Events

Parts Known & Unknown: Exploring the Borders of Truth, Reconciliation and Redress

Every Child Matters

Parts Known & Unknown:  Exploring the Borders of Truth, Reconciliation and Redress

W. Kamau Bell joined Anthony Bourdain in Kenya in what was to be the final season of the CNN series, Parts Unknown. Kamau has roots in Kenya and this was his first time travelling to the motherlands of his people, and he stated something that I thought was interesting. He said something like, “coming to Kenya, you know, it’s nice to have a diasporic-kind-of-connection, even though I did not come from Kenya, but I have roots in Kenya, and even if that frame that the connection was built through was colonialism.”

It made me think about what it would be like for someone like myself to travel to the ancestral homes of my people. Well, this is my home. Certainly, more than it is your home, and in this era of truth and reconciliation, it is now both my home as much as it is your home. I come from no other place in the world than from right here, diitiidʔaaʔtx̣ – Ditidaht, we are the Nuuchahnulth and the seas for miles of shoreline and all of the land on the western side of our Vancouver Island home, from Point No Point in the south to Brooks Peninsula in the north, is Nuuchahnulth territory, our haahuulthii.

In the conclusion of that episode with W. Kamau Bell in Parts Unknown, Tony narrates an epilogue, “Who gets to tell the stories? This is a question asked often. The answer in this case, for better or for worse, is I do, at least this time out. I do my best, I look, I listen, but in the end, I know it’s my story. Not Kamau’s, not Kenya’s, or Kenyans’. Those stories are yet to be heard.”

It’s important for colonial settlers, and for new settlers, to Canada to consider who you are and where you come from, and what it means to live in British Columbia, and to think about your own frame of reference as being truly Canadian, even if that frame that the connection was built through was colonialism. The context, the narrative, the history, the good or bad of it, the story of what it means to be Canadian is apart and a part of your individual and shared story as a British Columbian, as a Canadian, as an unwelcomed or welcomed colonial settler, and as a new settler. The stories that have yet to be heard, and are now starting in some ways to be told, is our story, my story, of what it means to be diitiidʔaaʔtx̣, to be Nuuchahnulth, to be First Nations, to be Indigenous, and to also be Canadian in this country and in this province.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a unique opportunity to bridge the divide of our individual and collective stories, our distinct and shared experiences, and our united effort to right and write a new history chaptered with the stories of a sincere determination to tell the truths of the past, to reaffirm and renew our commitments to reconcile all things oppressive, racist and insufferable, and to create an honest and just redress for all Indigenous – First Nations, Inuit, Métis – peoples. It would be momentous to proclaim someday that we all come from a country in which the frame that the connection was built through was equality, acceptance and compassion.

It’s fair to ask, “What will you do between October 1st, 2022 and September 29th, 2023, to recognize your part in this history, this story, and what will you actively do to shift the narrative?” We’re at an urgent time in our country’s history to thoughtfully and actively explore all parts known and unknown in our ongoing journey to come to terms with each other and with our past, and with the present day. I look forward to the work ahead this year, and I’ll look forward to us hearing each other’s stories next year and in the many years to come.

With Respect,

Derek Thompson – Thlaapkiituup
Indigenous Initiatives Advisor, Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Continue Learning

“The time to make things happen is now. The time to seek out our individual and shared power is now.”

Read the Message from the Indigenous Initiatives Advisor, Derek Thompson – Thlaapkiituup, here

Discover REDI’s Indigenous-Specific Resources here

Welcome to REDI

Advancing Inclusive Research in Medicine: Anti-Racist and Decolonial Approaches

Thank you for joining for a timely conversation in the lead-up to BC Anti-Racism Awareness Week on how medical and health researchers can foster more reciprocal, collaborative, and inclusive research practices. How do we ensure our research environments and collaborations are culturally sensitive, anti-racist, and welcoming to communities from historically, systemically, and persistently marginalized (HSPM) backgrounds?

In this It Starts With Us session, we had a discussion with researchers who are actively integrating anti-racist and decolonial principles into their work. This session explored practical strategies for building meaningful research partnerships with marginalized communities and creating inclusive lab or research group. Whether you’re a principal investigator, graduate student, clinician, or health professional, watch the recording and gain tangible skills and inspiration to create more inclusive and collaborative research.

