Taking Initiative in Addressing Diversity in Medicine

Abstract

The existence of systemic racism in Canadian healthcare, among other determinants including accessible education, available occupation, and affordable housing, contributes to the racial divide in treatment and poor health outcomes for Black communities. Recent promising work has demonstrated patient-physician racial concordance in populations of colour as a potential area of focus for addressing health inequities for diverse communities. The impact of shared cultural experiences and cultural competency leads to mutual respect, trust, and improved communication between patients and physicians guiding their care. This approach is dependent on the availability of physicians of colour and similarly other healthcare providers. The Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto has attempted to address the deficit in its own community through a two-pronged approach: mentorship through the Community of Support (COS) and the Summer Mentorship Program (SMP), and the implementation of the Black Student Application Program (BSAP). These initiatives have significantly increased Black medical student representation and continue to have considerable impact on Black communities in the surrounding area. Through partnerships with community organizations that support the ethos of these programs, the vision of a more culturally diverse physician workforce in Canada has been reinforced. The adoption of similar programs across Canadian medical schools can lead to better representation within medicine and help contribute to a necessary culture shift within the ranks of medical institutions. These are critical steps in laying the foundation for a medical education grounded in equity, excellence, and strength in diversity, and a healthcare system that truly provides patient-centred care.

Diversity of the chiropractic profession in Canada: A cross-sectional survey of Canadian Chiropractic Association Members

“…Although numerous commentaries and narrative reviews emphasize the importance of focused efforts on improving diversity within the profession, little work has been done to identify speci c priorities and strategies to accomplish these objectives, particularly within the Canadian context [31][32][33][34][35]. One strategic example can be seen in the medical profession, where Canadian Medical schools have taken the lead, implementing programs targeted at recruitment and retention of racialized minorities, in particular Black and Indigenous students [11,36]. While improving diversity may be a lengthy process [11], there may be a need to explore more immediate strategies to foster the development of a culturally congruent model of chiropractic care.…”

“…One strategic example can be seen in the medical profession, where Canadian Medical schools have taken the lead, implementing programs targeted at recruitment and retention of racialized minorities, in particular Black and Indigenous students [11,36]. While improving diversity may be a lengthy process [11], there may be a need to explore more immediate strategies to foster the development of a culturally congruent model of chiropractic care. Cultural congruence refers to the dynamic interaction between the cultural competence of providers, the views, experiences and expectations of patients, and the sociocultural environment in which the clinical interaction takes place [5].…”

“…Black and Indigenous People of Colour, immigrants, gender and sexual minorities and people living with disabilities) may suggest the potential for systemic unjust and avoidable cultural exclusion (inequity) during the process of becoming a chiropractor [7,8]. Moreover, a lack of representation of key equity-seeking groups amongst practicing chiropractors could impact quality of care and access to services for vulnerable communities [9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

Science class as clinic: Why histories of segregated instruction matter for health equity reforms today

“…Recent studies discuss at least ten issues around which students, teachers, and teacher educators might examine scientific and sociopolitical dimensions of the pandemic as matters of pressing global concern. These include: heightened viral exposures of delivery, healthcare, and other essential workers (Forsythe & Chan, 2021), disparate resources for sheltering at home (Rezende et al, 2021), inequitable access to medical facilities (Rodrigues & Lowan-Trudeau, 2021), racializing narratives of irresponsible patients (Mark, 2022), systemic racism in healthcare institutions (Saddler et al, 2021), racialized medical devices like the pulse oximeter (Waight et al, 2022), racially biased healthcare management algorithms (Cheuk, 2021), disability and the rationing of lifesaving resources (Williams et al, 2022), unjust domestic and global vaccine distribution (Raveendran & Bazzul, 2021), and intensified environmental racism (Forsythe & Chan, 2021).…”

Accounting for Diversity in Robot Design, Testbeds, and Safety Standardization

“…In a healthcare context such as rehabilitation, gender and sex considerations are crucial because they affect individuals' health and disease differently, as well as their response to treatment [74]. However, most robots deployed in the healthcare context do not consider these aspects [19,37,89]. Missing these dimensions in robotics that interact with users and are used in sensitive contexts like healthcare is a huge concern, as neglecting these aspects will inevitably produce far from optimal results and harm patients, potentially generating liabilities.…”