Equity in Medicine Workshop:
Creating an Inclusive Culture in Medicine
Virtual Workshop | Friday May 19 | 12:30pm - 2:30pm EST
Unconscious bias, or implicit bias, is a term that has entered mainstream media in the last few years. But what exactly is it, how does it affect me, and why should I care? It turns out that our own unconscious bias, coupled with the unconscious biases of those around us, have significant and lasting impact on how we view the world, how we treat (and are treated by) our patients and colleagues, how our career trajectory in medicine might grow (or be stifled), and ultimately, on our overall well-being. Anchored in the latest published studies, this workshop will provide an overview of unconscious bias and reveal how it influences the interactions and decisions in our personal and professional lives. By empowering ourselves
with knowledge on unconscious bias and ways to disrupt it, we can create a more respectful, inclusive and equitable culture in our own communities, and advocate for institutional and system changes in medicine.
Jon Hilner
MD, CCFP
Dr. Jon Hilner grew up in South Africa and immigrated to Alberta at the age of 10. He is dad to two amazing girls and works as a community family doctor in St. Albert. Dr. Hilner is currently the Acting President of the Section of Family Medicine of the Alberta Medical Association, and is a strong advocate for DEI in both clinical and organizational settings. He joined the Equity in Medicine leadership team in 2022.
PaulaCashin
MD, FRCPC, LLM
Dr. Paula Cashin is the first Indigenous Radiologist and Nuclear Medicine physician in Canada. She is a Mi'kmaw physician working in rural Newfoundland. Dr. Cashin completed medical school and Diagnostic
Imaging at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She is a dual FRCPC certified physician with subspecialty training in Nuclear Medicine at the University of British Columbia and an Interventional Radiology fellowship at the University of Toronto. She is the Newfoundland and Labrador representative on the Canadian Medical Association Board of Directors. Dr. Cashin is an advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in medicine and is part of the Equity in Medicine leadership team.
Kim Kelly
MD, CCFP (AM), FCFP
Dr. Kelly is a first-generation physician who identifies as a white settler, cisgender, straight woman. She has been a strong EDI advocate in her roles as a physician leader and community leader at the local, provincial and national levels for over 15 years. She is the Founder and Co-Chair of the Equity in Medicine national leadership team since its inception in 2018. Dr. Kelly is a strong advocate of gender parity and is the Chairperson of the mission-driven non-profit, Equal Voice, to elect more women at all levels of government in Canada. One of her great joys is to empower colleagues of all ages, particularly those from equity-deserving groups, to seek out and apply for “stretch” leadership opportunities.
Mojola Omole
MD, FRCPC
Dr. Mojola Omole was born in Nigeria and immigrated with her family to Canada when she was eight years old, growing up in rural Ontario. She is a breast surgical oncologist and a general surgeon at Scarborough Health Network, Toronto. She works as a DEI and anti-oppression consultant with healthcare companies and in medical education. Her work in anti-Black racism in medicine aligns with her role as a board member of the Black Physicians of Ontario. She is a journalist and writes for publications such as CBC, Walrus and Quartz. You can hear her every other Monday as the co-host of the CMAJ podcast.
Sophia Park
MD, FRCPC, MBA
Dr. Sophia Park is a laboratory physician and division head of medical biochemistry at Royal Columbian Hospital. She is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and past director of the medical biochemistry residency training program. Dr. Park has expertise in quality improvement, and leads the spread portfolio for Fraser Health’s Physician Quality Improvement program. She has served in various leadership roles in laboratory medicine, in medical education, and in the medical community, and was named by Business in Vancouver as a Top 40 Under 40. She joined the Equity in Medicine leadership team in 2020.
Francesca Proulx
MD CM, FRCPC
Dr. Francesca Proulx is a French Canadian radiologist living in Montreal, Quebec. Dr. Proulx completed her medical school and residency in diagnostic radiology at McGill University in Montreal. She did a year of fellowship in women’s imaging in Boston at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard medical school affiliated hospital. Dr. Proulx also subspecialized in chest imaging and finished a fellowship at the University of Montreal Health Center in 2014. She was the chief of breast imaging at the Jewish General
Hospital in Montreal for 6 years and currently works as a general radiologist in St-Jerome, Quebec. Dr. Proulx was a speaker and scientific judge at the Canadian Association of Radiology Annual Meeting from 2016 to 2022. She was also part of the CaRMS selection committee for the Mcgill radiology residency program for many years. She joined the Equity in Medicine leadership team in 2022 and hopes to make a difference in her community in the coming years.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:
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Define unconscious bias and identify common types of biases through case studies
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Describe the impact of unconscious bias on themselves, their patients, and their colleagues
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Acknowledge and reflect on their own unconscious bias through self-assessment activities
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Learn proven strategies to counteract unconscious bias, including best practices on inclusive hiring