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» Go to news mainPromoting diversity in health care
When it comes to finding your way into a career, mentors matter.
That’s especially true in the case of Leah Jones, a second-year medical
student at Dalhousie, who says it was through her role as a mentor that
she found the inspiration to follow her dream of becoming a doctor.
“As a young Black woman, when I see a Black female physician, it feels
like they are my role model. I want others to see the same in me,” she
says.
Recently, Dalhousie and the Johnson Scholarship Foundation established a
new partnership to encourage and support Aboriginal and African Nova
Scotian students in considering careers in health care. Two Dalhousie
programs — Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotians (PLANS) and the Aboriginal Health Sciences Initiative (AHSI) — will have the opportunity to significantly extend their reach thanks to the foundation's generosity.
The Johnson Foundation, which aims to improve access to education for
underrepresented groups, has committed to matching all donor gifts to
PLANS and AHSI up to $1 million.
“As the province’s leading university with the highest concentration of
health programs, we have a responsibility to nurture diversity in our
academic programs so that our graduating classes represent the
communities in which they will live and work,” says President Richard
Florizone. “We thank the Johnson Scholarship Foundation for their
generous support.”
“We’re very excited about partnering with Dalhousie on this important
project,” says Malcolm Macleod, the foundation’s president. “The
additional scholarships and expanded support mechanisms will improve
access to education and build capacity in these underrepresents groups,
and ultimately strengthen the health-care system.”
The U.S.-based foundation, in partnership with Dalhousie, will help
PLANS and AHSI expand their outreach, mentorship and financial support
to students in an effort to help address the cultural disparity in the
health-care system. For example, a national study in 2010 showed that
out of 69,000 physicians in Canada, only 300 were Aboriginal — less than
1 per cent. Similar disparities exist within all other health
professions.
“Patients who receive care from professionals who reflect their cultural
background have better experiences in the health-care system,” says Dr.
David Anderson, dean of Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine.
The Aboriginal Health Sciences Initiative (ASHI) was established in 2009
to encourage more members of the Maritime Aboriginal community to
consider careers in health-related fields. Promoting Leadership in
Health for African Nova Scotians (PLANS) began with a community advisory
committee in Medicine in 2011, before expanding its reach to Dentistry
and Health Professions with new provincial funding in 2013. Today, PLANS
now spans 50 communities across the province.
PLANS and AHSI have parallel initiatives at the university and within
their respective communities, including summer programs, mentorship,
advancing diversity in curricula and working closely with community
partners to develop new programs. The increased funding will allow the
two initiatives to increase their efforts across all initiatives.
Jones, who served as a mentor to junior and senior high students when
she was an undergraduate student, says programs like these will help
support and encourage students like her to enter the health professions.
“I thought, 'wow I wish I had the opportunity to be a part of this
program when I was young,'” says Jones, whose own mentorship experience
inspired her to follow her own dreams. “I realized I was telling these
kids they could be anything they want, and I needed to follow the same
advice.”
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