The Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) has been established to provide leadership across the Faculty of Medicine in the areas of professionalism, learner mistreatment, equity, diversity, and inclusion, anti-racism, and anti-discrimination.
Events
- To Bear Witness: A Meaningful Conversation about my Mom on Belonging and Perseverance
Join us on Wednesday, April 23, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM for a conversation with Maï Yasué, Associate Director of the REDI Office, about Derek’ mother, Maude Thompson. Maude was a First Nations Haisla woman, a Survivor of the Indian residential school experience, and a cook at the Tsow-tun Le Lum Society – Substance Use and Trauma Treatment Centre for nearly 40 years. - Advancing Inclusive Research in Medicine: Anti-Racist and Decolonial Approaches
In the lead-up to BC Anti-Racism Awareness Week, join us on Friday, May 16, 2025, from 12:00 – 1:30 pm for a discussion on how medical and health researchers can cultivate more reciprocal, collaborative, and inclusive research practices that are culturally sensitive, anti-racist, and welcoming to historically, systemically, and persistently marginalized (HSPM) communities. - Building a More Welcoming Movement Toward a Just Culture
What motivates real cultural change? How can we create movements that feel hopeful and actionable? Join REDI’s Fourth Annual Symposium on Tuesday, June 10th, 2025, from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, to learn about evidence-based approaches in psychology, social change, and transformative education as we explore new pathways to creating lasting, inclusive change—grounded in science, compassion, and care. - Employment Equity Advisor (EEA) Training
Join the EIO for the Employment Equity Advisor (EEA) Training on April 9, 2025, at the UBC Vancouver campus (with a synchronous online option). This one-day capacity-building retreat is designed for faculty and staff involved in hiring, equipping them with the expertise to support equitable, inclusive, and accessible recruitment. - Walking with the Squamish (Professional Development Retreat)
Are you a post-secondary educator interested in learning more about Indigenous education, culture and ways of knowing? If you are, this professional development retreat is for you! Join the David Suzuki Foundation, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation and Camp Fircom from April 10-11, 2025 on Gambier Island. - Disability in the Workplace! Interactive workshop
Are you ready to deepen your understanding of disability awareness and inclusion in the workplace? Join this interactive virtual workshop developed specifically for faculty, staff, and leaners at the Faculty of Medicine, led by Dr. Jon Breen, Equity Advisor with the Dean’s Office.
Recent Posts
- Community Agreements for Guiding Conversations Among Diverse Participants
Whether you’re leading a discussion or participating, this tip sheet offers practical guidance for fostering respectful and inclusive discussions, especially when conversations touch on complex or sensitive topics. Adapted from radical inclusivity practices, these agreements help participants navigate power dynamics, listen mindfully, and engage with openness and empathy. - International Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31)
Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility, an intentional opportunity to celebrate and recognize the valuable contributions of trans community members – and reflect on how we can all contribute to trans inclusion. - Congratulations to Dr. Saleem Razack: Recipient of the AFMC President’s Award for Exemplary National Leadership in Academic Medicine
Congratulations to Dr. Saleem Razack, REDI Senior Faculty Advisor, on receiving the 2025 Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) President’s Award for Exemplary National Leadership in Academic Medicine. - REDI Best Practices: Receiving Feedback Well
Feedback is essential for growth, yet receiving it gracefully—especially when it involves EDI—can be challenging. This tip sheet provides actionable strategies to overcome common barriers—such as defensiveness, emotional reactions, and binary thinking. It supports you in transforming difficult conversations into meaningful opportunities for personal reflection and professional growth. - Research Voices from the Field with Katherine Wisener
In this edition, Katherine Wisener, Associate Director, Faculty Development, reflects on why she co-authored “Upward Feedback: Exploring Learner Perspectives on Giving Feedback to their Teachers” and how it can be relevant to educators in medicine. - International Women’s Day (2025)
In honour of International Women’s Day (IWD), meet some of the outstanding women in the UBC Faculty of Medicine — learners, faculty and staff members — who are transforming health for everyone.
Recordings
- The First Page of a New Chapter: Leading Transformative Change for Indigenous Peoples in an Era of Truth and Reconciliation
Watch a recording for a conversation with Dr. Alika Lafontaine, an award-winning physician, social innovator, and the first Indigenous physician listed by the Medical Post as one of Canada’s 50 Most Powerful Doctors. Grounded in a mixed Indigenous ancestry of Métis, Oji-Cree, and Pacific Islander, Dr. Lafontaine has served in provincial and national medical leadership positions for two decades. - Weaving Relations for Meaningful and Genuine Change
Watch a recording for a conversation with Dana-Lyn Mackenzie, a member of the Hwlitsum First Nation, lawyer, and Senior Manager, EDI & Indigeneity, at the Faculties of Applied Science and Land and Food Systems. Dana-Lyn was instrumental in creating the Intergenerational March to Commemorate Orange Shirt Day, the Weaving Relations course, and the Cascades of Change program. - Inclusive Professionalism in Medicine
As our working and learning environments become more diverse, it’s worth questioning which elements of “professionalism” are essential for competent and effective education and care, and which perpetuate gatekeeping, exclusion, and various forms of oppression. Watch a recording of a conversation with health professionals and educators examining the concept professionalism.
With gratitude, we acknowledge that the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and its distributed programs, which include four university academic campuses, are located on traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of First Nations Peoples and communities around the province.
We respectfully acknowledge that the UBC Vancouver-Point Grey academic campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and UBC operations in Vancouver more generally are also on the territories of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh).
We respectfully acknowledge that the UBC Okanagan academic campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation.
We respectfully acknowledge that the University of Northern BC Prince George campus is located on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, who are part of the Dakelh (Carrier) First Nations.
We acknowledge and respect the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples on whose traditional territories the University of Victoria is located and the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.
Learn more about the Faculty of Medicine’s commitments to reconciliation.