DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
By Nadia Boachie and Laura Best
W
hat do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a common question; one that, you too, were likely asked. Perhaps you dreamt of becoming a physician or architect, an astronaut or an accountant - one day obtaining an education based in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). Or, perhaps, because of factors unrelated to your intelligence, abilities or work ethic, these career options seemed impossible. Despite increasing eff orts among STEM fields to increase accessibility for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC), systemic barriers exist that prevent BIPOC from entering and succeeding in STEM careers. However, 2020 has illuminated some of the issues that prevent minority groups from entering STEM fields, as well as the detrimental impact that excluding certain groups of people can have on the overall success of these fields. “Diversity in science refers to cultivating talent and promoting the
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full inclusion of excellence across the social spectrum.” - Dr. Kenneth Gibbs, Jr. (Scientific American, 2014). Consider the journey for a student through the Ontario education system. As early as elementary school there are signs that children from minority groups are not treated equally. Not only does this affect their wellbeing, but also their future. Though institutions try to tackle the lack of diversity in STEM fields at the post-secondary level, deeply rooted biases and systemic barriers exist in early education systems that prevent BIPOC from pursuing STEM fields. Combatting these barriers is Dr. Chika Oriuwa, a recent graduate and valedictorian of the University of Toronto (U of T) Medical Class of 2020. Recently, IMS Magazine had the pleasure of sitting down with her to discuss her experiences. Dr. Oriuwa is black, a child of immigrant Nigerian parents, and a prominent advocate for diversity and inclusion in medical education and beyond. She feels that “when you have a more culturally and ethnically diverse class, you’re really providing better health care to the community that you’re servicing.”
IMS MAGAZINE SPRING/SUMMER 2020 BEDSIDE TO BENCH
Dr. Oriuwa identified issues that likely prevented many of her peers from following the same career path as she. “It was long before medical school [when] I realized that there was racial inequity in regard to who was even pursuing science and who wasn’t,” Dr. Oriuwa explains. “As far back as elementary school, you start to pick up on the fact that black students are often placed into academic streams below their capability” she further explains. Despite her secondary school being one of the more culturally and racially diverse institutions that she attended, Dr. Oriuwa recalls the impacts of academic streams were still evident. “There were definitely less black students in my sciences, mathematics, my calculus, chemistry, biology courses - things that would prepare you for an undergraduate degree in some kind of science field,” she explained. It was announced this July that Ontario plans to end streaming. This practice, where high-school students were required to choose the pursuit of an “academic” or “applied” track, has been criticized for pigeonholing a disproportionate number of black and disadvantaged students. Education Minister, Stephen Lecce,
