Alika Lafontaine
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Alika Lafontaine | |
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| Born | Southern Saskatchewan |
| Nationality | Canadian |
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Dr. Alika Lafontaine is a Canadian physician, healthcare leader, media personality, and fellowship-trained anesthesiologist. He is the current President of the Canadian Medical Association, the first of Indigenous descent in its 155+ year history.[1]
Early life
Dr. Alika Lafontaine was born and raised in Southern Saskatchewan, spending his childhood and young adulthood in Regina and Saskatoon. His mother, Manusiu Lafontaine, is a first-generation immigrant from the South Pacific Island Nation of Tonga. Lafontaine’s father, Christopher (Chris) J. Lafontaine, was born in a small farming community in rural Saskatchewan, and has Metis, Cree, and Anishinaabe ancestry. Chris is a change consultant, previously working as an educator, administrator, and government bureaucrat.
Lafontaine has four siblings. Chris Lafontaine Jr (brother) who works in healthcare, Ali’i Lafontaine (brother) who is a lawyer, Kamea Lafontaine (brother) who is a dentist and software designer, and Kalea Lafontaine (sister) who is a business owner.
Lafontaine and his four siblings performed as a musical group from 1988 to 2008, touring across Canada and parts of the United States. Their musical style "could be likened to the Osmond's or the Jackson 5" and released three albums.[2]
Career
Early career
Lafontaine attended the University of Regina through the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC), now First Nations University of Canada, and graduated with a major in a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. As an undergrad, Lafontaine was a recipient of the Youth National Aboriginal Achievement Award (now Indspire awards).[3] Lafontaine completed his MD at the University of Saskatchewan followed by a five-year fellowship in anesthesiology. In the midst of his fellowship, Lafontaine became CBC’s "Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister," winning the competition with a platform focused on reconciling the Treaty relationship between Canada’s Indigenous Peoples and Canadians.[4]
Indigenous Health Alliance
From 2013 to 2017, Lafontaine co-led the Indigenous Health Alliance (IHA).[5] [6] [7] Led politically by Indigenous leadership representing the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Manitoba Keewatin Okimakinak, and Nishnawbe Aski Nation -- cumulatively representing more than 150 First Nations across three provinces -- the alliance successfully advocated for $68 million of federal funding for Indigenous health transformation in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario.[8] [9] [10]
Safespace Networks
Following personal experiences in reporting racism and a near-miss experience by his brother Kamea, the Lafontaines launched Safespace Networks in 2020, with a pilot project championed by the British Columbia Association of Friendship Centres.[11] Following the successful pilot, Safespace Networks projects were opened in Saskatchewan and Ontario.[12] Safespace Networks is an anonymous web3 learning platform that collects, analyzes, and identifies patterns of care, enabling patients to better navigate health systems, providers to more effectively influence system change, and decision-makers to be more effective escalating issues and deploying resources. [12]
Personal life
Lafontaine continues to practice anesthesia in Grande Prairie, where he has lived with his family for the last 12 years.
References
- ↑ "Calm in the chaos: Canadian Medical Association's first Indigenous leader takes helm". CTVNews. 2022-08-22. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ↑ "Musical family wows crowd at Metis youth conference". Ammsa.com. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ↑ "'Alika LaFontaine". Indspire. 2014-11-20. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ↑ CBC News (March 25, 2008). "Saskatoon doctor declared Canada's Next Great Prime Minister". CBC.
- ↑ "Dr. Alika Lafontaine reimagines the narrative of medicine – CMAJ News". cmajnews.com. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ↑ HealthCareCAN (2016). "The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Health-Related Recommendations" (PDF). HealthCareCAN: Issue Brief: 3–4.
- ↑ "Evidence - INAN (42-1) - No. 45 - House of Commons of Canada". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ↑ Canada, Indigenous Services (2018-09-06). "Government of Canada investing nearly $68 million over three years to support First Nations-led health transformation". www.canada.ca. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ↑ "Manitoba First Nations health care to see $42 million-boost - Winnipeg | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ↑ The Canadian Press (September 6, 2018). "3 provinces to share $68M boost for First Nations health care, including $42M for Manitoba". CBC.ca.
- ↑ "Safespace Networks". Safespace Networks. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Favaro, Avis; St. Philip, Elizabeth; Jones, Alexandra Mae (August 21, 2021). "Once told he wouldn't graduate high school, doctor to be first Indigenous president-elect of CMA". CTV News.
External links
This article "Alika Lafontaine" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.