Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion at the Department of Physiology

Our Committment:

The Department of Physiology strives to be a diverse, equitable, and actively anti-racist department. It is our goal to welcome all of our students into an inclusive culture where everyone feels safe and supported to thrive. 

We acknowledge that significant, ongoing work is required to combat the systemic barriers and discrimination faced by Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour, LGTBQ+ people, disabled people, and women in the sciences.

Effectively recruiting both faculty and students from marginalized groups and creating an inclusive departmental culture are current strategic priorities.

As part of this initiative, Physiology has an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee comprised of faculty, students, post docs and staff that oversees initiatives around anti-Black racism and other EDI-pertinent issues.

Our Action Plan:

As detailed in our Chair's statement on racism, we aim to work on the following areas on an ongoing basis:

1. Address systemic under-representation of Black and Indigenous faculty and learners in academia:

• We will identify and support “Pathways” for under-represented high-school age students in the community who are interested in a career in Physiology.
• We will establish a mentorship/sponsorship program for Black and Indigenous learners to assist in their career development and success.
• We will continue to research best practices on recruiting Black and Indigenous faculty and apply these to our searches.
• We will review our promotion and leadership appointment processes through an anti-racist and anti-oppression lens and make changes as needed.

2. Provide Anti-Racism Education to our Members:

• We commit to educating our entire department about anti-racist practice and the value of diversity within the scientific community through platforms like our Annual Departmental Retreat and other Departmental Meetings.

3. Enhance wellbeing of under-represented faculty and learners:  

• We will provide a safe and confidential reporting system for our members to bring forward their experiences with racism in the department, and, as needed, to provide culturally appropriate support mechanisms for affected individuals.