We are dedicated to integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles into everything we do, and thereby hope to empower our members to follow suit. On this page, we highlight key initiatives driving our commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable environment for all.
Belonging, Dignity and Justice Advisory Committee
In 2020, we formed a Belonging, Dignity, and Justice Advisory Committee to review WHRC processes and activities, and make recommendations about how we can strengthen our EDI practices. This committee meets twice a year and is composed of at least 11 individuals who bring professional and/or personal expertise to the table from a wide variety of backgrounds. This includes students, faculty, and individuals from the community who are both WHRC members and non-members. Check out their Terms of Reference to learn about their focus, positionality within the WHRC and ability to influence our work. If you’d like to join this Committee, please get in touch!
2S/LGBTQA+ Champion
Dr. Robert Paul Juster
Assistant Research Professor,
Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, Université de Montréal
Serves as an ad hoc advisor to the WHRC on issues related to 2S/LGBTQA+ health, EDI and other topics as needed.
EDI Resources
Breaking harmful cycles of oppression and marginalization starts with awareness. We encourage you to get familiar with the resources outlined below to begin breaking that cycle in your world.
- Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
- CIHR’s Meet the Methods Series: “What and Who is Two-Spirit?” in Health Research
- United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- International Decade for People of African Descent
- Dimensions: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion by the Government of Canada
- Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
- How to Outsmart your Own Unconscious Bias (TED Talk)
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives at Canadian Universities
- Public Health Language Guide: Guidelines for Inclusive Language for Written and Digital Content
- Sexism in Academia is Bad for Science and a Waste of Public Funding (Boivin, et al., 2023)
- Check out this list of resources & tools that can help you address gender bias in academia
Past Initiatives
Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Health Cluster Alliance
From 2020-2022, the WHRC joined 12 other health-focused organizations in forming the JEDI Health Cluster Alliance. The goal of this Alliance was to develop the inclusion skills of our members through training and awareness raising opportunities. We held numerous EDI-focused workshops about creating a safe research-work environment, and equitable data collection practices featuring the film Coded Bias.
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