Submission ID 78313
| Code | OG-1-6 |
|---|---|
| At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: | |
| Category | Medical Education |
| Type | Oral |
| Will the presenter be a: | Other |
| Presenter Other | Faculty Member |
| Title | Head of the Class: Equity Policies, Practices, and Discourses Related to Department Head Appointments and Their Perspectives on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Edi) at A Canadian Medical School. |
| Background/Purpose | Leaders in academic in medicine are crucial change-makers and department heads (DHs) are key agents for Faculties of Medicine. Who these leaders are therefore matters. For decades now, diversity amongst DHs has not kept pace with that of medical school matriculation. We require a deeper understanding of barriers and enablers to equitable clinical appointments and endorsement and how perspectives on EDI have changed. |
| Methods | We reviewed policies on how DHs are recruited and conducted document analysis of equity policies and HR documents (n=17). We subsequently held interviews with past and present DHs (n=18), looking for implicit values and assumptions relating to equity in leadership in academic medicine. We conducted a critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine underlying assumptions informing EDI policies and DH appointments in one Atlantic Canadian medical school from 2005-2020. |
| Results | DH leadership traits have shifted toward more collaborative, communal, and emotionally-attuned practices. Interviews with Department Heads, documented changing emphasis on EDI over the data collection period (2020-21). Early interviews focused on gender, while later interviews emphasized both race and gender, perhaps reflecting a sharper focus on inequities since the events of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other EDI categories remained absent. Discourses identified relating to equity and DH appointments, framing equity as: documentation; mentorship; numerical representation; relinquishing privilege; legal obligation; moral commitment; and aspiration. Documents framed equity as legal and aspirational, despite including a wider range of equity-deserving groups. Legal obligations were often presented as hopes and intentions, with formal accountability and evaluation of equity neglected. |
| Discussion | Discourses relating to EDI among DHs are changing, with greater awareness of race as well as concepts such as privilege and allyship. An intersectional approach to EDI that expands beyond race and gender, to include class, sexuality, disability, language, and more. |
| Keyword 1 | Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity |
| Keyword 2 | Department Heads |
| Keyword 3 | Academic Leadership |
| Abstract content most relevant to: (check all that apply) | Continuing Professional Development (CPD) (faculty development, CME)
Residency Education Undergraduate Medical Education Other |
| Abstract Track - First Choice | Leadership |
| Authors | Constance LeBlanc Anne Mahalik Christy Simpson Shawna O'Hearn Paula Cameron |
