Ashley Johnson is Mohawk from Six Nations, ON.  She grew up mostly off-reserve with strong family and personal ties to Six Nations.  She is passionate about her community, Hamilton’s urban Indigenous community and her identity as a Mohawk woman.  She is currently completing her final year as a psychiatry resident in the Department of Psychiatry, McMaster University.  She completed medical school at Western University in London, ON in 2014. 

Prior to pursuing a career in medicine, Ashley completed a Master of Arts degree in Community Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON.  The Community Psychology program was pivotal in her professional development and aligned very well with her Indigenous values.  She has always been passionate about understanding and/or advocating for Indigenous social issues, Indigenous determinants of health, Indigenous ways of knowing and being and education of Indigenous students.  As such, her Master’s thesis entitled “Understanding Academic Success of Onkwehonwe (Indigenous) students through the use of an Onkwehonwe’neha (Indigenous methodology)” explored factors which led to academic success for post-graduate Indigenous students.  In the process of this (re)search, students inevitably shared the barriers and challenges, including systemic/institutional/academic racism and cultural dissonance they experienced in their academic journeys.   This (re)search strengthened Ashley’s passion in advocating for Indigenous students.

Ashley currently participates in the Indigenous Health Initiative (IHI) with the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Indigenous Mental Health Initiative with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University.

She provides psychiatric care in multiple settings, including work with De Dwa Da Dehs Nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre.  She is passionate about providing culturally safe, sensitive and appropriate care to Indigenous populations.  She also presents, educates and consults on topics related to Indigenous Mental Health Care. 

Danielle was the Ethical Guidelines and Knowledge Transfer Projects Coordinator for the McMaster/University of Toronto Indigenous Health Research Development Program, NEAHR (then ACADRE) Centre prior to her departure to Ottawa where she was the Senior Policy Analyst/Research Officer of the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) and Managing Editor of the Journal of Aboriginal Health. She returned to McMaster in 2010 as the Director and Program Coordinator for the ISHS office. In 2012, Danielle received the President’s Award for Outstanding Service.

Working to decrease barriers for Indigenous learners and to work with students to serve as mentor in their professional development, as a course supervisor, an instructor or strengthening their leadership skills are all components of her role as Director that she is most passionate and committed. Danielle continues to publish, conduct peer reviews and speak within the fields of equity, competency, power and privilege within health professions education, the broader social determinants of health, and the promotion and integration of Indigenous scholarship within health professions curriculum.  Danielle is a founding member of the National Indigenous Health Sciences Circle (NIHScC). She is a member of the Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education Network (LIME), Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada (IPAC) and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA) all of which assist in the ongoing learning, engagement, and knowledge sharing with leading Indigenous scholars and health professionals.

Danielle’s most recent conference presentations include “Where are you from? Reframing Facilitated Admissions Policies in the Faculty of Health Sciences.” Daniels: In and Beyond the Law. Rupertsland Centre for Métis Research, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB. 2017. “Responding to The Challenge: Innovation in Increasing Diversity of Canadian Medical Education through the Fusions of Indigenous and Western Knowledge at McMaster University's School of Medicine.”  Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) Barcelona, Spain. 2016 and “Yes, this Elective is Biased! Student Knowledge Translation in Education and Career Post Aboriginal Health Elective.” Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education Network (LIME). LIME Connection VI. Townsville, AU. 2015

Matthew Jocko is Algonquin and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. He moved to Hamilton in 2015 to pursue a career that involved being immersed in Indigenous cultures and politics. He has spent three years working with Six Nations of the Grand River in the Lands and Resources Department as a part of the Consultation Team. His time there has given him experience and knowledge that is vital in understanding, engaging and working with diverse Indigenous cultures in complex environments and he brings these skills to ISHS and the First Nations, Inuit and Métis students they serve.

Matt graduated from the University of Alberta in 2014 with a Major in Political Science and a Minor in Sociology. Through his studies, he decided to enroll in Indigenous Studies courses and quickly developed a passion for the subject. Through his time at the university, he was involved as both a user and provider with the Indigenous Student’s Office. He was also vital in establishing the first Field Lacrosse team for the University.

Matt is very passionate about Indigenous issues in Canada. He values the success of Indigenous people in society while retaining cultural identity. He is very excited to be a part of the ISHS team to assist in the success of Indigenous students in health sciences at McMaster in any way he can.

Catherine Booker is very familiar with identity politics. She is a Munsee-Delaware woman with both Celtic and African-American heritage. Her primary joy in life is being mom to Carida (5) and Fionnagh (2). She was born and raised in Norfolk County, next to Six Nations Territory and has enduring ties to her Mohawk family there.

Catherine graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University in Brantford with her Honors BA in Contemporary and Indigenous Studies. She was instrumental in creating an Indigenous Student’s group for the Brantford campus, which allowed people to connect, support one another, and celebrate their cultures. This group was a platform for Indigenous voices to be heard within the institution. She has carried these ideals forward into her work at McMaster, originally as an Indigenous Outreach Educator through Engineering, where she worked with Indigenous as well as at-risk youth, both in the Greater-Hamilton area as well as Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.

Catherine values diversity and inclusion, Indigenous learner’s education, and creating mindful space at ISHS, possibly over a cup of tea. She is excited for the unique opportunities and challenges of serving McMaster students and her community as part of the ISHS Team.