Dr. JoLee Sasakamoose: Advancing Indigenous Wellness Through a Career of Community-Led Research
- Sarah Kasleder for SHRF
- 22 minutes ago
- 5 min read
By Sarah Kasleder for SHRF
For more than two decades, Dr. JoLee Sasakamoose’s career has been shaped by sustained relationships with communities, institutions, and systems across Saskatchewan and beyond. Her work reflects a long-term commitment to Indigenous-led research, ethical governance, and the translation of knowledge into lasting programs, spaces, and systems.
Dr. Sasakamoose is a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina, the CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Research Chair in Indigenous Wellness and Health Equity, and an Adjunct Faculty member in the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. She also serves as Counselling and Wellness Director at Nanawihowikamik Healing Lodge and Wellness Clinic and Peer Support Services in Regina.
Across these roles, her work spans mental health, maternal and family wellness, chronic disease prevention, men’s mental health, youth wellbeing, and health and social system transformation. While the contexts vary, her work is unified by a consistent approach: community-led research grounded in Indigenous governance and accountability.
That career-long contribution was recognized on January 29, 2026, at the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) Santé Awards, where Dr. Sasakamoose received the SHRF Achievement Award.
“I don’t approach research as a series of discrete projects,” she explains. “When a community invites me in, that relationship carries responsibilities that extend well beyond funding cycles or publications. That ethic has shaped my work from the beginning.”
Advancing Knowledge Through Indigenous Governance and Methodology
Central to Dr. Sasakamoose’s career is the Cultural Responsiveness Framework (CRF)—a framework developed through the knowledge, guidance, and governance of Elders and Knowledge Keepers from Saskatchewan First Nations and later articulated by Dr. Sasakamoose into a theoretical model that now informs research, policy, and practice across multiple sectors.
“My work with Muskowekwan First Nation marked a turning point,” she reflects. “The framework already existed within community knowledge and practice. My role was to listen carefully and translate that knowledge into a theory that could move across systems without losing its integrity.”
Once articulated, the framework became the unifying foundation of her work.
“It allowed very different projects to remain coherent because they were grounded in the same Indigenous governance principles,” she explains. “That’s why my work can appear broad, even though it is actually very focused.”
She clarifies that focus directly.
“My work is not centered on individual diseases. It is centered on the conditions required for Indigenous healing. The framework provides that focus.”
At its core, the Cultural Responsiveness Framework offers a shared orientation.
“It helps align people working from different knowledge systems toward common ethical and strategic directions.”
Those directions are clear: restoring First Nations health and wellness systems; creating ethical space between Indigenous and Western ways of knowing; and transforming how services are designed and delivered.
“For me, the framework is fundamentally about governance,” Dr. Sasakamoose says. “It belongs to the Nations who created it. My responsibility has always been stewardship, not ownership.”
That stewardship includes accountability.
“Returning to Knowledge Keepers to reflect on how the framework has been used is not symbolic. It is governance in practice.”
From Community Narratives to Co-Designed Spaces
One of the first communities to apply the Cultural Responsiveness Framework was Muskowekwan First Nation, where Dr. Sasakamoose’s research supported the co-design and development of the Muskowekwan Family Healing and Wellness Centre.
“The community already understood what wellness meant to them,” she explains. “Our task was to create the conditions where those understandings could be expressed, respected, and acted upon.”
Listening was foundational.
“The research began with relationships, not data collection.”
That process led to a critical shift in approach.
“We realized early that conventional questions about ‘culture’ were limiting. When we shifted toward everyday practices—land, food, prayer, relationships—the community’s values became much clearer.”
The findings revealed deep spiritual continuity alongside diverse expressions of practice.
“That insight mattered,” she says. “It meant the centre had to be inclusive rather than prescriptive.”
Elders’ land-based knowledge was central to decision-making.
“Their understanding of place—history, memory, risk—fundamentally altered the planning process. That knowledge cannot be replaced by technical assessments.”
Community involvement continued into architectural design.
“Community members worked directly with the architects, shaping the space themselves. The process reinforced ownership, agency, and pride.”
Throughout, Dr. Sasakamoose documented each phase as part of the research.
“The research didn’t end with approval or construction,” she notes. “Its most important outcome was that it translated into something tangible.”
“It didn’t end as a report,” she adds. “It became a living space for care.”
Building Capacity That Stays
A defining feature of Dr. Sasakamoose’s career is her commitment to building capacity that remains within communities and institutions long after a project concludes.
“If I invite someone into the work,” she says, “I am invested in their long-term success.”
Across her career, she has intentionally created pathways for students, community members, and early-career researchers to move into leadership roles. Many now work as professionals, educators, and faculty members themselves.
Her approach to mentorship is deliberate and relational.
“I pay attention to readiness and commitment. When those are present, I create opportunities for people to step into responsibility.”
Capacity restoration is equally central in community contexts.
“Sustainability depends on who holds the skills. When community members lead the work, capacity stays where it belongs.”
This philosophy extends to youth engagement through initiatives such as pre-medical and allied health clubs for Grades 6–8.
“Early exposure matters. When young people can see themselves in these spaces, it expands what they believe is possible.”
For Dr. Sasakamoose, capacity building is inseparable from research.
“It is not an outcome of the work—it is the work.”
Supporting Mothers, Families, and Prevention Across Generations
Prevention and early support, particularly for women and families, have been consistent threads throughout Dr. Sasakamoose’s career.
“Across clinical and research settings, the same pattern emerged,” she explains. “Girls and women in their childbearing years were disproportionately affected by preventable health conditions.”
That reality shaped her maternal health work.
“If we invest in maternal care early, we address the roots of multiple downstream issues.”
This led to Okawimaw Kanosimowin: Mother’s Bundle, co-created with Dr. Mamata Pandey (Saskatchewan Health Authority) and the Wellness Wheel team. The project received a $49,982 Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Research Grant and another $100,000 CIHR project grant.
“The bundle was designed to provide holistic support for the mother,” Dr. Sasakamoose explains. “Not just birth, but the postpartum experience.”
The bundle combined Western and traditional items, including diapers and clothing alongside cradleboards, star blankets, baby moccasins, Indigenous children’s books, and traditional medicines.
While inspired by international models such as Finland’s baby box, the project was intentionally adapted through Indigenous governance and community leadership. It later received international recognition, including being shortlisted for a Nature Award for Inclusive Health Research and selected for the Nature Best Practices in Inclusive Health website.
“It affirmed that community-led work matters,” she reflects. “When you support a woman, you support an entire family—often across generations.”
A Collective Honour
While the SHRF Achievement Award recognizes Dr. Sasakamoose’s career, she consistently situates that recognition within the collective.
“No one does this work alone. Elders, Knowledge Keepers, community members, students, and partners—that is where the strength lies.”
For her, impact is measured in continuity.
“When you see a student become a professor, a program become a permanent space, or a child thrive—that is the measure.”
By advancing Indigenous-led ways of knowing, supporting community governance, building lasting capacity, and translating research into enduring programs, spaces, and systems, Dr. JoLee Sasakamoose continues to shape the future of Indigenous wellness research in Saskatchewan and beyond.