Having migrated to Canada in 2016, Nabina began her academic career as a Research Assistant at the Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research under the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Walker, an esteemed Indigenous scholar. With a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Public Health from Nepal, Nabina initially focused her research on adapting Dr. Walker’s Canadian Indigenous Cognitive Assessment Tool for Nepal’s Indigenous populations.
During her first year in the Rural and Northern Health PhD program, Nabina’s academic journey took a transformative turn. Her relationship with her supervisor, Dr. Jennifer Walker and an Indigenous Health and Wellness elective class ignited Nabina’s desire to learn more about Indigeneity.
She immersed herself in Indigenous culture, frequently visiting the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre and engaging with local elders. “I felt vulnerable but also a deep sense of belonging,” she shared, reflecting on her emotional learning experience.
As Nabina delved deeper into her studies, she recognized a critical gap in diagnosing dementia in a culturally appropriate and relevant way for Nepalese populations and aimed to adapt the Canadian Indigenous Cognitive Assessment tool in the context of Nepal. As the Covid-19 pandemic hit, she was not allowed to travel to Nepal for her research. This prompted her to pivot her research focus towards dementia care in Indigenous populations, ultimately developing the research basis for a culturally appropriate Indigenous Functional Assessment Tool for dementia, working directly with local communities and health care providers.
As an early researcher, she became a trainee at Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging, a network of 300-plus researchers and clinicians across Canada who work on dementia and neurodegenerative diseases. She is also a member of the International Indigenous Dementia Research Network (IIDRN) and a member of Community-Based Indigenous Cognitive Health Network (CICHN).
“Dementia presents unique challenges that require culturally sensitive approaches,” Nabina explained. Her research aims to address the complexities of daily living for Indigenous individuals affected by dementia, recognizing that existing Western-developed health care tools often fail to capture cultural nuances.
Throughout her research, Nabina collaborated with Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services, an Indigenous health organization providing primary and therapeutic health services to communities, conducting a scoping review and engaging health professionals to ensure the research reflected the needs of Indigenous communities. “My research is about seeing the person in totality—considering community, health, and environment through a holistic, relational approach,” she emphasized.
As she prepares for her convocation, Nabina reflects on the invaluable support she received from the faculty at Laurentian University. “The encouragement from my professors in the Rural and Northern Health program has been instrumental in my journey,” she noted.
While Nabina had to pivot from her original vision, she takes pride in knowing the research she has done throughout her PhD is critical preliminary research for the continued development of culturally appropriate health care. Looking ahead, Nabina plans to continue her work with Indigenous and South Asian populations in dementia and brain health, collaborating with national and international researchers and further developing culturally appropriate assessment tools.
Nabina Sharma is eager to attend the convocation ceremony on November 2 with her parents in attendance. On this momentous occasion, she is not only celebrating her academic achievement but also her commitment to fostering meaningful change in public health. Her work exemplifies the importance of culturally sensitive research and the impact it can have on communities worldwide.