Dr. Naana Jumah - Recipient of the 2023 Carl Nimord Educator Award
Published Wednesday, February 21, 2024
The Carl Nimrod Educator Award recognizes outstanding achievement within the field of education in obstetrics and gynecology. Award recipients have demonstrated excellence, commitment, innovation and leadership in imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes to the next generation of practitioners.
Dr.Jumah, an Obstetrician Gynaecologist at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) and Assistant Professor at NOSM University, has worked hard to remove barriers to accessing and improving reproductive health care for Indigenous women. As a member of TBRHSC's Maternity Centre team, Dr. Jumah has provided culturally safe care to patients across the region. In some instances, patients and their families cannot access the Maternity Centre due to the remoteness of the community they live in.
To ensure that quality care is available in remote communities in Northern Ontario, Dr. Jumah implemented the Maternal-Infant Support Worker Program along with Confederation College. This Program trained Indigenous women living on-reserve to provide basic care for newborns and their mothers in their communities. Participants accessed the training in person and via teleconference to ensure they do not have to travel away from home for long periods. Graduates of the program received certificates and a college credit, which can help them pursue additional training. Dr. Jumah believes that alternative ways and support systems will help to address the under-representation of Indigenous Peoples in higher education.
“I believe that Indigenous women's reproductive health is important and always has been. I strive to be an ally and advocate for the women I serve. I want to ensure that healthcare providers have the opportunity to provide a high-quality experience for all our patients,” said Dr. Jumah. “If we understand how our experiences inform our relationships with our patients, we can improve healthcare for everyone, regardless of their background or health issue.”
During her residency, Dr. Jumah realized there was a lack of training in Indigenous Peoples' health. After conducting research into this gap, she discovered that residents had knowledge about disease-specific issues, but they did not know why Indigenous women had worse health outcomes. To begin to close this gap, Dr. Jumah developed a curriculum entitled Hearing Our Voices: An Indigenous Women's Reproductive Health Curriculum. Launched in 2019, the goal of the curriculum is to fill the educational gap around Indigenous Women's health and the outcomes they experience.
Through funding from the Northern Ontario Academic Medicine Association, Dr. Jumah partnered with representatives from Indigenous women's organizations from across Canada to develop the curriculum. The training focuses on communication, and building trust-based relationships with Indigenous patients keeping in mind the lessons learned from the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The cultural safety curriculum is intended for health and social service providers, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and office staff who interact with Indigenous patients and their families..
Congratulations to Dr. Jumah on this outstanding achievement!