Denise McDonald is a Gwich’in educator, Knowledge Holder, and artist from Inuvik, Northwest Territories, whose four-decade career has bridged Indigenous knowledge systems, education, health, and research. She holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of Education from the University of Alberta. Her academic training, combined with lived experience as an Indigenous graduate student and grounding in traditional Gwich’in values, informs her leadership, mentorship, and teaching across northern and academic contexts. As an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health, she supports Inuvik-based students through seminars on distance learning strategies and co-supervises graduate students conducting research using traditional knowledge, community-based methods, and knowledge translation in partnership with Indigenous governments and northern communities.

Throughout her career, Denise has held senior leadership positions across education, health, and research, including Superintendent of Education for the Beaufort Delta Education Council, Regional Wellness Director for the Gwich’in Tribal Council, and Director of Research Development at the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research. Her leadership advanced culture-based education, wellness initiatives, and northern research capacity, strengthening ties between schools, communities, and research institutions. She has been recognized with multiple awards, including the National Superintendent’s Association Leadership Award, the Northwest Territories Wise Woman Award, the Government of the Northwest Territories Distinguished Service Award, and induction into the Northwest Territories Education Hall of Fame.

Denise has contributed to Indigenous-led research locally and globally. She co-authored a 2024 Lancet Planetary Health publication, bringing Elder knowledge to planetary health and health-systems transformation. Her work exemplifies research that is relational, community-driven, and guided by Indigenous knowledge and governance.

Beyond her academic and leadership roles, Denise is a respected traditional artist and organizer of the Gwiizrii Gijiint’aih – Do Your Best Beading, Quilling, and Wellness Gathering in Inuvik. Her artistry, which is rooted in Gwich’in teachings and materials such as moose hide, caribou hair, and seal skin serve as both cultural expression and a form of community wellness. Through her teaching, mentorship, and creative practice, Denise continues to strengthen Indigenous knowledge systems, support intergenerational learning, and advance pathways for culturally grounded education and research in the North.