The preliminary work consisted of archival literature and organizational searches. Conferences on the topic of traditional medicine were hosted across North America, including New Mexico, Arizona, British Columbia, and Washington. These were key opportunities to attend conferences that yielded a great deal of information on the subject of traditional medicine. The resultant discussions raised themes that ranged from government policy to contemporary implementations of strategies used by both healers and Indigenous medical practitioners. The conferences allowed space for a network of policy makers, healers, researchers and academics to share information on traditional medicine, healing, and research. .
