Dr. Ojistoh Kahnawahere Horn

Dr. Ojistoh Kahnawahere Horn is a Mohawk/Haudenosaunee woman. Her mother is from Kahnawake and her father is from Akwesasne. She is Bear Clan, has many children, and is traditionally minded. Dr. Kahnawahere Horn works as a family physician in the Kahnawake and Akwesasne communities taking care of her people through all stages of the lifecycle, including prenatal, obstetric care, geriatric, and palliative care. Previously focusing on acute care in hospital wards and emergency rooms, she now focuses her time in outpatient clinics, homes, and long-term care facilities in her community. She teaches students and residents from the medical schools at the McGill University, the University of Ottawa, and Queen’s University about the complexities of providing primary care to Indigenous peoples and their communities. Drawing on both Western and traditional paradigms and working with like-minded Indigenous and non-Indigenous physicians across the country, Dr. Kahnawahere Horn has a clear eye on the effects of the environment and pollution on health. She promotes the inclusion and support of traditional knowledge and “ways of being” into a framework for providing holistic and primary care for her community.