Peter Hutchinson

Assistant Professor PhD

Peter Hutchinson’s research focuses on Indigenous health services utilizing Indigenous research methods and Indigenous knowledge mobilization approaches.  Dr. Hutchinson’s research goal is to examine Indigenous Knowledge within health services and how decolonization impacts Indigenous health and well-being.

Dr. Hutchinson has worked with the Métis Nation BC to increase knowledge about chronic diseases prevalent amongst Métis in BC.  This project utilized data linking between the MNBC citizenship registry and data files held by the BC Ministry of Health. This project resulted in a number of reports and publications held by MNBC and the Provincial Health Officer.

Dr. Hutchinson also worked with Métis harvesters to describe the link between cultural activities and health.  In this project, Métis harvesters were outfitted with heart rate monitors and GPS devices that tracked harvesters’ movement and the amount of energy they expended while harvesting.  The research demonstrated that survey questions about participation in cultural activities need to be specific to activity and region to demonstrate a link with physical health.  The project also created a series of videos describing the importance of being connected to the land. The first video and second video are linked.

Dr. Hutchinson also spent time working at the national level with the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. During his time with The Partnership, he facilitated cultural safety training, worked on creating sustainable funding for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis cancer care and screening programs, and facilitated knowledge mobilization across cancer care specific to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis health.

Most recently, Dr. Hutchinson has worked with the University of Saskatchewan, facilitating infrastructure development to support Indigenous Research Methods and cultural safety training.

Currently, Dr. Hutchinson is looking to work with Indigenous communities and health service providers in examining the decolonization of health services and racialized experiences in health service provision.