QHS EDIIA Action Plan

Pillar 1: Outreach and Summer Program

Goal 1: Deliver the QHS Outreach and Summer Program to support and mentor high school students in the Kingston and surrounding area

Actions

1. Provide mentorship and workshop delivery to participants via in-kind sup- port from QHS Schools, Departments, and Programs. (Status: well under way)
2. Provide mentorship to program participants from QHS learners, staff, and faculty. (Status: well under way)
3. Operationalize an Advisory Committee to provide program oversight. (Status: well under way)
4. Evaluate QHSOSP annually to assess the program’s effectiveness and implementation. (Status: well under way)
5. Build and maintain community partnerships across Kingston and the surrounding area to identify program participants. (Status: well under way)

Goal 2: Commit to sustaining and developing QHS outreach programming long term through partnerships that support targeted recruitment

Actions

1. Identify funding opportunities to employ a Program Student Coordinator. (Status: well under way)
2. Identify funding to provide Scholarship/ Educational Stipend opportunities to high school students. (Status: well under way)
3. Identify funding to support QHSOSP programming (e.g. delivery of work- shops, summer program). (Status: well under way)
4. Deliver statement of commitment by QHS leadership to sustain the QHSOSP long term. (Status: not yet started)
5. Target recruitment of low socio- economic status, Indigenous, Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, students living with disabilities, amongst others within Kingston and surrounding area as well as building the geographical reach. (Status: well under way)
6. Track number of high school students in QHS outreach programming who applied and were admitted to a post secondary program. (Status: have some progress)

Pillar 2: Admissions

Goal 3: Minimize systemic barriers faced by applicants through equitable and inclusive admission and transition processes

Actions

Separate Admission Streams

1. Implement a Black Student Application Process (BSAP). (Status: have some progress)
2. Evaluate existing streams including the Indigenous Student Pathway and First-Generation Pathway. (Status have some progress)
3. Continue to identify opportunities for admission streams for other equity-deserving groups. (Status: have some progress)

Reserved Seats

1. Continue to evaluate reserved seats in the Indigenous Student Pathway and in QuARMS. (Status: have some progress)
2. Create dialogue at QHS to recognize discrimination and minimize stigma and biases faced by students admit- ted through reserved seats. (Status: have some progress)

Transitional Programs

1. Continue to evaluate STEM: Indigenous Academics (STEM:InA). (Status: have some progress)
2. Identify opportunities for similar transitional programs for other equity-deserving groups. (Status: have some progress

Mentorship and Outreach Programs & Admissions Workshops

1. Compile and publish a list of existing mentorship and outreach programs and admissions workshops for applicants at QHS and highlight those for equity-deserving groups. (Status: have some progress)
2. Identify opportunities for new mentorship and outreach programs and admissions workshops for equity-deserving groups. (Status: have some progress)

Financial Assistance

1. Compile and publish a list of existing scholarships and bursaries for applicants at QHS with a focus on equity-deserving groups and/or with consideration of financial need. (Status: well under way)
2. Implement an application fee subsidy program for applicants in financial need. (Status: have some progress)
3. Re-evaluate existing scholarships and bursaries to include a focus on equity-deserving groups and/or consideration of financial need. (Status: have some progress)
4. Promote opportunities for donors to establish new scholarships and bursaries for equity-deserving groups and/or applicants in financial need. (Status: well under way)

Holistic Review of Applications

1. Re-evaluate existing admissions criteria to determine if a holistic approach is used in the review of applications. (Status: have some progress)
2. Consider increasing the weighting of non-cognitive components, such as extracurricular activities, personal statements/essays, letters of reference, situational judgment tests (CASPer), and multiple mini interviews (MMI). (Status: have some progress)
3. Consider lowering cut-offs for cognitive components, such as GPA and MCAT. (Status: have some progress)
4. Publish more transparent admissions criteria and cut-offs on program websites. (Status: well under way)

