UBC receives two $1-million donations to fund indigenous health studies

Aboriginal health research at UBC has been given a boost a day before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report is scheduled to be released.

UBC president Arvind Gupta has announced that the university's Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health has received two $1-million donations.

Chancellor Lindsay Gordon and his wife Elizabeth provided one of the cheques. The other came from the North family (Rudy, Patricia, Caroline, and Rory).

“In order to extend aboriginal life expectancy or lower aboriginal infant mortality, UBC must work as an equal partner with those communities,” Gupta said in a news release. “The generous contributions of the Gordons and the Norths will support this vital work.”

Elizabeth Gordon has volunteered with the Franciscan Sisters of Atonement in the Downtown Eastside, where she developed a keen interest in indigenous people's health.

Nearly half of the Gordon family's donation will deliver financial aid to First Nations students.

Rudy North is chair and founder of North Growth Management and has long been associated with environmental causes. He previously donated $1 million to BCIT to help create the Rivers Institute and fund a chair in river ecology.

The Norths' gift will fund mentorship for indigenous high-school students, support a summer science program, and result in a certificate program in aboriginal health.