Melissa Shouting

Melissa Shouting (Tsikakiiaaki) is a registered member of Kainai Nation within the Blackfoot Confederacy and an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. Her research program is grounded in Blackfoot epistemologies and focuses on Indigenous health, Indigenous data sovereignty and governance, along with community-driven approaches to health system transformation.

Collaborating with Indigenous communities and organizations, her scholarly work explores how Indigenous knowledge systems, governance, and relational approaches to wellness can promote health equity and self-determination. Her research utilizes Indigenous methodologies and mixed-methods strategies to examine Indigenous health determinants, culturally grounded health planning, and Nation-specific research governance frameworks.

Melissa currently leads the Sokkinakia'pi Collaborative Project in partnership with the Blood Tribe Department of Health, a multi-phase, community-led initiative aimed at supporting long-term health planning and wellness within Kainai Nation. She has also contributed to projects related to Indigenous health promotion, digital repatriation and cultural continuity, substance use and harm reduction, and Indigenous women's wellness and economic empowerment.

Melissa is committed to experiential learning and relational accountability, integrating research, teaching, and mentorship to advance the success of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and to foster collaborative partnerships that strengthen Indigenous health research and community capacity. She is currently completing her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan

Experience:

Melissa has more than ten years of experience in Indigenous health research, program evaluation, policy development, community engagement, and capacity development across academic institutions, government agencies, and Indigenous organizations. She has worked extensively with Indigenous, non-Indigenous, and government organizations on research initiatives, strategic planning, evaluation, and training programs.

Areas of Expertise:

• Indigenous Health
• Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Governance
• Indigenous Research Methodologies
• Community-Based Participatory Research
• Mixed-Methods Research
• Program Evaluation
• Health Systems Transformation
• Health Policy
• Knowledge Mobilization
• Cultural Safety and Humility
• Professional Practice and Consulting

Teaching Experience:

Melissa has over six years of post-secondary teaching experience and is dedicated to experiential learning and community-engaged education. She has also delivered invited lectures in health sciences, nursing, Indigenous studies, addictions counselling, history, and literacy studies at various institutions across Canada.

Areas of Teaching:

• Indigenous Methodologies
• Indigenous Determinants of Health
• Indigenous Research Methods in Health
• Community-Based Participatory Research
• Cultural Safety and Humility
• Decolonial and Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Research Focus: 

Current Areas of Inquiry:

• Indigenous Health Promotion and Wellness
• Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Governance
• Nation-Centered Ethics
• Indigenous Determinants of Health
• Indigenous Health Systems Transformation
• Cultural Continuity and Intergenerational Wellness
• Blackfoot Governance and Relational Accountability
• Mixed-Methods Research 
• Knowledge Mobilization

Current and Recent Projects:

Sokkinakia'pi Collaborative Project: A multi-phase, mixed-methods community needs assessment to support long-term health planning and self-determination within Kainai Nation.

• Community Partner: Blood Tribe Department of Health
• Role: Principal Investigator

Drug and Alcohol-Related Acute Toxicity Deaths in Canada: National review of coroner and medical examiner files.

• Funder: Public Health Agency of Canada
• Role: Subject Matter Expert

Mootookakio'ssin Blackfoot Digital Project - International collaboration examining digital repatriation, cultural continuity, and Indigenous approaches to stewardship.

• Role: Research Collaborator

Blackfoot Women's Empowerment Project - Community-based participatory research supporting economic prosperity and wellness among Indigenous women.

• Role: Program Coordinator

Recent Awards:

• Emerging Indigenous Scholar/Researcher Award, International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry (2022)
• British Columbia Graduate Scholarship (2026)
• UBC Okanagan Indigenous Scholars Award (2026)
• UBC Okanagan Graduate Research Scholarship (2026)