Ashley Hayward

Ashley Hayward, PhD, is a Red River Métis scholar and citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Applied Health at the University of Winnipeg, where her interdisciplinary research focuses on Indigenous health and wellness, reproductive justice, perinatal health, and the social determinants of health. A 2020 CIHR Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar, she completed her PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba and holds both a BA and MA from the University of Winnipeg. Ashley’s research is grounded in community-led and relational approaches that emphasize ethical partnerships, reciprocity, and collective accountability. Working closely with communities, organizations, and decision-makers, her research seeks to inform policy and practice while advancing health equity and social justice.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two daughters, and family remains central to both her life and work. She has kinship ties to the Hogue, Daignault, Ducharme, Turcotte, and Richard families, some of whom took scrip in St. Charles and St. Boniface. Outside of her academic work, she enjoys spending time with her husband on their small farm, travelling with daughter Maddie, and cheering for her daughter Mika who competes in ringette as a goalie.