The panel features Courtney Kohnen (Research and Project Facilitator, UBC Drone Transport Initiative), Ninan Abraham (Professor, UBC Department of Microbiology and Immunology and UBC Department of Zoology), Nitasha Puri (Clinical Associate Professor, UBC Department of Family Practice; Staff Physician, Addiction Medicine and Substance Use Services, Fraser Health Authority), Scott Ramsay (Assistant Professor, UBC School of Nursing; Nurse Clinician, The Neurological Care Centre, BC Children’s Hospital), and Michelle Montgomery (Professor, Ethnic, Gender, and Labor Studies; Assistant Director, Office of Undergraduate Education; Director, Muckleshoot Doctoral Cohort; Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine, Department of Bioethics & Humanities, University of Washington Tacoma).
It is co-moderated by Maï Yasué (REDI Associate Director) and Madison Tardif (REDI Equity Advisor).

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If you’re unable to attend the live stream, you can still register to receive a recording of the panel.

Speaker bios

Courtney Kohnen

Courtney Kohnen (She/her),
Research and Project Facilitator, UBC Drone Transport Initiative, FoM

Courtney Kohnen is a Research and Project Facilitator with the UBC Drone Transport Initiative, a Faculty of Medicine project working to integrate drones into our health system to improve access and equity–especially for remote and rural First Nations communities. She previously held FoM roles managing health system partnerships and supporting partnerships with Indigenous communities in BC, and before that in the Office of Research, where she supported research and researchers in a variety of ways including coordinating all early COVID research in the province and building research coalitions. Courtney holds two master’s degrees, in Health Administration and in Immigration and Settlement Studies. 

Courtney is a settler with German and English heritage, and she grew up on Treaty 7 territory. She’s been living on unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land since she was 18–when someone spilled the beans to her about how Vancouver just.. stays green all year round.

Ninan Abraham (He/Him),

Ninan Abraham (He/Him), Ph.D.,
Dir. EDI&I, CoVaRRNet,
Professor Department of Microbiology and Immunology,
Professor, Department of Zoology

Dr. Ninan Abraham is a father, immigrant settler and Professor in the UBC Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Department of Zoology. His research focuses on the regulatory points in immune cell control in airway immunity to pathogens and in lung cancer. As the former Associate Dean, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the UBC Faculty of Science, he had responsibility for EDI initiatives, including the training of faculty search committees, faculty data analysis and reporting on EDI progress for the Faculty of Science. He served as Director of EDI&I for CoVaRR-Net, a national network of COVID researchers and has keen interest in health equity, racial inequities in research and how science serves society equitably.

Nitasha Puri 

Nitasha Puri (She/Her), MD CCFP(AM) dipl.ABAM FASAM,
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Family Practice, UBC,
Staff Physician, Addiction Medicine and Substance Use Services, Fraser Health Authority

Dr. Nitasha Puri is a clinical assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and staff physician in the Department of Addiction Medicine and Substance Use Services at Fraser Health .

Her research interests broadly centre upon substance use among racialized populations, healing and recovery, and health equity. Originally trained in family medicine, she completed the clinical and research fellowships at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, and is currently involved in teaching, clinical research, clinical service provision, and policy and guideline development.

Scott Ramsay (He/Him),

Scott Ramsay (He/Him), PhD, RN,
Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Science, UBC
Nurse Clinician, The Neurological Care Centre, BC Children’s Hospital,
Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute,
Health Professional-Investigator, Michael Smith Health Research BC

Dr. Scott Ramsay is Métis, an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, and a nurse clinician scientist within BC Children’s Hospital. He uses his lived experience having sustained multiple concussions and clinical experience providing care to children and their families to guide research, policy, care, and education for children with brain injury in British Columbia. Scott is committed to community-based research principles through active engagement of individuals, clinicians, service providers, and organizations. Dr. Ramsay directs a research programme on health care delivery and nursing practice with children and adolescents experiencing mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion. His focus is on preventing and reducing injury. As a specific interest within that he aims to measure the impact of concussions on children and youth, their families, and the health care system. He has expertise in population data, health services, and clinical research studies.

