Abegweit First Nation to deliver Indigenous health course for UPEI Nursing Students
This fall, third-year nursing students at UPEI have the opportunity to learn about Indigenous health, healing, and well-being directly within a Mi’kmaq community in Epekwitk (PEI).
NURS 3250: Indigenous Health, Healing, and Well-being, has been designed, developed, and will be delivered by the Abegweit First Nation Mi’kmaq Wellness Centre under the guidance of Dr. Terry LeBlanc and other members of the Abegweit community.
On September 29, 2026, at Abegweit First Nation’s Scotchfort Reserve, the community hosted a launch event celebrating the new course and its partnership with UPEI’s Faculty of Nursing. The launch occurred one day before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, underscoring the course’s connection to TRC Call to Action #24.
Representatives from the UPEI Faculty of Nursing, Abegweit Education Department, and Health PEI joined Chief Roderick Gould Jr., Dr. Terry LeBlanc, MP Kent MacDonald and course participants, past and present, who shared their perspectives and experiences.
While Indigenous health content has been offered to UPEI nursing students in previous semesters, including Abegweit’s first delivery of this course under the Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Sciences, NURS 3250 marks the first time a course curriculum has been designed, developed, and is being entirely delivered by and within a First Nations community, marking a significant step forward in community-led education.
“It is a privilege to be invited by the Mi'kmaq Elders, Mi'kmaq Wellness Centre, and the people of Abegweit First Nation to participate in this important learning experience,” said Ellon Matthews, Clinical and International Placement Coordinator, UPEI Faculty of Nursing. “We are grateful for the opportunity to support the Indigenous Health and Wellness course and to learn alongside community members while fostering cultural humility, respect, and understanding. As a Faculty of Nursing, we acknowledge the historic and ongoing harms of anti-Indigenous racism in health care and education and remain committed to supporting decolonization in our educational structures and healthcare. We are dedicated to creating meaningful learning experiences that honour Indigenous knowledge, traditions, strengths, and ways of knowing.”
Abegweit First Nation hopes this approach will model what continued collaboration between Indigenous communities and health education institutions could look like across the country.
“Abegweit First Nation is incredibly proud to deliver this course in partnership with UPEI’s Faculty of Nursing,” says Chief Roderick Gould Jr. “We’re demonstrating that the Wellness Centre team are leaders in both Indigenous health care and education and are actively creating opportunities for future health professionals to learn from and alongside our community.”
Developed specifically for nursing students, the three-credit course will explore historical and contemporary factors affecting Indigenous health in Epekwitk and across Canada. Students will examine the impacts of colonialism and social determinants of health alongside Indigenous understandings of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
“To the best of our understanding, this course marks an historic milestone. It is the first course of its kind in health to have been fully and specifically designed, developed, and now delivered by a First Nation community for an accredited nurse training program,” says Dr. LeBlanc.
Dr. LeBlanc is the founding Chair and Director Emeritus of NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community, a global Indigenous educational institution delivering fully accredited graduate and post-graduate degree programs. He holds an interdisciplinary PhD in theology and anthropology as well as a graduate certification in asset-based community development from Case Western Reserve University’s GEM program. He has taught as a sessional instructor in university, college, and seminary contexts across the globe.
The course will be co-instructed by Stephanie Jadis, RN, and Jessica MacKinnon, RN, both also members of Abegweit First Nation. Course activities will include class discussions, assigned and supplemental readings, and individual and collective exploration including land-based learning of a variety of sorts.
