RI-MUHC ANNUAL REPORT 2023

EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (EDI) MILESTONES

An approach to strengthen excellence in research and improve work experience for all

With the introduction of an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Advisory Committee and dedicated EDI specialist in 2022, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) has taken stock in this critical area and embarked on a three-year action plan. The premise of this plan is that EDI is not an addition to research; it is an approach to strengthen excellence in research and to improve work experience for all.

“At the RI-MUHC, I have seen coherence between EDI policies, actions and institutional support,” says EDI specialist Diego Herrera, PhD. “Researchers and managers contact me daily on how to make their teams and research methods more inclusive and representative of our Canadian diversity. Only by these means – by bringing in people from marginalized groups and by thinking with them about solutions to their challenges – will research become an innovative tool to transform our unequal society.”

In 2022-2023, EDI milestones at the RI-MUHC included:

• Approval of a three-year EDI Action Plan by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS);
• Presentation of our plan to EDI leaders at an international conference (“The Shoulders of Giants: Listening, Learning and Improving our Practice,” March 2023, Hull, UK);
• Creation of working groups in critical areas through the new RI-MUHC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (see the “Oversight” section of this report);
• Major events marking the International Day of People Living with Disabilities and International Women’s Day;
• Launch of the RI-MUHC’s first Inclusive Writing Guide;
• Coordination of EDI evaluation for the inaugural Fiera Capital Awards for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Health Research for Indigenous and racialized students (see the “Focus on our research trainees” section of this report);
• Creation of a network of EDI specialists in Quebec hospital-based research centres;
• Coordination with an Intersectorial EDI Community of Practice to share best practices and keep abreast of EDI developments with advisors from organizations across Canada.

Learn more about equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) at the RI-MUHC.