Funded research · CIHR Project Grant 2026
A co-developed research program partnering with Coast Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth knowledge holders to build sustainable, community-led brain health programs at the intersection of Indigenous plant knowledge and chemosensory neuroscience.
Co-investigators leading the academic side of the project at the University of Victoria. Indigenous knowledge holders and community partners are co-investigators on this work and are named separately, on terms set by the communities themselves.
Lifespan Psychologist, UVic
Jamie is a lifespan psychologist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Victoria, and the founder of Olfactory Health. Her work sits at the intersection of chemosensory neuroscience and cognitive aging, examining how olfactory function can be supported, maintained, and rebuilt as a pathway to brain health.
About Jamie →
Chief Mungo Martin Research Chair, UVic
Emily is Anishinaabe-Métis from Robinson Huron Treaty Territory (mother) and English/Scottish (father), and the inaugural Chief Mungo Martin Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health at the University of Victoria. Before joining UVic she spent twenty years studying and working in the United States, building a Western-science program on vulnerability to depression and self-injurious behaviours.
UVic profile →
Clinical Neuropsychologist, UVic BrainLab
Theone is an Associate Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist at the University of Victoria, where she leads the BrainLab. Her research examines the interplay between neurocognition and psychosocial functioning, with a focus on real-world health outcomes in aging and chronic-illness populations.
BrainLab →Dementia is one of the fastest-growing health challenges worldwide. Indigenous populations in Canada experience earlier onset and higher prevalence than non-Indigenous groups, driven by the layered impacts of colonial trauma, underdiagnosis, and limited access to culturally safe prevention services.
Early detection matters because intervention at the preclinical stage offers the best chance to delay decline, improve quality of life, and reduce the burden on the healthcare system. Research shows that loss of smell is one of the earliest detectable markers of Alzheimer's disease, preceding memory impairment by 10–20 years.
Recent longitudinal evidence shows that olfactory impairment predicts the transition from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. Olfactory training (systematic exposure to scent stimuli) has been shown to increase grey matter volume, enhance verbal fluency, and support neuroplasticity in memory-related brain regions. Together, these findings establish olfaction as both a predictor and an intervention target for dementia prevention and brain health.
Built under OCAP® principles and Ethical Space, this olfactory training program is co-developed with Indigenous knowledge holders and delivered by Indigenous facilitators. That foundation is what makes it feasible, effective, and sustainable as a pathway to early detection and brain health in First Nations communities.
Aim 01
Co-design and co-create an olfactory training program with Indigenous knowledge holders to increase early detection of dementia in First Nations communities. Guided by Ethical Space and OCAP® principles.
Aim 02
Co-develop culturally grounded olfactory training kits with Indigenous partners and knowledge holders, and deliver a pilot facilitator-training program within Coast Salish and Nuu-chah-nulth Nations.
Aim 03
Co-evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes (changes in olfactory function, well-being, and community capacity) alongside the partners who shaped the program.
This research is conducted in partnership with First Nations community partners, including the IISAAK OLAM Foundation , under Ethical Space principles and OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession). Indigenous knowledge holders are co-investigators, not consultants. Plant knowledge that informs the training kits remains the cultural property of the communities that hold it. This page intentionally does not name specific plants used in the training. That is for the communities themselves to share, on their own terms.
Titles link to Google Scholar.
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If you are connected with an Indigenous community organisation, Friendship Centre, or health and wellness group and would like Dr. Knight to speak about olfactory health, brain aging, and this research, she would be glad to hear from you. These are offered as community engagement, in the spirit of the project's partnered approach.
For research collaboration or media enquiries, contact hello@drjamieknight.com.