Michelle Montgomery MA MPP PhD,

Michelle Montgomery (She/Her), MA, MPP PhD,
Haliwa Saponi/Eastern Band Cherokee
Professor, Ethnic, Gender & Labor Studies;
Assistant Director, Office of Undergraduate Education;
Cohort Director for Muckleshoot Program;
Adjunct Professor, School of Education, University of Washington Tacoma;
Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine, Department of Bioethics & Humanities;
External Indigenous Advisor, UMN Morris Sustainable Leadership Program

Dr. Michelle Montgomery (enrolled Haliwa Saponi/descendant Eastern Band Cherokee) is a Professor at the University of Washington Tacoma, School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences in American Indian Studies and Ethnic, Gender and Labor Studies. She is also the Assistant Director for the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Director for the Muckleshoot Doctoral Cohort and Adjunct Professor in the School of Education. Dr. Montgomery’s research focuses on Indigenizing and decolonizing the climate justice narrative, environmental ethics connected to Indigenous Peoples’ place-based identities and eco-critical race theory to eliminate racial and environmental oppression.

Dr. Montgomery held the role of interim Director of Undergraduate Studies at the University of Washington Seattle Department of Bioethics and Humanities through Spring 2024.

Moderators

Maï Yasué

Maï Yasué (She/Her),
Associate Director, REDI

Dr. Maï is the Associate Director of the Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) in the Faculty of Medicine. She provides leadership to the REDI team in the development and delivery of our education and training programming. She collaborates with leaders in departments, centres, and administration units, and staff, and faculty to identify institutional and individual barriers to inclusion and to foster long-term socio-cultural change towards justice, equity, decolonization, indigenization, and inclusion (JEDII). Previously, she worked at the Equity & Inclusion Office at UBC, where she led initiatives such as the JEDII STEM Series and the IBPOC STEM Network and supported the integration of the JEDII principles into teaching, research, and faculty and staff recruitment. Prior to her work at UBC, she was a faculty member at Quest University Canada for over a decade, teaching interdisciplinary courses in conservation and geography and advocating for transparency, equity, and inclusion through various leadership roles.

Maï, a second-generation immigrant from Japan, holds an MSc in Zoology from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Geography from the University of Victoria. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she has published over 40 articles in academic fields such as conservation, geography, zoology, education, behavioral ecology, economics, and psychology. She is grateful for having spent most of her life on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and Stó:lō Nations.

Madison Tardif

Madison Tardif (She/her), Equity Advisor, REDI

Madison Tardif is an Equity Advisor at the Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) within the Faculty of Medicine. In her capacity at REDI, she offers strategic guidance and supports capacity-building for department heads, faculty, staff, and students who are dedicated to implementing decolonization, anti-racism, and inclusive practices.

Description

How can medical and health researchers foster more reciprocal, collaborative, and inclusive research practices? How do we ensure our research environments and collaborations are culturally sensitive, anti-racist, and welcoming to communities from historically, systemically, and persistently marginalized (HSPM) backgrounds?

In this It Starts With Us session, we will have a discussion with researchers who are actively integrating anti-racist and decolonial principles into their work. This session will explore practical strategies for building meaningful research partnerships with marginalized communities and creating inclusive lab or research group.

Together, we’ll explore practical strategies for creating meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships with marginalized communities, ensuring diverse representation in studies, and fostering inclusive research environments. Our discussion will cover critical topics, including:

  • Building trust and bridging historical gaps between universities and racialized communities.
  • Effective practices to ensure research directly benefits communities involved.
  • Strategies for inclusive recruitment, especially from communities facing access barriers.
  • Decolonizing and Indigenizing research methodologies, particularly in relation to Indigenous communities.
  • Supporting emerging researchers from marginalized identities through mentorship and inclusive practices.
  • Ensuring culturally sensitive interpretation and dissemination of research findings.

Whether you’re a principal investigator, graduate student, clinician, or health professional, this session offers tangible strategies and inspiration to embed justice, equity, and inclusion into your research practice.

