Council on Reforming Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for Trainees (CREDIT)
Within Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry’s mission of producing a “learning environment where tomorrow’s physicians, dentists, health researchers and other scholars learn to be socially responsible leaders in the advancement of human health locally, regionally and globally” a commitment to EDI is a commitment to academic excellence.
The Council on Reforming Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for Trainees (CREDIT) was formed in January of 2021 and aims to include at least one representative from each department represented by Schulich Medicine & Dentistry. CREDIT provides a forum to exchange ideas between departments, create unified change within Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, and build a supportive community for all trainees.
CREDIT is responsible for identifying key areas for EDI improvement in Schulich Medicine & Dentistry Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies and implementing EDI principles and regulations while also developing clear policies and action plans for students and trainees.
CREDIT seeks to serve everyone in Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, including trainees, support staff, and faculty with an emphasis on the trainee experience of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in both research and clinical settings.
CREATING AN EQUITABLE, DIVERSE, AND INCUSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS & POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS AT THE SCHULICH SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY
Vision, Goals, Current Projects, and EDI Recommendations
To create an equitable, diverse, inclusive, and accessible environment, EDI principles must be embedded into the culture of Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, an important aspect of any relationship, meeting, policy, initiative, or research study. Acknowledging persistent issues related to EDI within Schulich Medicine & Dentistry should be the first step towards finding a solution. These solutions should not put the onus of change on marginalized groups; it is everyone’s responsibility to tackle these systemic issues. Finally, with every word comes action, and with every action comes the funding commitment to ensure success. Below are initial recommendations and actions that we as a council identified as being essential to adequately support trainees at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
Who Are We?
A team of trainee representatives from each department at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
Why Do We Exist?
To provide a forum to exchange ideas between departments, create unified change within Schulich Medicine & Dentistry and build a supportive community for all trainees.
Key Aims and Goals
To bring systemic change to Schulich Medicine & Dentistry's culture, both innate and structural, of the treatment of underrepresented or equity-deserving groups.
EDI Action Plan
- Provide mandatory and annual rigorous EDI training to all staff, faculty and trainees within Schulich Medicine & Dentistry
- Implement risk assessment strategies to identify and remove EDI barriers in trainee academic and professional development, recruitment, and scholarship
- Increase representativeness of the trainee population
- Integrate diverse populations into study designs and research opportunities
- Develop easy-to-find resources for Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellows on mental health, wellness, and accessibility
- Compensate and support under-represented trainees & their community service work
- The Council on Reforming Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for Trainees
- Download the full CREDIT Action Plan 2021-2022 (PDF)
Current Projects
- Launch at LHRD EDI Workshop and future events
- EDI resource bank and contacts for trainees to easily access
