Kimberly Fairman, RN, MPH
Founding Partner - Tulugak Northern Voice
Kimberly was trained in Nursing and obtained her Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Alberta. She is currently a PhD Candidate at the University of Victoria in Public Health and Social Policy.
Kimberly Fairman is Nunavummiut and her home community is Taloyoak. She is the former Executive Director at the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research and holds the NEIHR Grant for the Northwest Territories and Yukon. She is working with researchers, Indigenous knowledge holders, clinicians and policy makers in health systems research that impacts on the northern patient experience. Playing an important role by weaving partnerships into the research fabric, engaging with communities and building northern capacity for health research.
Kimberly has been showcasing the valuable contribution of northern communities, practitioners, and Indigenous knowledge holders to the modern research agenda. Kimberly also serves on the board of the Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health.
An Inuk researcher, and policy specialist, Kimberly brings more than two decades of experience working on issues of Indigenous governance, community development, regulatory systems, and major project planning in the three northern territories.
Her expertise includes land claims and self-government negotiations and implementation, land and water regulatory policy, community governance, and Indigenous-Crown relations. She has served on regulatory boards responsible for licensing and permitting activities on both public and Indigenous-owned lands, as well as on the board of a public utility in Nunavut, providing strategic oversight on infrastructure and service delivery issues. Trained in nursing and public health, she is a PhD candidate focused on Inuit-specific research methodologies, having developed a framework grounded in Inuit philosophy and knowledge systems through community-based research in Nunavut. This unique combination of governance, regulatory, health, and research experience enables her to work with communities, Indigenous organizations, governments, and industry partners to build respectful relationships, navigate complex development processes, assess project impacts, and create pathways for sustainable and community-driven economic development.
