
Dr. Holly Graham discusses her journey as an Indigenous nurse and her efforts to address health disparities and racism in healthcare.
Dr. Holly Graham never planned on nursing. She wanted a police badge, then a law degree and a judge's bench. Instead, she followed her mother's wish and walked into nursing school as the only student from a reserve in a class of more than 200. The isolation was real. So were the health gaps she saw every shift. In this episode, Graham traces her path from being the only Cree nurse in her graduating class, to becoming a professor of psychiatry, registered doctoral psychologist, and Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan . Her curiosity about widespread health disparities for Indigenous people pushed her back to university, into a master's degree and a PhD focused on Indigenous health. She continues to provide mental health counselling for patients carrying deep-seated trauma and symptoms of PTSD. She also explains why watching Grey's Anatomy during the pandemic inspired her to create a free pocket-sized 'CPR Racism' guide. "CPR underscores the urgency of life," said Graham. "People are unfortunately not having the best health outcomes, and in some situations dying as a result of racism." From that insight, Graham created a free CPR RACISM Guide that…
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