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Our commitment to equity & diversity

In the Undergraduate Medical ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Office, we seek to facilitate the promise of accessible health care and the creation of a culturally safe training environment. Recognizing the diversity that already exists within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, we believe that the best physicians are those who can combine the humanistic aspects of healing with the science of medicine. As a complement to other elements of our medical curriculum, experiences of diversity will enable future doctors to engage in self-reflection. 

To increase the diversity of our incoming classes while maintaining the exceptional academic backgrounds of our students, the Faculty's Social Accountability and Community Engagement Office has a number of outreach programs for high-school aged youth from underrepresented groups in Medicine to prepare for a career in Medicine or another health profession. The Indigenous Health Professions Program also offers Outreach programs and Science mentoring for Indigenous youth.

Applicants from all backgrounds, and particularly those who self-identify as a member of an underrepresented group in Medicine (including from Indigenous and Black communities, as well as rural and low-income backgrounds) are invited to contact the Social Accountability Office or the Indigenous Health Professions Program to learn more about the support they can offer as you consider starting your journey at ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ. 

• Contact the Social Accountability and Community Engagement office

• Contact the Indigenous Health Professions Program 

For specific questions about Medicine ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ eligibility and applications, contact the Undergraduate Medical ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Office, or visit us at one of our upcoming recruitment events.

The case for equity & diversity

We invite you to read the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Diversity Statement.

The Canadian healthcare system is forged in the value of equality of access. As stated in the preamble to the Canada Health Act, continued access to quality health care without financial or other barriers will be critical to maintaining and improving the health and well-being of Canadians. Despite these egalitarian goals, research has shown that various social determinants impact the quality of care received by Canadians. Public health concerns raise the question of diversity within faculties of medicine. The paucity of doctors from Indigenous and Black communities as well as rural and low-income backgrounds is a systemic problem with health consequences. The continued under-representation of certain groups creates physician shortages in these communities. This deficiency is exacerbated by students’ scarce interactions with people from these communities during their medical studies, thereby reducing future doctors’ effectiveness.

When we talk of equity and diversity issues in medical education we often draw the link between a diverse profession and better health for a diverse population, as in the paragraph above.  There are certainly many data that successfully demonstrate this link, but this is only half of the story.  In the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences we are concerned with issues of equity and diversity not only because of demonstrated links to population health, but because we seek to eliminate barriers for well-qualified, capable applicants to our programs and let them share in the opportunities and rewards that careers in the health professions can offer.  We feel it is the right thing to do because everyone who graces the doors of our clinics, classrooms, and corridors is entitled to a space that is culturally safe and engaging and tolerant of difference.

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In the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences