Black Lives Matter

CSM’s Black Medical Students’ Association (BMSA) was established in 2018 to create a safe, welcoming community for Black medical students. Since then, it has evolved into a group that raises awareness of the bias and systemic racism in our institutions, including medical education.

As the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery and the associated Black Lives Matter protests were making headlines, the BMSA took action to provide an evidence-based framework for the medical school to use to initiate meaningful change to combat the racial inequality that is currently woven into our processes and systems.

In June 2020, BMSA members, Aya Ebdalla (BA, BSc ’19), McNiel–Inyani Keri, Mursal Mohamud and Chidera Nwaroh (MSc ’19) released “Calls to Action to Address Institutionalized Racism in Medical Education and Health Care,” a concise document that highlights actions that are needed to “provide informed, anti-oppressive practices to prevent health inequities.”

McNiel–Inyani Keri

Chidera Nwaroh

Aya Ebdalla

Mursal Mohamud

The group identified three themes in which tangible measures can be made to counter racism in medical education and health care: commitment to increasing diversity; equipping all CSM graduates to care for patients who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC); and promoting wellness in BIPOC students. These themes share a common goal — to move towards an antiracist future for medicine.

These calls to action highlight that “the presence of racial diversity within all levels of the Cumming School of Medicine, including medical students, residents, administrators, lecturers, faculty, and leadership is paramount. Creating a community of support in which this is possible is the first step.”

An early response from the CSM included establishing the Black Applicant Admissions Process (BAAP) for the 2020-2021 medical school application cycle. This new process gives Black applicants the choice to self-identify and provide an essay to include in their overall file. To ensure those with similar lived experiences are involved in the evaluation, BAAP applicant files will be reviewed by at least two members of the BIPOC community.

“Introducing the BAAP is a step in the right direction. However, there is more we can do to achieve equity and diversity in our admissions process and within our school,” says dean, Dr. Jon Meddings, MD.

“The BMSA would like to thank the CSM for listening and more importantly, taking action — demonstrating their leadership in the fight against institutional racism and their commitment to our collective communities.” says BMSA member Keri. “The presence of racial diversity within all the levels of the Cumming School of Medicine, including medical students, residents, administrators, lecturers, faculty, and leadership is paramount. Creating a community of support in which this is possible is the first step.”

“Although the fight against institutional racism  is far from over, these initial steps do not go unnoticed. We look forward to continued commitment from CSM leadership in maintaining what has been established while actively taking further steps in the fight against institutional racism,” Keri continues.

Other changes have been initiated to address specific calls to action, including hiring additional mental health professionals with expertise in racialized trauma, evaluating the medical school curriculum to identify implicit bias and a tool to self-report acts of racism.

The BMSA student leaders continue to work tirelessly to advocate for changes to our system – a considerable task considering they are enrolled in an academically rigorous program.

Their contributions were recently celebrated by UCalgary with the 2021 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Team Award, a testament to their work to help the university in its journey to becoming a more inclusive place.

BMSA Themes:

1. Commitment to increasing diversity

2. Equipping all Cumming School of Medicine graduates to care for patients who are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC)

3. Promoting wellness in BIPOC students

Artwork courtesy of Dylan Brenneis https://dylanbrenneis.ca/art/