Topic: Advancing Inclusive Research in Medicine: Anti-Racist and Decolonial Approaches

Date: Friday, May 16th, 2025,

Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm PT

Location: Livestream

Building a More Welcoming Movement Toward a Just Culture

Join REDI’s Fourth Annual Symposium on Tuesday, June 10th, 2025, from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, to meet health care professionals, researchers, EDI experts, and educators who are drawing on evidence-based approaches in psychology, social change, and transformative education as we explore new pathways for creating lasting, inclusive change—grounded in science, compassion, and care. This is an invitation to reflect on what motivates real cultural change. How can we create movements that feel hopeful and actionable? How do we foster resilience in ourselves and others while working towards environments where inclusivity is not just a goal but a part of the practice of creating change? (Read the full description.)

The symposium features keynote speaker Shakil Choudhury, author of Deep Diversity: A Compassionate, Scientific Approach to Achieving Racial Justice, and keynote discussant Loretta J. Ross, author of Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel. Panelists include Katie Lee Bunting, Associate Professor of Teaching and MOT, and Curriculum Chair, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy (co-authored Therapeutic-Use-of-Self as Relational Pedagogy in Occupational Therapy Education); Nadia Joe–Gä̀gala-ƛ̓iƛ̓ətko, Member of the Crow Clan from the Champagne & Aishihik First Nations, and Former AVP Indigenous Engagement and Partnerships, Yukon University); Netta Weinstein, Social Psychologist and Professor of Psychology, University of Reading, UK; Nikki Legate, Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology (Netta and Nikki co-authored Motivation Science Can Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Trainings); and Saleem Razack, Paediatric Intensivist, BC Children’s Hospital and REDI Senior Faculty Advisor.

The panels are moderated by Maï Yasué, Associate Director, REDI (co-authored Embedding equity and inclusion in universities through motivational theory and community-based conservation approaches with panelists Netta Weinstein, Nicole Legate, and Nadia Joe- Gä̀gala-ƛ̓iƛ̓ətko) and Madison Tardif, Equity Advisor, REDI.

Building a More Welcoming Movement Toward a Just Culture
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If you’re unable to attend the live stream, you can still register to receive a recording of the symposium.

Program

  • 9:00 AM –11 AM
    • Introductory Remarks and Land Acknowledgment (Arig al Shaibah, Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion, and Maï Yasué, Associate Director, REDI) 
    • Presentation by Shakil Choudhury 
      Topic: How to Be a Non-Polarized Leader During Politically Divisive Times 
    • A conversation with Shakil Choudhury and Loretta J. Ross
      Topic: Unlikely Allies: The Power of Calling–In
  • 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
    • Presentation by Katie Lee Bunting 
      Topic: Pedagogies of Love   
    • Presentation by Netta Weinstein, and Nicole Legate 
      Topic: Can we motivate people to care about DEI? 
    • Presentation by Saleem Razack
      Topic: The Critically Conscious Healthcare Professional: Equity, Advocacy, and Professional Voice 
    • Panel Discussion with Gä̀gala-ƛ̓iƛ̓ətko Nadia Joe, Netta Weinstein, Katie Lee Bunting, Nicole Legate, and Saleem Razack

Speaker bios

Shakil Choudhury (He/Him)

Keynote Speaker

Shakil Choudhury (He/him)
-Author of Deep Diversity: A Compassionate, Scientific Approach to Achieving Racial Justice
-Co-Founder & CVO of Anima Leadership

Shakil’s Bio

Shakil (Sha-KEEL) is an author, co-founder, and CVO of Anima Leadership, a global-reaching, socially innovative boutique firm that has continued to revolutionize EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) work in organizations and communities since 2006. Teaching, consulting, and coaching transformative change with a compassionate yet scientific approach. Over the last twenty-five years, Shakil has inspired, educated, and coached thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations in the field of racial justice, diversity, and inclusion. He coaches executive teams and has worked with thousands of leaders across sectors in Canada and the United States to help improve their equity outcomes. Shakil also facilitates dialogue processes to resolve inter-group conflict, having led projects internationally as well as with organizations locally. He is the author of Deep Diversity: A Compassionate, Scientific Approach to Achieving Racial Justice (2021). Written in an accessible, storytelling manner, many have called it a “breakthrough” book on issues of systemic racial discrimination due to its non-judgmental approach that integrates human psychology with critical race perspectives. Shakil’s most challenging and rewarding management experience, however, involves his two high-spirited children repeatedly teaching him the humble lessons of fatherhood. To clear his head during the week, Shakil loves to run the beautiful ravine trails near his home in Toronto.