Goal 4: Dismantle discrimination and biases faced by applicants through equitable and inclusive selection processes (Status: have some progress)

Actions

Diverse Admission Reviewers

1. Invite and compensate students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members of diverse and intersecting backgrounds to be file reviewers, interviewers, and admissions commit- tee members. (Status: have some progress)
2. Continuously involve new members to gain fresh perspectives and reduce the minority tax. (Status: have some progress)

Equity Training

1. Develop an equity training module specific to admissions. (Status: well under way)
2. Mandate the equity training module for all file reviewers, interviewers, and admissions committee members. (Status: have some progress)

Disclosure and Feedback

1. Develop and implement a tool for applicants, current students, staff, and faculty to disclose experienced or witnessed discrimination or bias by file reviewers, interviewers, and admissions committee members. (Status: have some progress)
2. Implement a framework for providing feedback from any disclosures to file reviewers, interviewers, and admissions committee members. (Status: have some progress

Goal 5: Advance equity-oriented data collection, stewardship, and reporting across QHS (Status: have some progress)

Actions

Tracking and Analyzing Admissions Data

1. Track, analyze, and report admissions data with respect to applicant demo- graphics (race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, first-generation status, urban/ rural) throughout the application process. (Status: have some progress)
2. Identify opportunities for targeted admissions initiatives based on the admissions data. (Status: have some progress)
3. Publish admissions data on program websites. (Status: have some progress)

Goal 6: Improve transparency through public communication regarding QHS EDIIA initiatives (Status: have some progress)

Actions

Commitment to EDIIA in Admissions

1. Publish a statement of commitment to EDIIA in Admissions on program websites. (Status: have some progress)
2. Promote EDI-focused admissions interventions on program websites. (Status: have some progress)
3. Create dialogue at QHS to recognize discrimination and minimize stigma and biases faced by students admit- ted with the help of EDI-focused admissions interventions. (Status: well under way)

Pillar 3: Recruitment

Goal 7: Enhance resources and opportunities afforded to prospective equity-deserving learners (Status: have some progress)

Actions

Learner Recruitment

1. Establish and execute a one-day conference at QHS for Grade 12 equity-deserving students across Canada to learn about the field of health sciences and diverse professions. (Status: have some progress
2. Create a comprehensive welcome package for each QHS education program that is distributed via email to students upon acceptance into a QHS program. (Status: have some progress)
3. Develop a tracking and reporting tool to actively seek and target the recruitment of learners from equity deserving groups into paid faculty roles or encourage higher education through scholarship opportunities. (Status: not yet started)

Goal 8: Improve QHS staff and faculty hiring policies and processes to enhance representation (Status: have some progress)

Actions

Staff Recruitment

1. Implement a consistent process for QHS hiring panels/committees informed by the following EDIIA principles (Status: well under way)
2. Implement consistent recruitment processes informed by the following EDIIA principles (Status: well under way)

Faculty Recruitment

1. Ensure that each department identifies the extent of which equity seeking groups are (under)represented within their unit. (Status: well under way)
2. Establish a comprehensive strategy for faculty recruitment informed by EDIIA principles. (Status: well under way)
3. Model equity, diversity, and inclusive practices in all stages of the recruitment process. (Status: well under way)
4. Establish a suitably staffed office tasked with surveillance of recruitment practices across the faculty of health sciences. (Status: well under way)

Pillar 4: Retention

Goal 9: Improve equity-deserving learner retention rates in QHS (Status: have some progress)

Actions

Learner Retention

1. Increase opportunities for equity- deserving learners to engage within the academic and non-academic community at Queen’s Health Sciences. (Status: have some progress)
2. Circulate an annual survey allowing learners to report sense of belonging, areas of improvement, and anonymous/ confidential reports of incidents of harassment or discrimination. (Status: well under way)
3. Define a framework to increase retention of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQPs) and strategy to raise capital for retaining research personnel who are former QHS learners. (Status: not yet started)

