Dean's Statement

As the Dean of FHS, I am in a position of immense privilege. I know that many unearned advantages are derived from society’s patterns of injustice and we share an obligation for changing those patterns. In a recent article on the topic, Dr. Stephanie Nixon notes that “The obliviousness of people about their positions of privilege is a key strategy required to sustain the hegemony of systems of inequality.”

Addressing EDI is not a one-step journey. It involves cultural transformation and will require permanent attention with iterations of evaluation and adaptation. We will need to ask hard questions and listen well to people whose voices have been barely audible. We should be prepared to hear anger, hurt, and pain and we must be prepared with mental health supports, including Indigenous Elders who can offer their wisdom and healing circles.

Our collective success will require personal, organizational, and cultural humility. We will all need to study, to learn and un-learn about history and culture. And importantly, we must act on what we learn, with cycles of self-reflection, recognition, and informed action. In our work, we will strive to meaningfully demonstrate our commitment to the principles of EDI in our workplace as well as our teaching, research, and care.

We will make mistakes, but through this work, I believe that together we can build an even stronger FHS.

Faculty of Health Sciences Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office

General inquiries: edifhs@queensu.ca

Dean’s Action Table on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The Dean’s Action Table on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (DAT-EDI) has a mandate to study, promote and advise on efforts to create and sustain a more equitable, diverse, inclusive, accessible, and culturally safe community for students, staff and faculty in the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS). In doing so, the DAT-EDI will provide a means to identify and coordinate EDI activities and initiatives across the faculty.

Faculty of Health Sciences Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Fund

The Faculty of Health Sciences Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Fund has been set up to launch and develop governance, policies, and programming that promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in five distinct areas in the Faculty of Health Sciences that require an examination from an EDI lens:

Students, Curriculum, Research, Professional Development, and Culture.

The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion fund will allow the faculty a chance to train more young people from under-represented groups, such as Indigenous and Black Canadians – as health professionals. The funds will initially be used to launch the following programs to improve EDI in the faculty.

• Establishing the Dean’s Action Table on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Creating new pathways to increase the enrolment of underrepresented groups
• Developing outreach health education programs and mentorship opportunities for underrepresented communities (e.g. high school students and youth)
• Supporting events and opportunities for student-led EDI Initiatives
• Decolonization and diversification of the curriculum
• Skills based training in cultural humility, conflict resolution, human rights, anti-colonialism, anti-racism, and anti-oppression
  
  

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