Meet the Founder and learn more

Natalie Mezey, (she/her), B.A. Hons., M.A., BSc. Hons.

Natalie Mezey is a medical student at Queen’s University with a passion for health equity and advocacy. Prior to medical school she worked for humanitarian organizations, in politics, University teaching and in clinical research. Since starting medical school, she has reflected on who decides to pursue medicine, and how interests and ultimately career paths are formed. She believes it comes down to early positive exposure. However, many Indigenous communities in Canada may not necessarily have positive exposure to the profession, or any exposure at all.

Natalie was both inspired and motivated by the following realities:

• There are 1.8 million Indigenous people in Canada.
•  In 2017, nearly 19% of First Nations off reserve, 16% of Métis and 82% of Inuit living in Inuit Nunangat reported that they did not have a family doctor.
• There is a lack of permanent, culturally aware physicians in many Indigenous communities.
• < 1% of physicians in Canada identify as Indigenous while they represent 5% of the total population.
• There is an understandable mistrust of the medical establishment due to longstanding systemic racism, and the horrors of the residential school system, 60s scoop and ongoing mistreatment.
• The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action include increasing the number of Indigenous health-care workers and ensure the retention of Indigenous health-care providers in Indigenous communities.

There is therefore a need for early exposure to medicine that is positive, safe, non-hierarchical, and friendly.