colonization). I argue that when IE is used to facil...

Institutional ethnography (IE) is a method of inquiry that offers emancipatory possibilities. This paper reveals how IE's emancipatory value is linked to identifying and examining disjunctures, which are discrepancies and disconnections between what is understood to be happening versus what is actually being experienced. Using examples from an IE s...

In this poster, I illustrate and describe how researchers can improve communication of information through the use of visual graphics throughout all research phases. Visual graphics such as graphs, charts, figures, and photographs are common in scientific research (especially dissemination) materials however they are less common as communication to...

This paper reports on an innovative process by which the Inuit and First Nations communities of Newfoundland and Labrador confronted and challenged the policies and procedures of the provincial research ethics system. We describe the ways in which these communities engaged with health and university research review administrators to exchange inform...

This presentation highlights the work of using institutional ethnography (IE) in applied health research. I illustrate how my IE study on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) both facilitated and complicated the process of knowledge translation (KT). I will discuss this in the context of KT with diverse audiences including community stakeholders,...

This presentation highlights the use of institutional ethnography (IE) in a study that examines how supports and services are coordinated for youth with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) diagnoses and their caregivers/parents. IE, as a method of inquiry, was used to document peoples’ everyday lived experiences; analyze a wide range of texts...

Context: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is frequently sited as the leading cause of “preventable” birth defects and developmental delay in Canadian children. There is an acute gap between what has been found to be helpful for people living with FASD and what health institutions/systems do. Objective: This study uses institutional ethnograph...

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a medical diagnosis whose etiology is linked to the consumption of alcohol by mothers during pregnancy. Effective supports and services are needed for people living with FASD; supports and services require funding; funding institutions typically require prevalence numbers; prevalence numbers require diagnos...

Two years of extensive consultation with community members, government and academic researchers invested in the issue of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) have guided my doctoral research into two main directions: 1) institutional ethnography (IE) as the appropriate methodology for examining the disconnect between the lived experiences of FASD...

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the leading cause of “preventable” birth defects and developmental delay in Canadian children. There is an acute gap between what has been found to be helpful for people living with FASD and what health institutions/systems do. This poster reports on the possibilities of using institutional ethnography (IE)...

This paper tells the story of a recent laboratory medicine controversy in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. During the controversy, a DAKO Autostainer machine was blamed for inaccurate breast cancer test results that led to the suboptimal treatment of many patients. In truth, the machine was not at fault. Using concepts developed...

This exploratory study sought to identify the experiences, topic coverage, comfort levels, views, and training of junior high school teachers responsible for teaching sexual health education in grades 7, 8, or 9 in Newfoundland and Labrador. All schools with these grades were invited to participate. Thirty-one teachers answered fixed measures and o...

My exploratory Master's thesis research examines how teachers of 'sex ed.' in Newfoundland and Labrador perpetuate problematic assumptions as they relate to sexual health. Sexual health education remains rooted in the simplistic idea that it exists primarily to regulate teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Educators' diplom...