Researcher Spotlight: Dr. Claire Dion-Fletcher

Published on June 5, 2026

Dr. Claire Dion Fletcher, Associate Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, is an Indigenous (Lenape & Potawatomi, mixed-settler) scholar whose research focuses on Indigenous reproductive justice and the resurgence of Indigenous midwifery.

Her work examines how health systems, policy frameworks, and colonial histories shape Indigenous reproductive health and the role Indigenous midwifery can play in rebuilding equitable systems of care.

A sampling of Dr. Dion Fletcher's research:

Dion Fletcher, C., Osepchook, C., & Pearson, D. (2026). Relationality and responsibility: Exploring the integration of an Indigenous-led midwife hospitalist to increase access to culturally safe care for Indigenous families. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/11771801261447528

Leason, J., Radhaa, M., Lawford, K., Davis, E., Dion Fletcher, C., Twalibu, A., Darling, E., Wylie, L., Couchie, C., Simon, D., & John-Baptiste, A. (2025). Reclaiming Indigenous birth: Understanding the economic costs of obstetric evacuation. European Journal of Midwifery, 9, Article 14.

Osepchook, C., Durongphongtorn, W., & Dion Fletcher, C. (2025). A Toronto midwifery practice's postpartum visit schedule and chest/breastfeeding rates before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective cohort study. Canadian Journal of Midwifery Research and Practice, 24(1), 39–48. https://doi.org/10.22374/cjmrp.v24i1.201

Radhaa, M., Leason, J., Twalibu, A., Davis, E., Dion Fletcher, C., Lawford, K., Darling, E., Wylie, L., Couchie, C., Simon, D., & John-Baptiste, A. (2025). Costs of medical evacuation and transportation of First Nations Peoples and Inuit who travel for medical care in Canada: A systematic review. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 116(1), 5–25. https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-024-00945-y

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