Keynote Speakers – 2022 Symposium
Dr. James Makokis
Dr. James Makokis leads one of North America’s most progressive family medical clinics serving both LGBTQ2S and First Nation peoples from all over Canada. He is a proud Cree, Two-Spirit physician from Saddle Lake First Nation in Northern, AB and known as one of Canada’s most progressive doctors and experts on numerous topics. Dr. James Makokis is on a mission to serve marginalized populations and to change the outcomes for Indigenous and LGBTQ2S Peoples. Dr. James Makokis and his partner Anthony Johnson were crowned winners of the Amazing Race Canada Season 7, where they received international recognition for their advocacy of marginalized individuals by making the world aware of the impact of discrimination and the mistreatment of anyone labelled as being “different”. They both currently reside on Treaty 6 Territory outside of Edmonton.
Dr. James Makokis has received international attention and recognition for his holistic approach to medicine and his advocacy for human rights. He is also one of the few doctors that combine traditional Cree medicine and Western medicine within his practice. Dr. Makokis has won numerous awards, sat on many boards and councils, and continues to give back to his communities in any way he can. Through his work and his previous contributions, he continues to break down stigmas and identify the societal structures and forces of oppression that LGBTQ2S and Indigenous populations face.
Dr. Makokis earned his Master’s in health science from the University of Toronto in 2006 and graduated from the University of Toronto’s medical school in 2010 and the University of British Columbia’s Aboriginal Family Medicine Residency Training Program in 2012. He is also trained in family medicine and trans health. He is dedicated to continuing to save lives through his medical practice and his unique approach to medicine. Dr. Makokis worked as an instructor at the Yellowhead Tribal College, the University of Toronto, and the University of Alberta, teaching courses on Indigenous health, Indigenous cultural practices, and traditional medicine. He also received certification from the Aboriginal Family Medicine Training Program and served as the Spokesperson for the National Aboriginal Health Organization’s Role Model Program for many years.
Dr. Raven Sinclair
Raven Sinclair is Nehiyaw, Saulteaux, and Métis from George Gordon First Nation in Treaty 4, Saskatchewan. She is a Professor of Social Work at the University of Regina, Saskatoon Campus. She is an author, filmmaker, researcher, and public speaker. She facilitates workshops on communication, lateral violence intervention, and cultural competency.
She is a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research College of Reviewers, the Waakebiness-Bryce Institute of Indigenous Health Research, and she served as a federal court-appointed Advisor to the Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation Interim board.
Raven is the mother of a beautiful teenage daughter. Raven does home renovations in her spare time and confesses to a serious chess addiction. She likes to stay several moves ahead of her opponents.
Pronunciations
- Nehiyaw – Naay He Yow – accent is on the Nay (intonation same as “Neighbourly”)
- Saulteaux – So Doe (intonation like “photo”)
- Wicihitowin – Wee Chit O Win – long ee sound and accent on the Chit (intonation is
- WeeeChitowin)
- Waakebiness – W awe ka bin ess – accent on the Waa sounds (intonation like “Walk a finesse”)
- Bryce – rhymes with ice