Goal 10: Create a culturally safe and respectful workplace for all QHS employees (Status: have some progress)

Actions

Staff Retention

1. Enforce exit survey and data collection system for all staff roles at QHS to inform future strategies. (Status: have some progress)
2. Provide career advancement opportunities for staff. (Status: have some progress)
3. Provide accessible resources and policies regarding professional burnout or burnout prevention. (Status: have some progress)
4. Mandate higher education focused unconscious bias training for all QHS staff members, including staff leadership, as part of annual professional development processes. (Status: well under way)
5. Ensure awareness and use (as needed) of Queen's harassment and discrimination reporting and response. (Status: well under way)

Goal 11: Implement equitable and inclusive policies and practices to increase staff and faculty retention (Status: have some progress)

Actions

Faculty Retention

1. Enforce exit survey and data collection system for all faculty roles at QHS to inform future strategies. (Status: have some progress)
2. Create an EDIIA and trauma-informed framework to be used in meetings that are meant to retain Queen’s Faculty. (Status: have some progress)
3. Create supports to openly discuss and prevent burnout across QHS faculty. (Status: have some progress)
4. Increase faculty engagement and retention by creating a culture that recognizes small contributions, skills, strengths, compassion, care, and expressing genuine thanks. (Status: have some progress
5. Promote a growth and change mind- set within academic departments/ programs/units and on decision- making committees across QHS. (Status: have some progress)

Pillar 5: Mentorship

Goal 12: Formalize mentorship opportunities for QHS learners and create formal mentorship frameworks between learners and faculty (Status: have some progress)

Actions

Learner Mentorship Opportunities

1. Develop formal mentorship opportunities for all QHS learner programs with learner, staff, and faculty mentors. Prioritize diversity and equity-related matters. (Status: have some progress)
2. Promote current mentorship opportunities available for QHS learners. (Status: well under way)
3. Implement a real-time mentee/mentor feedback survey to track progress of these opportunities and to identify areas of improvement for each mentorship encounter. (Status: have some progress)
4. Develop an education module about mentoring in academia, including EDIIA context-specific content. (Status: have some progress)
5. Create an online QHS mentorship ‘hub’, as a unified central location for all QHS parties, which provides educational information, networking opportunities, and events and activities that implement an internal quality improvement process. (Status: have some progress)
6. Ensure ongoing dialogue with clinical/ work experience partners about QHS EDIIA actions and strategies for improved mentorship within these environments for learners. (Status: have some progress)
7. Develop a standardized, mandatory interview template for mentors to use when seeking mentees, especially for graduate and research-based mentorship. (Status: have some progress)
8. Set expectations during the first meeting within mentorship relation- ships to set out compassionate ways to foster communication and enhance commitment, especially for graduate and research-based mentorship. (Status: have some progress)
9. Provide protected time for mentorship for learners, staff, and faculty for quality driven relationships to flourish. (Status: not yet started)
10. Define unacceptable behaviors and attitudes of faculty and staff toward learners and implement a zero-tolerance framework by engaging in the following (Status: have some progress)
11. Create and implement an updated standard for learner-staff/faculty supervision that involves mandatory supervision training. (Status: have some progress)
12. Establish a Committee composed of representatives of all QHS stake- holders (including alumni) to oversee matters related to recruitment, retention, and mentorship policies and processes. (Status: well under way)

Goal 13: Build mentorship resources for faculty to strengthen mentorship relationships that foster positive and safe experiences (Status: not yet started)

Actions

Faculty-Faculty Mentorship

1. Ensure faculty are engaging unconscious bias training to build awareness and foster a sense of belonging. (Status: well under way)
2. Engage and collaborate with the Faculty and Staff Recruitment, Retention and Support (FSRRS) and/or University Council on Anti- Racism and Equity (UCARE) initiative in developing mentorship programs for equity-deserving faculty. (Status: have some progress)
3. Create resources for equity-deserving faculty that includes Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Queen’s associations, and community associations to edu- cate faculty mentors on community networks and resources that could support a sense of belonging. (Status: have some progress)

