Abstract
Over the past four years, despite low resource allocations to the North, northern residents and community organizations have taken significant initiatives towards the development of health research. In this commentary, we present a model for the development of northern health research based on our experiences in establishing the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research (ICHR) in the Northwest Territories. It is hoped that the lessons we have learned will inform decision-makers and encourage them to make strategic investments to support further health research capacity and institutional development within the North. Factors that have enabled the development of a health research institute in the North include leadership, a vision for health research, and the engagement of key partners and stakeholders. Challenges arise in the development of appropriate governance and policy for health research. There is an urgency to target resources to support the development of policies and governance for health research in northern jurisdictions. Both academic and community-based research need to be strengthened.
Keywords: Research, health policy, arctic regions, public health
Résumé
Au cours des quatre dernières années, malgré le manque de ressources attribuées aux régions nordiques, les résidents et les organismes communautaires du Nord ont lancé d’importantes initiatives pour développer la recherche en santé. Dans ce commentaire, nous présentons un modèle pour le développement de la recherche en santé nordique d’après notre expérience de l’établissement de l’Institute for Circumpolar Health Research (ICHR) dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest. Nous espérons que les leçons de cette expérience seront utiles aux décideurs et les inciteront à faire des investissements stratégiques pour rehausser la capacité de recherche en santé et le développement institutionnel dans le Nord. Les facteurs qui ont permis la création d’un établissement de recherche en santé dans le Nord sont le leadership, une vision de la recherche en santé et la mobilisation des partenaires clés et des parties prenantes. L’élaboration de structures décisionnelles et de politiques adaptées à la recherche en santé présente des défis. Il est urgent de cibler les ressources qui appuieront l’élaboration de ces politiques et de ces structures dans les territoires nordiques. Il faut renforcer à la fois la recherche universitaire et la recherche communautaire.
Motsclés: recherche, politique sanitaire, arctique, santé publique
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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