By Lucas-Matthew Marsh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Iori:wase The Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) is launching the Aspire Program for Kahnawa’kehró:non students to increase Indigenous representation in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEM) fields. Doctor Gareth Lim, Associate Professor at the University of Montreal and Principal Scientist at the Centre de Recherche du CHUM (CRCHUM), developed the internship program during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to the ongoing underrepresentation of Indigenous people in STEM fields. “I felt like it was something we should improve, ” Lim said. Lim reached out to Dr. Alex McComber, a Kahnawa’kehró:non researcher at McGill University, to help broker an introduction to the Kahnawake Education Center (KEC). Lim worked alongside KEC to create the Aspire Program. “The idea was to focus on students…