Goal 14: Assemble and sustain mentorship opportunities for interprofessional staff and faculty mentorship (Status: have some progress)

Actions

Staff-Faculty Mentorship

1. Create avenues for staff to enter into faculty positions. (Status: not yet started)
2. Engage faculty members on respecting and valuing the role of staff members. (Status: have some progress)
3. Leadership reports incidences of harassment and discrimination between staff/staff and staff/faculty via Queen's Harassment and Discrimination Police. (Status: well under way)
4. Provide staff positions with increased protected time to engage in academic activities (e.g. teaching and research) and university service. (Status: not yet started)
5. Develop more inclusive and collaborative opportunities for staff and faculty. (Status: well under way)
6. Develop leadership staff roles that historically are filled by faculty members (e.g. decanal positions). (Status: not yet started)

Pillar 6: Curriculum

Goal 15: Adapt and implement the QHS Inclusive Curriculum Model (Status: have some progress)

Actions

1. Form an Advisory Committee to guide the implementation of the Inclusive Curriculum model, composed of (Status: have some progress)
2. Pilot the QHS Inclusive Curriculum Model (Status: have some progress)
3. Recruit within QHS to support programs with the implementation of the model (Status: well under way)
4. Adopt existing resources supporting the Inclusive Curriculum model (Status: have some progress)
5. Create new resources to support model (Status: well under way):
6. Integrate Inclusive Curriculum Model by auditing and using existing processes and tools (QCAP process and DEAP tool). (Status: not yet started)

Goal 16: Advance an EDIIA interprofessional approach to QHS curriculum (Status: not yet started)

Actions

1. Implement the Inclusive Curriculum Model for Interprofessional EDIIA learning opportunities (e.g. courses, grand round sessions, workshops). (Status: well under way)

Pillar 7: Professional Development

Goal 17: Develop infrastructure to formalize QHS EDIIA-related professional development (Status: have some progress)

Actions

1. Appoint a task-focused, time limited Professional Development working group comprised of leaders with positional and network power to oversee implementation of recommendations. (Status: well under way)
2. Create a net-ID accessed Professional Development Dashboard to better track and incentivize PD participation. (Status: have some progress)
3. Provide learners, staff, and faculty with protected time to engage in EDIIA-related professional development as an expected part of their role. (Status: well under way)
4. Use regularly scheduled events— including grand rounds, department meetings, seminar series, annual retreats etc.—to advance EDIIA- related professional development. (Status: well under way)

Goal 18: Identify QHS mentors/allies to support EDIIA-focused professional development (Status: not yet started)

Actions

1. Identify interprofessional mentors/allies who support staff and faculty with EDIIA professional development. (Status: well under way)
2. Train mentors/allies to ensure they have knowledge of available resources and opportunities and are equipped to be in supportive role. (Status: well under way)

Goal 19: Build, integrate, and ensure the uptake of mandatory and evidence-based EDIIA training in QHS (Status: have some progress)

Actions

1. Identify strategies to improve participation rates in mandatory training. (Status: well under way)
2. Create net ID-accessed Professional Development dashboard to better track completion rates and incentivize participation. (Status: have some progress)
3. Review current mandatory training with eye to best practices. (Status: have some progress)

Goal 20: Ensure QHS EDIIA-related professional development programming is based on evidence-based (Status: have some progress)

Actions

1. Use regular cyclical review to ensure EDIIA-related professional development programming is (Status: have some progress)
2. Develop a resource bank of case studies/scenarios, drawn from QHS learners, staff, faculty to provide material for programming. (Status: well under way)
3. Increase opportunities for synchronous/ live training. (Status: well under way)

Pillar 8: Research

Goal 21: Provide QHS researchers with the infrastructure and resources to engage with EDIIA principles and practices in their research (Status: have some progress)

