Crystal N. Hardy

Crystal entered the PhD in Health Sciences program at Lakehead University in 2023. Her research interests include Indigenous disease etiology, chronic disease and illness in remote First Nations, COVID-19, health equity, food security, and planetary health. Crystal’s dissertation research is supervised by Dr. Chris Mushquash and Dr. Helle Moeller and will be evaluating the impact of immediate lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on the health status and health outcomes of Indigenous persons living with comorbid chronic kidney disease and diabetes in remote First Nations in Northwestern Ontario. She is currently working on a systematic review on upstream approaches to addressing Indigenous mental health and well-being in the context of climate change, and a literature review on comorbid chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and SARS-CoV-2. After completing her doctorate, Crystal intends to continue working collaboratively with First Nations across Ontario to address emerging health challenges. In her free time, Crystal enjoys working out, spending time with family and friends, hiking with her dog Pebbles, and hyper fixating on all things astrophysics.

Publications: 

Hardy, C. N., Schiff, R., & Mushquash, C. (2023). Tripartite Preparedness and Response During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A First Nations’ Perspective. Healthy Populations Journal, 3(3). 44. https://ojs.library.dal.ca/hpj/article/view/11776/10608

Schiff, R., Freill, H., & Hardy, C. N. (2021). Understanding Barriers to Implementing andManaging Therapeutic Diets for People Living with Chronic Kidney Disease in Remote

Indigenous Communities. Current Developments in Nutrition, 5(nzaa175).https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa175