Quw'utsun Preterm Birth Study
World Prematurity Day from Island Health on Vimeo.
What is the Quw'utsun Preterm Birth Study?
In 2019, Cowichan Tribes launched the Quw'utsun (Cowichan) Preterm Birth Study, a multi-year research study with funding from Vancouver Foundation, to investigate factors driving high rates of preterm birth in the community, in partnership with the BC First Nations Health Authority, Island Health, and the University of British Columbia.
Persistent differences in pregnancy and birth outcomes, such as preterm birth (a live birth before 37 weeks of gestation), between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people are linked to the impacts of colonization, such as Indian Residential Schools, and removal of traditional birth practices from communities. Preterm birth can have long-lasting health impacts on the infant, mother, and their family.
There are growing movements to reclaim birth in Indigenous communities around the world to ensure culturally safe care, promote traditional ways of birthing, and eliminate differences in birth outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous People. By using the findings of this research, the Study's vision is to ultimately bring healthy birth back to Quw'utsun.
Study team
The study is led by Sul-hween (Quw’utsun Elders) and based at Ts’ewulhtun Health Centre.
Sul-hween Doreen Peter works with staff, Brenda Yuen and Dr. Jennifer Murray. Jennifer is a PhD Graduate at UBC's School of Population and Public Health and has worked on the Quw'utsun Preterm Birth Study since it began, following the guidance of Late Elder Lydia Seymour and Elder Doreen Peter. Brenda is the Research Lead and joined the Study on Nov. 17, 2021, on World Prematurity Day!
Research Report
Authored by Dr. Jennifer Murray, led by Quw'utsun Sul-hween and mustimuhw, "Bringing healthy birth back to Quw'utsun" summarizes the research into the high rate of preterm birth amongst Quw'utsun people. This could not have been possible without the generosity of Vancouver Foundation, the partnership and support of First Nations Health Authority, Island Health, and University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health.
Click here to read the "Bringing healthy birth back to Quw'utsun" dissertation
Advisory Committee
A Community Research Advisory Committee guides all activities and includes:
Quw’utsun community members: Danielle Alphonse, Lynsey Johnny, Maia Thomas, and Eugenia Tinoco, Dr. Shannon Waters
Ts’ewulhtun Health Centre staff: Liz Spry, Fairlie Mendoza, Marnie Elliott, and Nilak Ironhawk-Tommy
Island Health partners: Dr. Diane Sawchuck
First Nations Health Authority partners: Barbara Webster and Ashley Simpson
Contact:
Brenda Yuen
Email: brenda.yuen@cowichantribes.com
Ts’ewulhtun Health Centre
Phone: (250) 746-6184 | Email: health@cowichantribes.com
Featured Presentations, Articles, & Research
(All presentations were done with Elders and community members as co-presenters, all writing and research included Elder and community member guidance)
June 20, 2025 The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada's Annual Clinical and Scientific Conference presentation by Doreen Peter and Jennifer Murray
Click here to watch the webinar
April 16, 2025 Canadian Journal of Public Health: Nuts'a'maat shqwalawun - Knitting ways of life with Indigenous research principles to examine pre-term birth in Quw'utsun
Click here to read online article
Nov. 29, 2024 UBC Roots Circle, invited to present to Indigenous Researchers, advocates, allies https://roots.ubc.ca/fall-roots-circle-november-28-2024/
Nov. 2024, FNHA Answering The Call: Calls to Action from First Nations Community Members to Improve the Rural and Remote Birthing Journey, invitation to contribute to this report. Elder Doreen is quoted on pages 14, 17, 22, 29, and 35. The Study is featured on page 44. https://www.fnha.ca/Documents/FNHA-Answering-The-Call.pdf
Sep. 4, 2024 Presentation to UBC School of Population and Public Health, invited to present to Nursing Grad Students on the study team's research process, invited back every year
Jun. 3, 2024 Canadian Perinatal Research Meeting, presented to national audience of perinatal health researchers in Vancouver, BC
Mar. 6, 2024 FNHA, invited to contribute to an article titled, "The FNHA develops new pathway for community-driven data and research requests https://www.fnha.ca/about/news-and-events/news/the-fnha-develops-new-pathway-for-community-driven-data-and-research-requests
Oct. 11, 2023 Quw'utsun Community Event - sharing back our research results so far
Sep. 11, 2023 Healing Our Spirit Worldwide - invited to present in-person in Vancouver, BC.
Summer 2023 Island Health magazine, pg. 18 feature https://medicalstaff.islandhealth.ca/sites/default/files/news/island-health-magazine-summer-2023.pdf
Feb. 27, 2023 Co-Presentation with Research Ethics BC, a Case Study of Community-led Research & Ethics Review (online by zoom)
January 11 or November 1, 2021 - International Journal of Indigenous Health Vol. 16 No. 2 (2021) Bringing Ethics Review Home to Cowichan: Indigenizing Ethics Review in British Columbia, Canada https://doi.org/10.32799/ijih.v16i2.33099
PRESENTATION TO ISLAND HEALTH
November 28, 2023
In partnership with the First Nations Health Authority, Cowichan Tribes launched the Quw’utsun Preterm Birth Study to develop community-based approaches to mitigate factors associated with high rates of preterm birth. Island Health is partnering with Cowichan Tribes to examine preterm birth and generate community-driven solutions to strengthen perinatal health systems for Indigenous people across Vancouver Island. In this talk, we will discuss our research process and preliminary results.
Presenters:
• Lydia Seymour (Quw’utsun Elder)
• Doreen Peter (Quw’utsun Elder)
• Brenda Yuen (Quw'utsun Preterm Birth Study)
• Maia Thomas and Eugenia Tinoco, Advisory Committee members (Quw'utsun Preterm Birth Study)
• Dr. Shannon Waters (Medical Health Officer, Cowichan Valley, Island Health)
• Dr. Patricia Janssen (School of Population and Public Health, UBC)
• Dr. Diane Sawchuck (Lead, Evidence, Evaluation & Knowledge Translation, Island Health)
• Jennifer Murray (School of Population and Public Health, UBC)
BC Children’s Hospital Feature
Read the full article here:
https://www.bcchr.ca/news/culturally-safe-research-preterm-births