Actions

1. Work with Queen’s Ethics Office to provide EDIIA-related resources via the Queen's TRAQ system. (Status: not yet started)
2. Create opportunities for QHS researchers to consult with EDIIA experts on how to integrate EDIIA related principles and practices into their health science research. (Status: not yet started)
3. Develop a concise EDIIA health science research toolkit/guide that provides a framework on the research life span that is adopted by all QHS research centres and groups. The toolkit engages an intersectional lens and identifies gaps in knowledge. (Status: well under way)
4. Develop examples, case studies, and approaches on how to apply EDIAA principles in research. (Status: have some progress)
5. Create a resource bank/listserv of EDIIA-related research training or professional development opportunities. (Status: well under way)
6. Promote existing EDIIA related research training for QHS members. (Status: well under way)
7. Develop a data analysis resource guide to ensure proper representation and evaluation of patient/community participants. (Status: not yet started)
8. Ensure QHS Research Office/Vice Dean, Research encourages researchers to consider the integration of EDIIA throughout every stage of the research process. (Status: well under way)

Goal 22: Increase QHS research funding that values EDIIA-informed research (Status: not yet started)

Actions

1. Identify ways for internal funding to prioritize EDIIA related research. (Status: have some progress)
2. Determine how QHS internal research grants can integrate the evaluation of EDIIA principles and practices. (Status: have some progress)
3. Ensure a continuation of EDIIA studentships. (Status: well under way)

Goal 23: Track and communicate QHS EDIIA research and representation in research activities (Status: have some progress)

Actions

1. Have QHS Research centres track diverse representation in all areas of research activities (Status: have not yet started):
2. Identify opportunities to celebrate the current complement of QHS researchers engaging EDIIA principles and practices. (Status: well under way)

Pillar 9: Culture and Community

Goal 24: Prioritize an equitable and inclusive cultural shift across QHS (Status: have some progress)

Actions

1. Adopt DEAP tool to track progress of meeting DAT-EDI recommendations. (Status: well under way)
2. Ensure adequate staffing/resources for EDIIA Office to operationalize Champion Program. Ensure enough support for EDIIA Programming staff and Associate Dean, Equity and Social Accountability to be able to run the QHS EDIIA Programming activities effectively. (Status: well under way)
3. Ensure larger staffing budget for QHS EDIIA Programming to match the strategic importance of the deliverables of the committee. (Status: well under way)
4. Implement cross-collaborative and goal setting meetings between KHSC, PC, and QHS so there is shared EDIIA awareness, EDIIA resources, and EDIIA training across all organizations. Cross-organizational collaboration helps to ensure that the Champion program is supported and sustained. (Status: have some progress)

Goal 25: Ensure the collaborative implementation and sustainability of the QHS Champion Program � (Status: have some progress)

Actions

1. Implement the QHS Champion Program composed of EDIIA leads and committees across QHS departments/programs/units. (Status: well under way)
2. Use OnQ for a repository of program resources. (Status: well under way)
3. Ensure access to funding (e.g. protected time) to support guest speakers/ content experts to provide compensation for education. Ensure we do not disadvantage less-financially solvent departments or ask people to educate us for free. (Status: well under way)
4. Provide champions with access to Queens HREO/OPDES EDIIA training. (Status: well under way)
5. Identify ways to recognize student involvement in champion program (e.g. funding, service learning). (Status: well under way)
6. Form a Champion advisory committee to oversee the strategic operation of the champion program and ensure accountability of implementing DAT-EDI recommendations. The committee will help to support QHS Programs/ Departments in their implementation of DAT-EDI Recommendations. Ensuring proper representation of learners, staff, faculty, and across all three schools (SOM [clinical and non-clinical programs], SON, SRT) and diverse representation on the advisory committee. (Status: well under way
7. Administrative support of 0.1 FTE (minimum) to 0.5 FTE (maximum) in Department budgets (consider cost sharing strategies across departments) to help oversee the implementationof DAT-EDI recommendations through the use of the DEAP tool. (Status: have some progress)