Submission ID 77869
| Code | OA-4-4 |
|---|---|
| At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: | |
| Category | Medical Education |
| Type | Oral |
| Will the presenter be a: | Student |
| Title | Leading National Change to Increase Black Representation in Canadian Medical Schools: Collaboration in the Development of Black Admissions Pathways. |
| Background/Purpose | Black students remain underrepresented in Canadian medical schools and admissions processes provide an opportunity for improving representation. Barriers to entry include cost and a lack of mentorship in navigating the application process. The Black Medical Students' Association of Canada (BMSAC) was established in 2020 to advocate for equitable representation. Previously, only Dalhousie University and the University of Toronto had mentorship/admissions programs for Black students. |
| Methods | BMSAC shared its recommendations to the AFMC and all 17 faculties in July 2020. Through its national network, BMSAC facilitated connecting Black medical students with successful streams/initiatives, such as Community of Support and BSAP based at the University of Toronto. This consultation resulted in the sharing of practices and expedited the development of Black equity admissions streams within Faculties. |
| Results | The collaboration resulted in streams/processes being implemented with others to be rolled out in future admissions cycles. For example, the University of Calgary and University of Alberta had 13 and 6 students respectively, admitted through their streams in the 2020-2021 cycle. Beginning in 2021-2022, McGill University implemented their program resulting in the admission of 24 Black students. |
| Discussion | The implementation of admission streams in tandem with mentorship programs has begun to reduce the disparity in representation. Through collaborative sharing of wise practices across Black student, faculty, staff, and community member networks, institutional silos were disrupted, enabling a seamless establishment of the pathways. There remains a need to evaluate the impact of these pathways and support the wellness/professional development of Black learners. |
| Keyword 1 | Black medical students |
| Keyword 2 | Black representation |
| Keyword 3 | Admission pathways |
| Abstract content most relevant to: (check all that apply) | Undergraduate Medical Education Other |
| Abstract Track - First Choice | Admissions |
| Authors | Julianah Oguntala Ike Okafor Julianah Oguntala Ikunna Nwosu Gbolahan Olarewaju Abel Berhe Victoire Kpadé Yusef Yousuf Ibrahim Sadiq Adesewa Adeleye Ike Okafor |