Loretta J. Ross (She/her),

Keynote Discussant

Loretta J. Ross (She/her)
-Author of Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel
-Co-founder of the National Center for Human Rights Education and the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective

Loretta‘s Bio

Loretta is an activist, professor, and public intellectual. In her five decades in the human rights movement, she’s deprogramed white supremacists, taught convicted rapists the principles of feminism, and, as National Co-Director, organized the second-largest march on Washington (in April 25, 2004, March for Women’s Lives in Washington D.C., surpassed in size only by the 2017 Women’s March). 

A cofounder of the National Center for Human Rights Education and the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, her many accolades and honors include a 2022 MacArthur Fellowship and a 2024 induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. She is the author of Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel. Today, Ross is an associate professor at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and is the founder of LoRossta Consulting, with which she runs “Calling In” training sessions online and for organizations around the country.

Learn more.

Panelists & Presenters

Arig al Shaibah (She/her),
Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion,
Honorary Associate Professor, Educational Studies

Dr. Arig al Shaibah is UBC’s Associate Vice-President, Equity & Inclusion (AVPEI). As a member of the Provosts’ and President’s leadership teams, Dr. al Shaibah works across all Executive portfolios to champion strategic equity and anti-racism priorities and advance inclusive excellence at UBC. She also oversees the university’s Equity & Inclusion Office, with teams on the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. 

Dr. al Shaibah completed a Bachelor of Science (Life Sciences), a Master of Public Administration, and a Doctorate in Education (Cultural and Policy Studies). In addition to her administrative appointment at UBC, she holds an Honorary Associate Professor role with the Department of Educational Studies in UBC’s Faculty of Education, and teaching courses in the Higher Education (HIED) and Educational Administration and Leadership (EDAL) Programs. Prior to joining UBC, Dr. al Shaibah served as McMaster University’s inaugural Associate Vice-President Equity & Inclusion and was an Adjunct Associate Professor with the Department of Sociology and and Instructor in the Arts & Science Program. At Dalhousie University she was Vice-Provost of Student Affairs and Interim Executive Director for the Human Rights & Equity Services, and was Adjunct Professor with cross appointments in Sociology & Anthropology, Gender & Women’s Studies, and Public Administration. And, at Queen’s University, her alma mater, she held leadership roles as Manager of Faculty Advancement and Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, and she was an Adjunct faculty member and instructor cross appointed to Gender Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies. 

Dr. al Shaibah describes herself as a scholar-practitioner. Her academic and profession work has been grounded in a deep interest in the study and practice of policymaking, viewed through a critical-oriented and globally-engaged lens. Her interdisciplinary scholarly works, teaching and professional practice have focused broadly on examining policy-based structural inequities (primarily gender and racial inequities) and specifically on higher education policy, politics and practices as they relate to educational access and success, international mobility and internationalization at home (I@H), equality and human rights, intercultural and intergroup relations, as well as equitable leadership, administration, governance, and organizational change paradigms and practices.  

In 2021, Dr. al Shaibah received the Angela Hildyard Recognition Award in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion granted by the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada, recognizing exceptional leadership in fostering and furthering institutional equity, diversity, and inclusion. 

Katie Lee Bunting (She/her), MScOT, Reg. OT (BC), PhD (student),

Katie Lee Bunting (She/her), MScOT, Reg. OT (BC), PhD (student),
Associate Professor of Teaching & MOT; Curriculum Chair, Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

I feel very fortunate and deeply grateful to have worked with a diversity of folks across practice contexts for over 10 years as an occupational therapist. I transitioned to education in 2014 and am an Associate Professor of Teaching with the Department of Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia. My teaching is rooted in a critical and relational approach (you can read more about my approach to teaching here). I am currently completing my PhD with the School of Health Professions Education at Maastricht University under the supervision of Dr. Anja Krumeich and Dr. Laura Nimmon. My doctoral research is on developing our understanding of love as an educational approach in Health Professions Education. 

