Profile

Born and raised in rural Saskatchewan, Dr. Janet Tootoosis always knew that she wanted to continue to live in a small community. A member of Poundmaker Cree Nation, 200 km west of Saskatoon, her career as a physician has been grounded in gratitude and service and guided significantly by her family who still live on the reserve. She began practising family medicine in 2001.

“Family medicine offered me the ability to work in numerous communities — remote or otherwise — and allowed me to tailor my practice to what each community needs,” says Dr. Tootoosis. “I’m proud to say that throughout my career, I’ve absolutely been able to provide that personalized support to my patients.”

Today, Dr. Tootoosis is associate professor of medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, site director for the North Battleford Family Medicine Residency training program and rural program coordinator for the university’s Family Medicine department. She owns the North Battleford Medical Clinic Inc. with eight colleagues and served as a director on the Saskatchewan Health Authority Board.

Dr. Tootoosis says that one of the rewards of being an Indigenous physician is the ability to change how Indigenous people are cared for simply by being a part of the community.

“If I’m present, the likelihood that a patient is going to be treated unfairly because of their ethnicity is slim,” Dr. Tootoosis explains. She says that supporting authentic, honest relationships helps to build and foster elements of trust for both parties.

“I feel there is now an understanding amongst the broader health team in my community that a shift is required in how we manage Indigenous care — and while there is a lot more to do, I am noticing an increased level of accountability on both sides of the non-Indigenous/Indigenous patient-provider relationship. That I’ve been able to have an impact here is truly rewarding.”

Dr. Tootoosis remains the only Indigenous physician in the North Battleford community, which she hopes will change with enhanced recruitment strategies at the university level, along with an increased focus on health equity in medical school curriculum — outcomes she aims to effect in her most recent role as vice-dean for the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of Indigenous Health and Wellness, the first in Canada.

In fact, she led an extensive consultation process to support the department’s approval, which was received in April 2023. She is now focusing on staffing the department and building its capacity to address health inequities, systemic racism and the scarcity of Indigenous health research that supports meaningful Indigenous health and wellness outcomes.

Dr. Tootoosis was one of the first members of the MD Physician Council and says she found it refreshing and energizing to share perspectives and strategies with her fellow Council members across diverse specialties, geographies and career stages.

“I became an MD [Financial Management (MD)] client shortly after I graduated from my residency, and they have provided me with quality direction, service, and have positioned my family for financial security. I’m grateful to them so I wanted to take this opportunity because I believe in MD,” says Dr. Tootoosis.

Dr. Tootoosis says financial literacy is a key area of focus within the medical community.

“It’s a skill that gives you resilience. Financial instability adds to the many stressors we already have as physicians. So, understanding finances is so important for physicians in order to balance the demands on their time,” she says.

Financial literacy can also help with advancing physician well-being, an area that MD has shone a spotlight on, as physicians are increasingly impacted by the challenges of the healthcare system. 

“I equate the impact of burnout in physicians, nurses, allied health professionals working in the system to the impact of health equity on our entire system,” says Dr. Tootoosis. “I think it is a huge contributor to many of the challenges we face.”

Dr. Tootoosis and her husband Jamie, both of Cree ancestry, live with their two sons in North Battleford.