The Qaujigiartiit Health Research Centre is an independent, non-profit community research institute that was founded in 2006 by Nunavummiut, for Nunavummiut, to answer the health questions of our communities. The centre initially grew out of a climate of research taking place in Nunavut communities that did not focus on the topics of priority interest to Nunavummiut. We focus our research on the priority issues of our communities in a way that harnesses our strengths and builds on our knowledge. Qaujigiartiit has grown from a small volunteer operation to a fully staffed office in Iqaluit with 7 full-time researchers and 10-15 part-time and freelance staff at any given time. The vision for Quajigiartiit is to use research as a tool for action to address health inequalities in our communities. We seek to enable health research to be conducted locally, by northerners, and with communities in a safe, supportive, culturally-sensitive and ethical environment as well as promote the inclusion of Inuit and Western epistemologies and methodologies (ways of knowing and doing) in addressing health concerns, creating healthy environments, and improving the health of Nunavummiut.