Friday, Oct. 20
14:30 – 15:30 (1 hr)
Meeting Room: Parksville (3rd floor – North Tower)
Nikhita Singhal*, MD; Marianne Côté-Olijnyk, MD; Liz Rowe, MD candidate; Nikhita Singhal, MD; Zoë Thomas, MD; Miranda Sanokho, PhD
Supported by the Members-in-Training & Fellows’ Section

CanMEDS Roles:

1. Health Advocate
2. Professional
3. Leader

At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1) Describe the concepts of intersectionality and implicit bias and identify ways in which issues related to equity, diversity, Indigeneity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIIA) manifest in their daily work; 2) Increase awareness of their implicit biases and how they may manifest in their personal and professional experiences; and 3) Develop strategies to address EDIIA-related issues in their professional practice and within their respective institutions.

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada has committed to meaningful change in the direction of equity, diversity, Indigeneity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIIA) principles. However, racialized medical students and residents remain underrepresented and continue to experience discrimination by patients, peers, and supervisors. Although multiple Canadian medical schools have developed pathways to increase diversity within their programs, few spaces within medical training and clinical institutions discuss these experiences of discrimination and collaborate towards change.

This workshop is meant as the first step in this direction, with the aim of opening up a brave space for conversation about experiences facing and (or) witnessing discrimination within training. In this session, we will briefly present guidelines to set the frame for discussion and provide an overview of intersectionalities and implicit bias. Participants will be invited to discuss experiences related to EDIIA and to reflect on their own biases, guided by prompts offered by the facilitators. Depending on the number of participants, small groups may be formed, with representatives relaying experiences to preserve anonymity. Participants will then be invited to reflect on strategies to address these experiences in their respective institutions. Finally, we will summarize key takeaway points and elaborate action items; possible next steps might include attending related workshops, such as one focused on developing a process-based antiracism curriculum at McGill.

References:

1. Osei-Tutu K, Ereyi-Osas W, Sivananthajothy P, et al. Antiracism as a foundational competency: reimagining CanMEDS through an antiracist lens. CMAJ 2022;194(49):E1691–E1693.
2. Sudak DM, Stewart AJ. Can we talk? The role of organized psychiatry in addressing structural racism to achieve diversity and inclusion in psychiatric workforce development. Acad Psychiatry 2021;45(1):89–92.