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Achieving Equity and Global EDIDI Competence in the Canadian Health Sector Workforce

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Western University and the University of Manitoba collaborated in a new program to enhance equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization and Indigeneity (EDIDI) training in the health care professions.  

The program supported 55 students from medicine, dentistry, nursing and other health professions to gain knowledge in EDIDI as it applies in healthcare ecosystems, through an online course that was collaboratively developed by Canadian and African Subject Matter Experts. Students applied the EDIDI knowledge by completing a 5-week experiential learning placement in Africa, with the goal of preparing health care professionals to work with and understand diverse populations. In addition to financial support, accommodation arrangements were provided as needed and/or appropriate, including on-the-ground support by faculty/staff teams during placements in Africa. Students developed case studies based on their observations, and these cases have been added to the online EDIDI course, transforming it into a unique Case-Based Approach to Understanding Application of EDIDI Principles in African and Canadian Healthcare Ecosystems. This course will be available soon, to all interested persons globally – including the existing healthcare workforce and/or learners.

Why was the program launched?

The proportion of Canadian low-income students, Indigenous students, students with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ students, students that come from racialized communities and those practicing minority religious faiths participating in international experiences is negligible. Reasons for this include financial and other structural and systemic barriers that students from these categories face, in Canadian post-secondary institutions. This initiative was supported by the Global Skills Opportunity program through the Government of Canada.

How did this program work?

• Undergraduate students in the health professions at Western and University of Manitoba were equipped with Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization, and Indigeneity (EDIDI) knowledge and skills, to prepare them for frontline work in global settings, as well as in Canada.

• Students took a virtual asynchronous certificate course in EDIDI (Equity Diversity Inclusion Decolonization Indigeneity), co-developed with African partners.

• Students were placed at a partner institution in one of four African Francophone or Anglophone countries for experiential learning (observation only) for 5 weeks.

• Canadian Staff/faculty/Senior PhD students accompanied students for wraparound support in Africa, and they were joined by similar teams from partner institutions, in Africa.

• Students developed case studies at the end of their placements, for use in enhancing the curriculum, at their institutions. Case studies were incorporated in a reconstructed, innovative EDIDI course.

• The project created sustainable structures and supports for international mobility programs that are equitable and accessible to all students, at participating universities. 

Who was eligible for the program?

• Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents who had current registration in an undergraduate health professions degree course at Western University or at the University of Manitoba.

• Must have been 18 years of age or older.

• Must have identified as, or had lived experience in, one or more of the following categories: 
  Indigenous; persons with disabilities; from a low-income background; member of a racialized community; students in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community; or from a minority faith/religion.

• Was willing to undertake a virtual, asynchronous foundational certificate course in EDIDI followed by a 5-week experiential learning placement in one of the following countries:
  Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, or Senegal.

Selection Process:

The students’ applications from Western University and the University of Manitoba were processed by project staff, according to the set eligibility criteria.

All the 55 students selected, participated in the Virtual Mobility program (12-hour Asynchronous EDIDI Certificate Course), followed by the Physical Mobility program (5-week placement in Africa). Placements in Africa took place in Summer 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Project Leads: