Message from Dr. Stephen Archer (Head, Department of Medicine)
As Department Head I am proud of the many, proactive efforts that we have made as a team to advance EDI over the past decade.
We have created fair and balanced search committees and as a result our hiring practices have yielded many diverse new faculty members. Our Women in Medicine program, which I commissioned > 5 years ago, is vibrant and welcoming. It began under the leadership of Dr. Mala Joneja and now is led by Dr Anne Ellis.
We have also created progressive policies to support our faculty, including generous maternity and parental leave policies.
We have a talented EDI lead, Dr. Mala Joneja, and together have spoken out against racism in all its protean forms. With the support of the DOM faculty we voted to invest $250,000 of faculty money to create a Reducing Barriers Bursary which funds a bursary for a meritorious BiPOC medical student in each year of our medical school.
Our wellness offerings are practical and effective. In addition to frequent and personal thank yous and recognition, through our DOM awards program, we have a very popular minisabbatical program which allows faculty to go abroad study or advance their clinical, educational or research skills-but mostly it’s a chance to re-energize. This investment in our faculty goes a long way to advance wellness.
In 2022 we took on one of the more challenging career transitions, retirement, and by a 95/5 majority voted to create visionary career transition policy that treats senior faculty with the respect they have earned, through years of service.
So, while we are far from perfect and are only beginning down the road to equity, diversity, and inclusivity; there is none the less much to celebrate. I personally believe the “I” in EDI should stand for ‘inclusiveness’-meaning, regardless our age, sex, gender, or race, we are all part of the solution to realizing the full potential of Queen’s U DOM.
Dr. Stephen Archer
Message from Dr. Mala Joneja (Department of Medicine EDI Lead)
The Department of Medicine is committed to providing an equitable and inclusive academic working and learning environment, where everyone has a chance to thrive. We are still learning everyday about EDI and we are ready to listen, reflect and act.
We have seen over the past few years that the positive words associated with EDIIA (including equity, diversity, inclusion, Indigeneity and accessibility) have gained prominence as important values to be strived for in academic medicine. What is often overlooked, however, is that each of these terms is now a focus, because of an ongoing negative reality that many members of academic medicine have dealt with for years, including racism, bias, lack of respect, exclusion and ableism. We understand this, and we respect the lived experiences of those in our community that have faced inequitable treatment.
We are ready to go beyond superficial efforts at inclusion, and prepared to examine the structures that uphold exclusion in academic medicine. We are ready to openly talk about the challenges that underrepresented faculty face and do our best to allow everyone to thrive and succeed.
Dr. Mala Joneja
Reducing Barriers Bursary
Established in February 2021 by the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization on behalf of the SEAMO Department of Medicine Physicians. Awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need to students entering first year of a degree program in the School of Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Preference will be given to students who self-identify as Black Canadian or Visible Minority/Racialized students. The award is renewable for three subsequent years provided satisfactory academic standing is maintained each year and financial need remains evident.
Women in Medicine
In 2016, the Department of Medicine launched the Women in Medicine Committee (WIM) Program. The members of the WIM committee are dedicated female faculty who work collaboratively to support one another throughout their career in medicine.
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Queen's Department of Medicine values diverse representaton as reflected in our full complement of Staff and Faculty. Check out our People Page.
Medical Grand Rounds with an EDI Theme
- November 24, 2022 - Learning and Unlearning Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Residency Education
Dr. Julia Milden - Core Internal Medicine Chief Resident (PGY3) - October 13, 2022-Decolonization and Reconciliation in Health Care and Health Professions Education
Dr. Peggy DeJong - Division of Cardiology - April 28, 2022 - Alcohol Associated Liver Disease (ALD) among women – How did we get her and how can we help?
Dr. Jennifer Flemming-Division of Gastroenterology - Sept 30, 2021 - Bias in teaching – strategies for recognizing and addressing
Dr. Michelle Gibson-Division of Geriatric Medicine - September 28, 2017 - Mind The Gap
Dr. Gillian Hawker - University of Toronto - February 9, 2017 - Jordan's Principle: the importance of equity for Indigeneous children's health
Cindy Blackstock & Dr. Phil Wattam-Division of General Internal Medicine
EDI Resources from the Department of Medicine
- Nov 2022 - Anti-Black racism and medical education: a curricular framework for acknowledging and learning from past mistakes
Dr. Mala Joneja - Sept 2020 –If you see something, say something: a personal story about systemic racism
- July 2020 – Return to Weeneebayko
- May 2020 - COVID-19: We're not all in the same boat
- July 2018 – Women in Medicine: Where are we 150 Years after Dr. Emily Howard Stowe, Canada’s first female physician?
Find out more on the Faculty of Health Sciences EDI page