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$1.5 million to help University of Victoria engage in Indigenous mental health research

University seeking new research chair in Indigenous mental health in 2022
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The University of Victoria received a donation from alumnus Bruce McKean to support Indigenous mental health research. (Black Press Media file photo)

A new research chair in Indigenous mental health – named for the late Chief Mungo Martin – will be established by the University of Victoria with the help of a $1.5-million donation from UVic alumnus Bruce McKean.

The university is actively recruiting for the role in UVic’s department of psychology – a role that will further mental health research through informed engagement with Indigenous communities, a release said.

McKean wanted to pay respect and give further recognition to the Mungo Martin name since he was a leader in the rediscovery of First Nations art, culture, and ceremonies, he said.

“Truth and reconciliation is about Canadians reconciling ourselves to the truth about our history with Indigenous Peoples,” he added in the release.

“We are grateful for the donation that established the research chair in Mungo Martin’s name and to use his name in what is an important and needed area of research all over Canada,” said Chief David Mungo Knox, Martin’s great-grandson.

Martin, who died in 1962, remains a world-renowned Kwakwaka’wakw artist who played a large role in shifting cultural attitudes toward mental health.

The university is recruiting for an Indigenous scholar with a background in Indigenous knowledge to fill the position in 2022.

ALSO READ: University of Victoria’s Indigenous art practices impact chair hopes to be catalyst for change


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