The CADDRA Indigenous Healthcare Award is fully funded by CADDRA and donor contributions. This annual award recognizes excellence in ADHD care and advocacy within Indigenous communities. The recipient is selected prior to the annual CADDRA Conference, with registration included as part of the award package.
Eligibility
Applicants must either:
- Work directly with Indigenous communities in ADHD care and/or
- Identify as Indigenous and work within the ADHD field
Lisa Plank is a Nurse Practitioner with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, recognized for her commitment to advancing mental health care in rural and Indigenous communities. Her work spans shared care mental health models, tele-psychiatry initiatives, and primary care services that enhance access to ADHD and mental health support across diverse populations.
Dr. Donna Neufeld is a family physician and preceptor with the Northern and Remote Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of Manitoba. Through the Northern Connections Medical Centre, she trains future physicians to serve remote and Indigenous communities. Her practice focuses on providing accessible care to Indigenous patients in Winnipeg and through outreach clinics such as Mino Pimatisiwin, Velma’s House, and the Gordon Bell High School Teen Clinic.
Dr. Courtney Leary, a member of the Norway House Cree Nation, practices medicine in her home community, providing ADHD assessment and management clinics in local schools. Deeply committed to accessible, community-based care, she works to enhance healthcare delivery and connection within Norway House, a vibrant Indigenous community on the north basin of Lake Winnipeg.
Dr. Mushquash is a registered clinical psychologist in Ontario, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Lakehead University, and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, a clinical psychologist at Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, an associate Vice President Research at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, and the chief scientist at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute. His work with First Nations children, adolescents, and adults includes assessment and treatment of multiple conditions including ADHD.
Linda Wonitoway-Raw is a nurse practitioner in Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation, providing all aspects of primary care. She graduated from the University of Alberta Family/All Ages Master’s NP stream in 2009 and began working as a nurse practitioner full-time. Many of her patients are affected by ADHD whether they are living with it and are seeking treatment or have never been diagnosed.
Dr. Whitney Willcott-Benoit graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2023. She has trained in numerous settings and completed her pre-doctoral residency at the London Clinical Psychology Residency Consortium. She now works in Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador, with Indigenous clients seeking mental health care, including ADHD assessments and group therapy.
Dr. Kyle Sue works in multiple roles including conducting neurodevelopmental assessments in isolated First Nations reserves, such as the remote Tl’azt’en nation in Northern BC and for Indigenous individuals in BC’s Youth Justice system, Children & Family Services, and the foster care system. He also provides rural-remote full-scope GP work in Arctic communities.
Rebecca Taylor is a social worker with a self-directed focus on those with ADHD. She has taken on this ongoing professional development due to the high volume of children and youth on her caseload who have ADHD, in addition to personal interest.
Lauren Irving is a Family Nurse Practitioner in downtown Prince George, BC at Central Interior Native Health Society. She provides the majority of the pediatric care for the team at her clinic and is working to expand her knowledge and competency in ADHD care. She also provides an outreach clinic to the local Indigenous choice school each week.
Dr. Stacey Yeh works as a pediatrician in Iqaluit, Nunavut.She sees children in fly-in communities along Baffin Island. More than 80% of the population is Inuit, and working there has made here quite familiar with the challenges of indigenous healthcare, especially in the remote north.
Dr. Tasha Maheu is a family physician in Masset, Haida Gwaii, where she provides care to a predominantly Indigenous population. Following her residency in Campbell River, BC, she contributed to the development of the Foundry Youth Clinic and worked in remote and on-reserve communities. Her clinical interests include adolescent mental health, substance use, and ADHD.