Increasing Indigenous Physicians in Healthcare—June 2025

Increasing Indigenous Physicians in Healthcare—June 2025

DEI Research Health and Healthcare Indigenous Communities Skills and Workforce Development
Pages:33 pages45 min read

Author: Alicia Hussain

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First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in Canada continue to experience longstanding health inequities, but Indigenous physicians are well positioned to rebuild health services and trust among their communities. This research examines ways to increase the representation of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit physicians, looking at the barriers they face and the ways to overcome them.

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Strategies to Increase the Number of Indigenous Physicians in Canada

There are longstanding health inequities for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities in Canada, but Indigenous physicians are well positioned to rebuild health services and trust among Indigenous communities. This research examines ways to increase the representation of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit physicians, looking at the barriers and the ways to overcome them.

This paper builds on our previous quantitative analysis of Indigenous representation in health professions across Canada. How can early career guidance and mentorship assist aspiring physicians? What barriers do Indigenous students face before and during medical school? What supports can help them access and succeed in medical education? What collaborative efforts are key to driving systemic change to better support Indigenous physicians? How are Indigenous physicians central to addressing health inequities in Indigenous communities?

Read the impact paper to get our full analysis.

Key findings
Indigenous physicians are essential to health equity
The project
Reimagining access to  medical school
Staying power: Indigenous retention in medical school
Supporting early-career Indigenous physicians
Forging a new path forward
Advancing Indigenous representation in healthcare
Appendix A: Methodology
Appendix B: Bibliography

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