Dr. Heather Foulds PhD

Taanishi, welcome to my faculty page. I am the Heart & Stroke/CIHR Indigenous Early Career Women’s Heart and Brain Health Chair and Co-Scientific Director of aen mamawii kiiayaahk (Healing Together) Métis Health and Wellness Research Network.

Indigenous Wellness

Healthy aging and management of chronic conditions

Human Performance

Research Interests:
Indigenous Health and Wellbeing, Métis Dance, Indigenous Peoples Physical Activity, Determinants of Health, Cardiovascular Physiology, Women’s Physical Activity and Health.

• Ph.D. (Experimental Medicine), University of British Columbia, 2014
• M.Sc. (Human Kinetics), University of British Columbia, 2010
• B.Sc. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), University of Northern British Columbia, 2007

Highlighted Publications

Ironside, A.K., Ferguson, L.J., Katapally, T.R., Hedayat, L.M., Johnson, S.R., Foulds, H.J.A.*. 2021 Social Determinants Associated with Physical Activity among Indigenous Adults at the University of Saskatchewan. Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism 46(10):1159-1169

Ironside, A.K., Ferguson, L.J., Katapally, T.R., Foulds, H.J.A.*. 2020 Cultural connectedness as a determinant of physical activity among Indigenous adults in Canada. Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism 45:937-947

Norris, C., Yip, C., Nerenberg, K., Clavel, M.-A., Pacheco, C., Foulds, H., Hardy, M., Gonsalves, C., Jaffer, S., Parry, M., Colella, T.J.F., Dhukai, A., Grewal, J., Price, J., Levinsson, A., Hart, D., Harvey, P., Van Spall, H., Sarfi, H., Sedlak, T., Ahmed, S., Baer, C., Coutinho, T., Edwards, J., Green, C., Kirkham, A., Srivaratharajah, K., Dumanski, S., Keeping-Burke, L., Lappa, N., Reid, R., Robert, H., Smith, G., Martin-Rhee, M., Mulvagh, S*. 2020. State of the Science in Women’s Cardiovascular Disease: A Canadian Perspective on the Influence of Sex and Gender. Journal of the American Heart Association 9:e015634

Foulds, H.J.A.* (2017). Physical activity among Native Americans. In M.J. Bopp (Ed.), Physical activity in diverse populations: Evidence and Practice (pp. 102-122). New York, NY: Routledge.

Foulds, H.J.A.*, Ferguson, L.J., (2025) Supporting Indigenous Peoples’ Wellness on University Campuses, In Squire, V., London, C., Dolf, M. (Eds.), Advancing Wellbeing through a Systems Approach: The Power of Universities as Agents of Change to Promote Human and Planetary Health (pp. 68-93), Toronto, ON, University of Toronto Press

Foulds, H.J.A.*, Ferguson, L.J. LaFleur, J., (2024) “It’s very different walking in two worlds as a Metis person”: Identity, Community, Culture and Connections as determinants of health and wellbeing of Métis Peoples, In Forsythe, L., Markides, J. (Eds.), Métis Coming Together: Sharing Our Stories and Knowledges (pp. 97-115), Manitoba, MB, Peter Lang AG International Academic Publishers

Ironside, A.K., Ferguson, L.J., Katapally, T.R., Johnson, S.R., Moore, S., Mainra, N., Foulds, H.J.A.*. 2024 Historic trauma, social support and residence as determinants of sedentary behaviour among Indigenous adults in Saskatchewan. International Journal of Indigenous Health 19(1):39588

Norris, C., Mullen, K.-A., Foulds, H., Jaffer, S., Nerenberg, K., Gulati, M., Parast, N., Tegg, N., Gonsalves, C., Grewal, J., Hart, D., Levinsson, A., Mulvagh, S., 2023 Canadian Women’s Heart Health Alliance ATLAS on the Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Management of CVD in Women Chapter 7: Sex and Gender Social Determinants of Health. Canadian Journal of Cardiology Open 6(2 Part B):205-219

Complete Publication Lists

Click for PubMed publications

Click for Google Scholar publications

Saskatchewan Network Environment for Indigenous Health Research

Picasso Research Cluster

Canadian Women's Heart Health Alliance

Principal Investigator

• Title: “‘Métis are People Who Gather’: Development of a theatre-based knowledge mobilization output”

• Agency: Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation - Mobilize Truth & Action

  Timeline: 2025-2026

•  
• Title: Survival, Resistance and Hiding in Plains Sight: Indigenous faculty experiences, strategies and advice to survive and succeed working at the University of Saskatchewan

• Agency: Social Science and Humanities Research Council – Connections Grant

  Timeline: 2023-2025

• Title: “I Always Hit My Goal When I Dance” – Health Impacts of Métis Dancing

• Agency: Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Project Grant

  Timeline: 2020-2028

 

• Title: Social and Cultural Impacts on Cardiovascular Health Determinants for Indigenous Women

• Agency: Co-funded by Heart & Stroke and Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Early Career Indigenous Women’s Heart and Brain Health Chair

  Timeline: 2018-2025

Co-Principal Investigator

• Nominated Principal Investigator

        Robert Henry
        Title: Indigenous Futurisms in Health and Wellbeing: The nātawihowin and mamawiikikayaahk 
        Research, Training, and Mentorship Networks (CIHR-NEIHR Centre)

• Agency: Canadian Institutes of Health Research       

  Timeline: 2024-2029

• Nominated Principal Investigator

        Sarah Oosman
        Title: Kehokatowin ~ Northern Saskatchewan Métis gathering here and there to age well in place(s)

• Agency: Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Project Grant

  Timeline: 2023-2027

 

Dr. Foulds is currently accepting graduate students.

Prospective individuals with an interest in Indigenous health, cardiovascular physiology, women's health or cardiovascular disease prevention are encouraged to contact Dr. Foulds directly. Prospective graduate students should provide: (a) a brief summary of prior research experience; (b) an expression of interest in pursuing graduate studies; and (c), unofficial transcripts

 

 

• More Information

• KIN 223.3 - Contemporary Health Issues
• KIN 250.3 - How the Body Moves II
• KIN 424.3 - Aging and Physical Activity