Outside of work, I value the time I spend with my partner and kids, our dog, and my friends and extended family. I find meaning in cooking, resting, reading poetry, spending time in nature, and am a nascent embroiderer. 

I am indebted and deeply grateful to the Stó:lō Nation, the səl̓ilwətaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation, and the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nation, who are, and have been since time immemorial (see Dr. Paulette Steeves’ work), stewards to the lands that now nourish me and my family. My ancestry is mostly Irish, and my ancestors were settlers.

Gä̀gala-ƛ̓iƛ̓ətko Nadia Joe

Nadia Joe-Gä̀gala-ƛ̓iƛ̓ətko (She/her),
Member of the Crow Clan from the Champagne & Aishihik First Nations,
Former AVP Indigenous Engagement and Partnerships, Yukon University

Gä̀gala is a member of the Crow Clan from the Champagne & Aishihik First Nations and the daughter of Dä Ké (Dave Joe) and Niketko (Mary Jane Joe).

She has spent the past 14+ years working as an environmental professional and supporting Indigenous communities across Canada advancing their rights and interests in water security through various water co-management initiatives.  A Gordon Foundation Jane Glassco Northern Fellow and Trudeau Foundation mentor, Gä̀gala has dedicated her professional career to applying respectful and practical ways to protect Indigenous knowledge and heritage.  As a child of the Yukon land claims movement, she was raised by a river and loved into leadership by the many elders, leaders, mentors of the nłe?kepmx and southern Tutchone-Tlingit peoples.

Netta Weinstein (She/her)

Netta Weinstein (She/her),
Social Psychologist;
Professor of Psychology, University of Reading, UK

Netta Weinstein is a social psychologist and a professor of Psychology at the University of Reading in the UK. Her research identifies the social conditions that motivate deep buy-in for promoting inclusion.

Nikki Legate (She/her),
Licensed Clinical Psychologist;
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology

Nikki Legate is a clinical psychologist and an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Illinois Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on the conditions that promote resilience and reduce health disparities in marginalized individuals, and the conditions that motivate greater inclusivity in the general population. 

Dr. Saleem Razack

Saleem Razack (He/Him),
Paediatric Intensivist, BC Children’s;
REDI Senior Faculty Advisor

Dr. Razack is a Senior Faculty Advisor in the Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) in the Faculty of Medicine. In his role, Dr. Razack advises on strategy related to the implementation of a comprehensive anti-racism plan for the Faculty. He aims to serve in and contribute to the vibrant and diverse community within the Faculty of Medicine and its associated clinical and research sites. He is the recipient of the AFMC President’s Award for Exemplary National Leadership in Academic Medicine.

Moderators

Maï Yasué

Maï Yasué (She/her),
Associate Director, REDI

Dr. Maï is the Associate Director of the Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) in the Faculty of Medicine. She provides leadership to the REDI team in the development and delivery of our education and training programming. She collaborates with leaders in departments, centres, and administration units, and staff, and faculty to identify institutional and individual barriers to inclusion and to foster long-term socio-cultural change towards justice, equity, decolonization, indigenization, and inclusion (JEDII). Previously, she worked at the Equity & Inclusion Office at UBC, where she led initiatives such as the JEDII STEM Series and the IBPOC STEM Network and supported the integration of the JEDII principles into teaching, research, and faculty and staff recruitment. Prior to her work at UBC, she was a faculty member at Quest University Canada for over a decade, teaching interdisciplinary courses in conservation and geography and advocating for transparency, equity, and inclusion through various leadership roles.

Maï, a second-generation immigrant from Japan, holds an MSc in Zoology from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Geography from the University of Victoria. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she has published over 40 articles in academic fields such as conservation, geography, zoology, education, behavioral ecology, economics, and psychology. She is grateful for having spent most of her life on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and Stó:lō Nations.

