Sarah Demedeiros was awarded the 2025 Research Impact Canada Engaged Scholarship Award for her project, Digital Storytelling for Intergenerational Health and Well-Being: A Decolonized Approach to Disseminating and Preserving Indigenous Elder Knowledge in Health Research.
ABOUT PROJECT
Background:
Since time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have sustained cultural continuity, social cohesion, and intergenerational well-being through rich knowledge-sharing traditions grounded in relationality and reciprocity. Elders often hold central roles as Knowledge Keepers and cultural guides, and practices like oral storytelling serve as meaningful forms of knowledge transmission and translation. Stories strengthen relationships across all of Creation and connect the past, present, and future. The sharing of knowledge through storytelling sustains cultural identity and is vital to the survival of Indigenous knowledge systems and the well-being of future generations.
Unlike Indigenous knowledge-sharing processes, which are dynamic, relational, and deeply rooted in cultural contexts, knowledge translation (KT) approaches commonly used in health research are often guided by Western frameworks emphasizing linear dissemination and hierarchical models of evidence. Such models limit the integration of Indigenous perspectives and worldviews in health research and may hinder the ability of communities to exercise self-determination and autonomy within the research process. While there is increasing recognition of the need for more culturally responsive KT approaches, practical models that enable ethical, reciprocal KT between Indigenous communities and academic partners are still emerging.
Approach:
This project centred the leadership of the Grandmothers’ Wisdom Network (GWN), a circle of five First Nations and Mètis Elders and Knowledge Keepers from Treaty 6, 7, and 8 and the Otipemisiwak Métis Government (formerly the Métis Nation of Alberta). Since 2018, the GWN has dedicated its efforts towards restoring and strengthening the health and well-being of Indigenous families and communities by sharing what they know about living a good life. Supported by Dr. Stephanie Montesanti’s CARE Research Lab at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health, the GWN partnered with MSc student Sarah Demedeiros as part of her thesis work. Together, they co-designed this project to address gaps in KT scholarship and share the Grandmothers’ wisdom.
Grounded in an Indigenous Research Paradigm, our community-based participatory research (CBPR) project explored how Digital Storytelling (DST)—an arts-based practice that integrates voice, images, and narrative—can serve as a decolonizing approach to KT. While creating digital stories for younger generations, the Grandmothers assessed DST as a culturally responsive tool for sharing and honouring Elder knowledge in health research. They further reflected on what knowledge should be shared, how it should be shared, and with whom, offering insights into ethical and respectful approaches to knowledge exchange within community–academic partnerships.
Our project, titled ‘Digital Storytelling for Intergenerational Health and Well-Being: A Decolonized Approach to Disseminating and Preserving Indigenous Elder Knowledge in Health Research,’ was a true example of co-creation and shared leadership. Every aspect of the project, including the conceptualization of the research topic, the selection of research methodologies—including how knowledge was gathered, interpreted, and disseminated—and the management of knowledge post-research, was shaped through built trust and reciprocal relationships.
Knowledge for this project was synthesized through a series of sharing circle discussions grounded in ceremony and storytelling, alongside online DST work sessions. With support from the Alberta SPOR Support Unit (AbSPORU) Patient Engagement Team, the Grandmothers guided the creation of digital stories to carry forward key messages and teachings that nurture cultural (re)connection among younger generations. Reflections shared throughout the DST process and discussions in sharing circles were analyzed using a participatory approach, where the grandmothers reviewed and affirmed emerging themes and offered interpretations grounded in their lived experiences and local knowledge systems.
Each Grandmother received copies of her digital story to share with her family and community in ways that reflect her own intentions and relationships. We are currently exploring online platforms to respectfully host these stories, with the goal of reaching broader audiences—particularly those who are disconnected from their communities and may not otherwise have access to the teachings and knowledge carried by Elders.
Outcomes:
The outcomes of this study reflect the diverse cultural backgrounds and knowledge systems of the Grandmothers, encompassing Dene, Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Blackfoot, and Métis ways of knowing. The findings offer meaningful guidance for using DST as a culturally responsive approach to engage with and share Elder knowledge within health research, alongside key reflections for academic partners to better engage in ethical and respectful KT with communities.
The Grandmothers identified various benefits of DST, including its ability to honour oral traditions, preserve and enhance access to cultural knowledge, and support personal and intergenerational healing. By centering Indigenous voices in health research and engaging respectfully with local knowledge-sharing practices and cultural protocols, DST emerged not only as a culturally responsive approach to KT, but as an act of cultural reclamation and colonial resistance. DST supported autonomous knowledge sharing, allowing each storyteller to determine what, how, and with whom their knowledge was shared and disseminated. Notably, DST eliminated the role of the ‘researcher’ from the KT process and positioned storytellers as the knowledge experts. This fundamental power shift ensured that stories were shared directly without the need for ‘translation,’ thereby honouring Indigenous voices in sharing their truths, histories, and knowledges.
Key ethical considerations, such as trust, relationships, respect, ownership, control, and autonomy, were emphasized as essential for promoting culturally responsive KT. The Grandmothers emphasized that dominant approaches to sharing Indigenous knowledge in health research frequently overlook the importance of relational connections and often disregard its intended purpose: to nurture intergenerational health and wellbeing. The Grandmothers called for greater accountability from academic partners in prioritizing community healing and reconciliation in research, and in upholding Indigenous ownership and control throughout KT processes. They reminded us that while knowledge shared in research may emerge from trusted relationships, it is not always meant to be broadly disseminated beyond those connections. The Grandmothers urged academic partners to confront the ongoing influence of colonial research practices and to walk alongside Indigenous communities in ways that honour sovereignty, self-determination, and relational responsibility.
Conclusion:
DST emerged as a culturally respectful, self-determined KT approach that shifts power dynamics in research. DST created space for equitable engagement and placed Indigenous voices, teachings, and worldviews at the center of KT, ensuring that knowledge is shared in ways that uphold cultural protocols and values. Recognizing storytelling as a distinct, living form of KT affirms its vital role in nurturing connections, strengthening relational understanding, and sustaining the life and well-being of communities across generations.
The reflections shared by the Grandmothers provide essential guidance for the field of KT. They remind us that knowledge sharing is a sacred, relational process grounded in principles of reciprocity, respect, and responsibility. Sharing Indigenous knowledge goes beyond the exchange of information; it is an act of engaging in relationships with deep intention, care, and accountability to all of Creation—our ancestors, the land, the plants and animals, and future generations.
ABOUT AWARD RECIPIENT
Sarah Demedeiros is a non-Indigenous public health researcher originally from the traditional homelands of the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations of Vancouver Island. Sarah holds a BSc in Biological Sciences and MSc in Health Policy research from the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. In December 2024, Sarah successfully defended her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Montesanti. Sarah received specialized training in the Collaborative Applied Research for Equity in Health Policy and Systems (CARE) Research Lab of Dr. Monesanti where she grew her skills and passion for community-engaged scholarship, applied health policy, and systems research.
Sarah had the honour of working alongside and learning with the Grandmothers’ Wisdom Network—a circle of five respected matriarchs, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers from Nations across Alberta. Through their teachings, Sarah deepened her understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing and being and learned what it means to engage in research that is guided by cultural respect, humility, and relationship.
Sarah has been accepted to the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the University of Toronto, where she will begin her PhD in Health Systems Research in fall 2025.