Artsci Student Kira Young Published in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health

“The 2023 wildfire evacuations in the NWT displaced over 70% of the population (including me and my family),” said level II Arts & Science student, Kira Young. Her paper, entitled “Exploring the impacts of the 2023 wildfire evacuations in the Northwest Territories: a grey literature review” was recently published in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health, an “international open access research on circumpolar health covering issues related to the health of Indigenous peoples and high latitude environments,” (International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2025).

Kira worked closely with Sophie Roher – a Research Scientist at the Institute for Circumpolar Health (in Kira’s hometown of Yellowknife, NWT) and an Arts & Science graduate from the class of 2013 on this research work. “Sophie was an incredible supervisor and mentor, and I’m very lucky to have had her guidance and wisdom in some of my first exposure to academic research,” Kira shared.

“Our findings suggest that the wildfires amplified preexisting vulnerabilities— many of which are tied to the North’s distinct geography, history, and services— and eroded public trust in government systems,” said Kira. “The repercussions of the evacuations had interconnected and long-term consequences across sectors including healthcare, the economy, and equity-deserving populations.” 

She highlighted that the intersectional and interdisciplinary thinking emphasized in the Arts & Science program is exactly what this project demanded. “This research explored how ideas like climate change, social support, and governance coalesced to shape the experiences of evacuees, which is a stunning material manifestation of many concepts we’ve discussed in [Arts & Science] classes like Global Challenges Inquiry and Social & Political Thought,” said Kira. “It was a good reminder of why an interdisciplinary education is so valuable.”

Click here to read Exploring the impacts of the 2023 wildfire evacuations in the Northwest Territories: a grey literature review.

Congratulations, Kira and Sophie, on having your important research published.