Professor Vanessa Ambtman Smith from the Department of Geography and Environment and the Indigenous Studies Program, March 18, 2026.
Vanessa Ambtman-Smith’s first experience at a hospital lasted 21 days.
Now, she’s making it her life’s mission to make sure Indigenous children never have to fight for their rights in Canada’s healthcare system again.
Born during the Sixties Scoop, Vanessa was removed from her home and immediately placed into the child welfare system. After 21 days of waiting in the hospital, she was adopted by a non-Indigenous family in Alberta.
Today, Vanessa is an assistant professor in both the department of geography and environment and the Indigenous studies program at Western University. Before that, she spent two decades working in the healthcare field.
“My journey has naturally gone from working as an advocate in Indigenous healthcare to becoming a professor and an Indigenous health researcher. I’ve had to be an educator my whole career,” says Vanessa.
Her research explores Indigenous healing practices and traditional healing spaces within hospital settings. Through education and policy reform, Vanessa is committed to removing the colonial foundations of healthcare systems and making sure that hospitals are safe places for Indigenous patients.
According to Vanessa, anti-Indigenous racism is one of the most significant determinants of Indigenous health. She attributes this outcome to how non-Indigenous people have been educated to carry biases and stereotypes towards Indigenous people.
Vanessa recounts the story of Brian Sinclair, an Indigenous man, who died from a bladder infection after waiting for 34 hours in a hospital emergency room.
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