The Institute for Circumpolar Health Research developed from the Arctic Health Research Network founded in 2005 by northern community members, doctors, academics, and scientists who believed that advancing the health and wellness of northern people and communities is an important area of scientific inquiry and public policy. Established as the Institute for Circumpolar Health Research (ICHR) and registered in 2006 under the Northwest Territories Societies Act, we are an independent, non-profit organization actively engaged in research, research facilitation, training, synthesis, exchange and dissemination. At the ICHR we focus on: bringing together people, facilities, and resources to support health-related research in the Northwest Territories and raising health and wellness issues throughout the region’s communities and the broader circumpolar world. ICHR facilitates the connection between local health and global trends. We understand the relationships between: rural and remote circumpolar communities; Indigenous-led multicultural regions; the direct effects of climate change; the stresses of rapid resource development; multi-level governance; fiscal constraint; and we provide a scientific interface to solve collective problems.