A leading authority on First Nations health is calling on healthcare practitioners to recognize intergenerational trauma when treating Indigenous patients.

Dr. Evan Adams is the chief medical officer for the First Nations Health Authority in B.C. He told the's CBC's The Early Edition the historic oppression faced by Indigenous people can linger as trauma in subsequent generations.

"Trauma really is a wound," he said. "Often, trauma is psychic in nature, not physical ... and it can be an experience that is transmitted through family over a long period of time so it can take a long time to manifest and a long time to understand."

Click here to read more and listen to an interview with Dr. Evan Adams.