Faith Julien is a Mi’kmaq woman and community member of Millbrook First Nation, Nova Scotia. She is the great-granddaughter of the late Martha Julien, one of the founders of the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association and the Granddaughter of the late Linda Julien, who dedicated twenty-seven years to the Millbrook Band Administration. She is the daughter of Lisa McDonald, who raised five children on her own and continues to care for her grandchildren.

Faith is the Manager of Indigenous Health and supports the Keknu'tmasiek Ta'n Tel Welo'ltimk program. Faith is a Ph.D. student at Laurentian University, and her research focuses on Mi'kmaw Matriarchs, Grandmother wisdom, healing and good medicine. She graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University and completed a Master of Health Administration.

Faith is very passionate about Indigenous health, well-being and advocacy.

Dr. Brent Young is Anishinaabe and a member of Sandy Bay First Nation. His mother is a Sixties Scoop Survivor, and his grandmother was a survivor of Sandy Bay Indian Residential School. He was born and raised in Unama’ki. He is a family physician at Sipekne’katik Health Centre, academic director for Indigenous health at Dalhousie Medical School, and founding clinical lead of Wije’winen Health Centre. He played a key role in supporting the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre in establishing this service for the urban Indigenous community of Halifax in 2022. Through his leadership, Dalhousie Medical School has seen a substantial increase in the number of Indigenous medical students being admitted through a new Indigenous Admissions Pathway. This pathway is poised to become a key driver of the Indigenous physician workforce in the region and across Canada. His primary area of interest is dismantling anti-Indigenous racism in healthcare systems using rights-based frameworks. 

Shante Blackmore is a Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotian Family Physician. She is the daughter of Noreen Sylliboy and Gerald Blackmore. She comes from a close knit family and was raised in Millbrook First Nation with her three other siblings. Most of all, she is a proud mother to her 2 year old son.

Shante finished medical school at Western University in 2021 and came to Dalhousie to do her family medicine residency which she finished this past June. She then went on to complete enhanced skills training inn women’s health and gender-affirming care. Shante currently works at the Wije’winen Health Centre in Jipuktuk.

Her primary role in the program will be student support and has office hours on Tuesdays. She can be reached at shante.blackmore@dal.ca.

Welcome Ann (Annjij) LaBillois our newest Elder in Residence here at Dalhousie! The Elders in Residence program is part of the Human Right and Equity Services office under Dr. Theresa Rajack-Talley. Ann is connected to the health faculties and works closely with Keknu’tmasiek ta'n tel Welo’ltimk team.

Ann (Annjij) LaBillois, our newest Elder in Residence here at Dalhousie.

Ann is here to support Indigenous students at Dalhousie through 1-1 meetings, smudging, offering opening prayers, and more. Ann is from Ugpi’ganjig (Eel River Bar) in New Brunswick, she grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, has 3 children and 3 grandchildren.  Ann worked as an addiction counselor for 12 years, at the Eel River Bar Health Center and has 25 years of sobriety.  Ann also has a certification in MBSR (Mindful Based Stress Reduction) through the University of Massachusetts.  Embracing her life journey, she has gained an understanding of the continuing ripple effects of colonialism.  Ann’s experience with the impact of residential schools was lived through her father, Issac LaBillois, who had lived in the school for 7 years.  Ann understands that feeling of losing one’s connection to self, the earth, our culture and with Creator.  Today Ann has a passion to share the gifts that have helped her to heal.

Ann is also a Dalhousie student currently realizing her dream of being a university student from a young age and finally being here. Ann has expressed that through sharing our experiences we can help and support each other through the self-discovery process that university can be. Ann is extremely approachable and ready to support students through whatever they are going through.

Mattea Bernard is a Mi’kmaq community member of Millbrook First Nation in Nova Scotia. Her mother continues to dedicate her time working for the Government of Canada while her father is a band council member as well as a Grand Council Member.

She graduated from Cobequid Educational Centre in 2023 and is currently studying in the Medical Science Program here at Dalhousie University.