Pewaseskwan Indigenous Wellness Research Group at University of Saskatchewan has partnered with The Key First Nation and Yorkton Tribal Council.

The collaboration will work on advancing the research of heart disease and spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy, also known as Kennedy’s Disease.

Indigenous voices in the research are being prioritized, as roughly 83 per-cent of people with Kennedy’s Disease in Saskatchewan are Indigenous, primarily Cree or Saulteaux people.

A letter of intent was signed at a ceremony near St. Philips Friday morning.

Key First Nation Chief Clinton Key says, “The research team is invested in ensuring that the study is carried out in a good way, and we are especially pleased that one of our own, Elder Sharon Jinkerson-Brass, is helping to lead its implementation.”  He notes that as a community, they are also starting to learn more about Kennedy’s Disease and its underreported disproportionate prevalence in Indigenous communities due to the lack of research.

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