Mohawk one of few Native medical students

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Medical student John Brisebois never misses a chance to encourage Native students to consider a career in the health sciences. So he was pleased when asked to participate in the recent Native Awareness Days at the University of Alberta since it gave him a chance to talk about the rewards of such a career.

Brisebois, a second-year medical student, was born on the Kahnawake reserve, south of Montreal. "I applied for admission to four medical schools, but I chose the faculty of medicine at the U of A because of its commitment to the graduating physicians of aboriginal ancestry and because of its interest in solving the problems of Indian health," he says.

The U of A is the only university to offer a scholarship to Native students and with five enrolled in the program, it has the highest enrollment of aboriginal students in the country. The students include Chris Cooper, an Ojibwa from Ontario, Dennis Wardman, a Saskatchewan Cree, Dana Winterburn, an Abenaki from northern Quebec, and Craig Schachler, a Delaware from the Six Nations reserve in Ontario.

"We are a small number in an average class size of 125," laughs Brisebois, who was recently awarded the Darcy Tailfeathers Memorial Award in medicine, given for excellence in academic and athletic achievement. The award is given in memory of a young man from the Blood band, who was tragically killed in a car crash in 1987 in his third year of medical studies. He was the first aboriginal student in the faculty of medicine.

Brisebois has also been awarded the Tom Longboat Award, a national honor which also recognizes athletic and academic achievement. "I've always been interested in hockey, golf and long-distance running," he explains.

In fact at one stage in his life his sports activities overshadowed his school work. "I tell young people I really struggled as a student at one time." He turned his priorities around and concentrated on his studies, which he says any student committed to a medical career can do.

Brisebois was also given one of 25 scholarships handed out last year by the medical services branch of Health and Welfare Canada to Native students studying for health-related careers.

Brisebois is quick to encourage young people to consider careers in the health profession and he reminds them becoming a doctor is just one rewarding career they could consider.

"There is a need for physiotherapists, nurses and biochemistry graduates as well."

He feels it is especially tragic there are only about 34 known Native physicians in the country. That works out to about one for every 29,000 Indian people. And there's only 17 Native medical students across Canada.

Brisebois spends his summers recruiting and counselling hopeful Native students. "It was pretty frustrating last year. I was working for the medical services branch of Health and Welfare Canada through the Oka crisis on my home reserve."

He was often pressured by fellow Native employees to leave his job. "But I believed in what I was doing. In addition we were preparing some manuals for prospective university students which wouldn't have been completed if I had quit," he explains.

The Mohawk man plans to attend university in Edmonton for another couple of years and then return east to intern.

"I want eventually to end up in a family practice rather than specializing," he says. He also hopes to spend time serving isolated reserves, where it's hard to get health professionals to work.

Participation in the March 6-9 Native Awareness Days also gave Brisebois a chance to talk about Indian culture.

As Lorraine Courtrielle explains, "The theme for this year's awareness days was healing and unity for our future." Courtrielle is one of the board members of the Aboriginal student Council, which along with various corporations and organizations sponsors the event. Each day also had an additional focus like Native youth, aboriginal sovereignty and family healing, she says.

Brisebois was teamed with fellow medical students in an nformation session. "There is an increased interest in traditional Native healing methods," he says.

Speakers in other events over the three days included grand chief and vice-chief respectively of the Assembly of First Nations, Georges Erasmus and Lawrence Courtoreille, Leroy Little Bear from the University of Lethbridge, Wilson Okeymaw, director of Hobbema's Nayo Skan Treatment Centre, and well-known Native actress Tantoo Cardinal. Also participating from the University of Alberta were teachers Olive Dickason and Steve Greymorning.

Crowds often numbered over 250 people and included Native and non-Native students and interested members of the community. Several schools, including Saddle Lake and Hobbema, also attended says Courtrille.