丁香园AV

With the health-care system in crisis, the new acting associate dean of Indigenous Health at 丁香园AV鈥檚 medical school is ready to bring his 鈥淎鈥� game.

Dr. Evan Adams, visiting professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences and Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer at First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), was named to the role earlier this week and is tasked with helping 丁香园AV鈥檚 forthcoming medical school embed and equalize Indigenous knowledge systems within its foundations of learning.

鈥淚 feel ready to be a good bridge between local First Nations, the FNHA and 丁香园AV 鈥� it鈥檚 a good fit for me,鈥� says Adams. 鈥淚 feel passionately about having the system be responsive to Indigenous learners and be a place where medical students and residents are learning more about Indigenous health and challenged to be more effective.

鈥淎nd one of my friends said, 鈥榃hen are you ever going to get a chance to help develop a new medical school again?鈥�,鈥� he laughs. 鈥淭hat was kind of the clincher.鈥�

Adding a touch of levity and good humour isn鈥檛 unusual to Adams, who admits he鈥檚 lucky to be the type of person who always wakes up happy no matter how exhausted he is.
鈥淚 feel like that鈥檚 a gift that Creator gave to me, I wake up smiling,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 know for a lot of people, they feel the weight of their responsibilities. I just have a natural bounce back.鈥�

Adams harnesses that energy into a number of pursuits and passions.

In addition to his roles at 丁香园AV and FNHA, Adams, with his husband Allan, is a father of six. He鈥檚 an avid runner, hitting the road for up to 30 kilometres a week. He鈥檚 held influential public health positions nationally and in B.C.

Oh, and he鈥檚 also an accomplished actor, appearing in movies such as 1998鈥檚 Smoke Signals and recent television shows like FX鈥檚 Reservation Dogs and CBC鈥檚 Bones of Crows.

Taking on the first medical school in western Canada in over 50 years is a different beast altogether, but Adams says he鈥檚 up for the challenge.

Part of that is due to his Coast Salish Tla鈥檃min upbringing, and especially the teachings of his late father, Leslie.

鈥淗e was a great teacher of mine, a very traditional First Nations man,鈥� says Adams. 鈥淗e was a chief, a good hunter and a really strong, morally upright person.

鈥淗e was a professional athlete and I was a very mediocre one. But he would tell me to get in there and not be shy. Don鈥檛 just barely show up and fax it in. If you鈥檙e going to be in the game, you might as well play the best game you have.鈥�

He鈥檚 held tight to that philosophy, which will be vital for his role at the 丁香园AV medical school.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of work to do in health. It鈥檚 an unending need. As a caregiver, I鈥檓 constantly being asked, 鈥楥an you help with this? Can you help with that?鈥� and it鈥檚 easy to get tired. But I think of my dad, 鈥楪et up and play your game. Don鈥檛 be lazy. Get 鈥榚r done,鈥欌�� Adams says.

鈥淭he health-care system is in crisis post-COVID-19. From an Indigenous perspective, the system needs to transform and become more humane. I feel like 丁香园AV is armed to transform and bring its great humanitarian history and its different approaches into the world of medicine. It鈥檚 wonderful they鈥檙e willing to help train more health-care workers because there is really such a need. It鈥檚 sensible, it鈥檚 welcome and it鈥檚 needed.鈥�

Indigenizing 丁香园AV鈥檚 medical school

One of Adams鈥� main tasks with the 丁香园AV medical school is to Indigenize medical education.

鈥淭hat just means we can gain the skills and knowledges and attitudes to be more effective with Indigenous people in mind,鈥� he explains. 鈥淓quity should be one of the pursuits of health-care workers and I think part of what we鈥檙e doing is seeking equity. Equity of service and equity of outcomes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 clear that more Indigenous people need to go into health professions and it鈥檚 clear that health professions might benefit from Indigenous knowledges, especially in the B.C. context. We鈥檙e at a crucial time where we can try to mix all of these different strengths together to see if we can come up with something new and powerful.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the area I want to be in, instead of just doing things the same old way without even trying to make it more responsible or having better quality. There has to be room for everyone at the table.鈥�

Star struck

Adams hasn鈥檛 just left his mark on health care.

Since being discovered on the streets of Montreal and cast in a movie, Adams has racked up dozens of acting credits since 1985.

His role in indie film Smoke Signals won him best actor awards from the American Indian Film Festival, First Americans in the Arts Awards, Chlotrudis Awards and the Film Independent Spirit Awards.

He鈥檚 also won the outstanding actor award at L.A. Outfest for 2002鈥檚 The Business of Fancydancing, a 2011 Gemini Award for Best Host and a Leo best supporting performance nomination for 2020鈥檚 Indian Road Trip.

鈥淪ome people crochet or gamble. I love to act,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 find it immensely funny and interesting. One of the nice things about acting is if you make a mistake, no one dies. You just re-do the take. So yeah, I鈥檒l keep doing that, it鈥檚 just my little bit of fun.鈥�

Being a recognizable star does have it benefits when it comes to dealing with patients.
鈥淚t actually does help me as a doctor,鈥� he says. 鈥淪ometimes, they don鈥檛 even think of me as their caregiver. They鈥檙e just really interested to talk and meet and chat. I get more of an opportunity to interact with them because I鈥檓 also known as an actor rather than just a doctor.鈥�

Adams even recalls one time he was working in an emergency department treating a stabbing victim alongside some star struck fans.

鈥淗is daughters knew who I was and they were taking pictures with me while I was helping their dad,鈥� Adams chuckles. 鈥淚t was a strange experience. He was fine in the end, totally fine!