Vivid vision

About 15 years ago, Michelle Monkman [BN/04] stood with her husband on her back deck one evening and shared her vision of moving into health leadership. 

“I remember saying, ‘I wish I could redesign the health system for First Nations people. I know what needs to be done, and we need to have our own system.’” 

Earlier this year, Monkman was appointed as chief executive officer of Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin Inc. (KIM), an organization established in 2019 with a similar goal – to create and operate a self-governing health organization that provides services reflective of the needs and priorities of First Nations people of northern Manitoba. 

Monkman first joined KIM last year as a senior director and served as interim CEO after the tragic passing of her mentor Barry Lavallee [MD/88] in January 2026. 

“Dr. Lavallee definitely was a trailblazer,” she says. “When I need to say things, I am reminded of his courage.” 

Monkman grew up in Norway House Cree Nation and has family ties to Misipawistik, Pimicikamak and Tataskweyak Cree Nations. She says there were only three viable career paths based on available courses within her community at that time – social work, education and nursing. 

“Nursing was the best fit for me. I’ve always been a nurturer. I helped raise my brother and was always around children.” 

Monkman did her first year of the UM nursing program in her community through a partnership with University College of the North, but then moved to Winnipeg to access summer courses and complete the program at a faster pace. 

“I was a single mom and just wanted to start working,” she says. 

At the time, she found some struggles as a First Nations student. She didn’t see the First Nations health system reflected in the curriculum or opportunities for practicums in Indigenous communities, and often dealt with racism, including at her work placements. 

“Having had those experiences, I can’t be quiet now. They fueled me in a lot of different ways, recognizing that things need to change.” 

After completing her bachelor of nursing, Monkman quickly learned that the hospital setting contrasted with her worldview, so she focused on community health, specifically with First Nations communities. 

After graduation, Monkman spent her first year in Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation, in Manitoba’s Interlake area, and then joined the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s healthy sexuality and harm reduction team, a role she held for nearly five years. 

“That’s where I really thrived and found my place,” she says. “It really grew my love for harm reduction, public health and working with equity-deserving populations.” 

She also worked as a community health nurse in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, where she collaborated with the community to open a teen health clinic, and at Lake St. Martin First Nation, a community that was displaced for almost 11 years after a devastating flood in 2011. 

In 2018, Monkman began working for the First Nations, Inuit and Métis program at SE Health, a national not-for-profit enterprise. There she focused on professional development, vocational education and co-developing health service solutions in Indigenous communities across Canada. 

Two of her proudest contributions were assisting in the development of the Community Health Nurses Manual for Manitoba First Nations and leading the Community Voices Report, which documented strengths and gaps in palliative care access for Ontario First Nations.   

In 2023, Monkman graduated with a master’s degree in nursing leadership from Athabasca University. There, she won the Governor General Gold Medal, which is awarded annually to the university’s top graduate student. 

Monkman says that while there have been some general improvements to Indigenous care over the years – including more awareness of colonial history – there still needs to be more understanding of what Indigenous patients face. 

“If people have that baseline understanding, it’s easier to explain some of the other things that I’m trying to get across and the need for change,” she says. 

“It’s not happening fast enough for me.” 

Monkman notes the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Manitoba is 11 years. She expects that number will be even higher when it is recalculated by the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba and UM’s Manitoba Centre for Health Policy over the next few years. 

One of her goals in her new CEO position is to work with nursing educators and regulatory bodies to ensure that entry level cultural safety competencies are being met. 

“Having a measurement or indicator would be really important – and having more opportunities for students in all health professions to learn about our systems,” she says. 

Monkman’s top priority is to see a baseline level of services in all First Nations communities, because she says most are not receiving appropriate funding or adequate access to care which makes it challenging to achieve wellness. 

Her hope is that communities, partners and organizations will come together in a cohesive way to create a First Nations-designed and led health system. 

“We’re all working toward the same thing. We all want good health for people. We will get a lot further if we’re working together, standing in unison and asking for the same things.”