Danna brings more than a decade of healthcare experience alongside a Master of Social Work, a bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies, qualitative and community-based research experience, and work in communications, film and advocacy.
Her professional interests include Indigenous health and wellness, cultural safety, anti-Indigenous racism, trauma- and violence-informed practice, systems navigation, community engagement, research and organizational change.
Danna’s path has never fit neatly into one professional title. Her experience spans healthcare, social work, Indigenous Studies, research, journalism, film and television, advocacy, education and community work.
Having lived on reserve throughout her life and having navigated complex systems as a single mother, Danna understands that policy is never abstract—it is experienced by people, families and communities
That breadth shapes how she approaches systems and change. She understands healthcare from clinical practice, research through academic and community-based approaches, and systems through both professional and lived experience. Her background in journalism, storytelling and film has also shaped the way she communicates complex issues and brings people into difficult conversations.
Danna is particularly interested in the spaces where systems, policy and everyday experience meet—especially when Indigenous peoples and families are expected to navigate structures that were not designed with them in mind.
Rather than working from a single disciplinary lens, she brings these perspectives together to ask different questions, identify gaps and translate knowledge into practical change.
Leadership & Professional Development
Danna’s professional development includes the Excellence in Healthcare Leadership program, participation in the Knowledge Makers Program, and graduate training focused on Indigenous trauma and resiliency. Her background also includes experience in facilitation, Indigenous community training, trauma-informed practice, supervision, leadership, and community-based learning.
Her leadership and community involvement have also been recognized through earlier Indigenous youth and post-secondary awards, including the Prince of Wales Scholarship and FSIN Circle of Honour recognition.
My work is grounded in relationship, accountability, lived experience, professional practice and the understanding that systems should not require Indigenous peoples and families to continually adapt to structures that were not designed with them in mind.
I am interested in work that moves beyond awareness toward practical change — in policy, service delivery, research, education and organizational practice.