From leadership research to district action: Canadian dietetic education and training actions to support Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation

AI-assisted editorial implementation guide. Proposed district actions are separate from the original authors’ findings and recommendations. Independent peer review of this guide is not asserted.

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Evidence and transfer

Education-related source: verify which participants, institutions and outcomes were actually studied before district adoption. Source publication type: research-article. License and identity checks do not establish study quality or causality.

Original authors’ abstract, reproduced under the source license:

Objectives The paper describes activities of dietetic education and training programs within Canada to advance Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. Methods A self-administered 34-question cross-sectional, online survey was distributed to all Canadian dietetic education and training programs, and available February–May 2022. A matrix question examined key actions and scope at program and/or institutional levels, while question logic and open-ended feedback options supported further description. Additional open-ended questions explored respondents’ perspectives on perceived barriers and needed supports for action. Descriptive statistics and deductive codes are presented. Results The survey was completed by 20 of 29 dietetic programs (69%). Adding Indigenous-related content to curricula (n = 18) and cultural immersion opportunities within Indigenous settings (n = 16) mainly occurred at the program level. Attracting and supporting Indigenous students/interns, staff, and faculty and preceptors (n = 19) and providing cultural safety training to staff and faculty (n = 17) were common activities of institutions. Respondents identified lack of resources (funding, staff, and time) as systemic barriers and the need for dietetic leadership support to advance processes of Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. Conclusion This study established a baseline record of Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation activities in Canadian dietetic education and training programs that can inform future work. Programs are encouraged to (1) evaluate current and future activities; (2) ensure activities are part of a comprehensive approach to Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation, rooted in Indigenous, social justice, and health equity principles; and (3) consider collaborative action and advocacy to overcome systemic barriers, with the support of dietetic leadership. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.17269/s41997-025-01055-z.

Study methods

A cross-sectional survey was developed and pilot-tested in partnership with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) University Dietetic Practicum Program (DPP). The study received ethics clearance from the University of Waterloo Research Ethics Board (REB #42577). Participants’ consent was determined by affirmative responses to a series of questions before starting the survey, including consent for the use of anonymous data in publications.

Limitations

Key strengths of this survey are the high response rate (69%) and description of 2022 practice against a comprehensive list of Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation activities. This broad portrayal of activities taking place within Canadian dietetic education and training programs and institutions serves as a benchmark for future activities to advance the TRCC Calls to Action (TRCC, 2015). However, a few important limitations need to be considered. For instance, the survey was only provided in English, which may have influenced the non-participation of four dominantly Francophone dietetic education and training programs. Also, Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation in healthcare education is a rapidly evolving area and the results of the survey represent only a snapshot in time for 2022. Finally, survey results relied on respondents’ familiarity with the work of their program and/or institution and lacked details on the depth and breadth of involvement in Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation.

A 90-day district inquiry

Days 1–15 · Appraise. Read the source methods, recruitment, comparator, outcomes and limitations. Record how the study setting differs from your district and which claim the design can support.
Days 16–30 · Design. Choose one school improvement question with teachers. Protect a short shared planning cycle, agree an instructional change and use a common rubric for examining student work. Agree participation, privacy protections, baseline and stopping rules before starting.
Days 31–60 · Observe. Collect the pre-agreed measures, keep a log of implementation changes and invite confidential voluntary feedback. Preserve existing support for staff and learners.
Days 61–90 · Decide. Review implementation fidelity, teacher time and independently scored student work against a recorded baseline. Examine access differences and competing explanations before attributing changes to leadership. Make a dated decision to stop, revise or extend the inquiry.

Board decision brief

Present the local problem, source setting, evidence limits, intervention, responsible owner, total cost, measured changes and uncertainty. Separate staff perceptions, implementation measures and student learning outcomes.

Attribution and reuse

Laura Correia Dias; Chelsea Leslie; Lee Rysdale; Victoria Emmell; Sandra A. Juutilainen; Shannan Grant; Kelly Gordon; Hannah Neufeld; Rhona M. Hanning. Canadian dietetic education and training actions to support Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation. Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique (2025-06-12). https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-025-01055-z

Prepared 2026-11-07. Source authorship and DOI are preserved. The abstract and source passages are attributed extracts; this editorial guide is offered under the same CC BY 4.0 license.