Madison Tardif

Madison Tardif (She/her), Equity Advisor, REDI

Madison Tardif is an Equity Advisor at the Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) within the Faculty of Medicine. In her capacity at REDI, she offers strategic guidance and supports capacity-building for department heads, faculty, staff, and students who are dedicated to implementing decolonization, anti-racism, and inclusive practices.

Description

In today’s climate, some EDI efforts may seem stuck—perceived as punitive, compliance-driven, or relying too heavily on calling-out. What can we do to create a movement that can welcome all of the diverse clinicians, learners and staff who are deeply committed to the key goals of equity and inclusion?

Key topics include:

Creating Inclusive Movements and Bridging Polarization: How can we build inclusive movements that allow for disagreement, complexity, and diverse perspectives, while still working toward shared goals?

The Science of Motivation and Cultural Change: How can we move beyond compliance and fear to build genuine commitment and inspiration for EDI? What does research tell us about how to motivate lasting change?

Calling In vs. Calling Out: What skills and practices help us foster growth, relationships and accountability while reducing fear and defensiveness? How can we build movements that embrace mistakes and encourage learning?

Wellbeing and Pro-Social Behaviour: How can EDI work be a source of meaning, connection, and personal wellbeing, especially for those feeling burned out or disillusioned? How can we find meaning, joy, and hope, even when the path feels long and uncertain?

Inclusive Leadership: What competencies do institutional leaders and EDI actors need to support deeper commitments, enduring culture change—beyond checklists and compliance?

Topic: Building a More Welcoming Movement Toward a Just Culture

Date: Tuesday, June 10th, 2025

Time: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm PT

Location: Livestream

Dubayaax a ts’awalk – Everything Is One: The Need for Meaningful Engagement & Relationship Building

Register for our second in-person Indigenous Speakers Series session on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (PT) at the UBC Vancouver campus (venue to be determined). In this unique event, we are honoured to welcome members of the Ditidaht First Nation Chief & Council, including the Nation’s Treaty Negotiator. You are invited to learn from their perspectives and experiences on how to best engage with a BC First Nations community in an era of truth and reconciliation.

Dubayaax a ts’awalk - Everything Is One: The Ditidaht First Nation Speaks About the Need for Meaningful Engagement & Relationship Building
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Topic: Dubayaax a ts’awalk – Everything Is One: The Ditidaht First Nation Speaks About the Need for Meaningful Engagement & Relationship Building

Date: Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025

Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (PDT)

In person location: UBC Vancouver Campus (exact venue to be determined).

Live Stream | Register to receive the webcast link closer to the event date.

Description 

Written by Derek K Thompson – Čaabať Bookwilla | Suhiltun
, Director, Indigenous Engagement

In my role with the UBC Faculty of Medicine, I am often asked how to best engage with First Nations – Indigenous communities. There is an intense interest in establishing and sustaining meaningful relations with Indigenous—First Nations, Inuit, Métis—communities in an era of truth, reconciliation, and redress. There’s an equal intensity for Indigenous peoples and communities to reciprocate these efforts with the interest to further a number of key academic goals including recruitment, research, cultural safety, and inclusive excellence.

In addition to holding the title of hereditary chief in my family and community, I am also an elected member of the Chief & Council for the Ditidaht First Nation. I am fortunate and honoured to be working with Chief Judi Thomas, fellow Council Members — Ms. Christina Joseph, Ms. Shelley Edgar, and Mr. Terry Edgar—and Mr. Robert Joseph, Treaty Negotiator. I have invited these great, good people to come and speak to their perspectives and experiences on how to best engage with a BC First Nations community in an era of truth and reconciliation.

You are invited to bear witness to how we, as First Nations, understand this important work within the context of our culture, our ceremonies, our spiritual work, and the way that we do things in our communities. You are invited to be a part of our efforts to heal, to come together, to work with each other, and to anchor our commitments to do and be better. You are invited to experience the unique features of our culture, our identity, and our sensibilities around this important work. You are all invited to be a part of telling the truth, of reckoning with the truth, and reconciling for the present and for the future.

Speakers

  • Chief Judi Thomas
  • Councilor Christina Joseph
  • Councilor Shelley Edgar
  • Councilor Terry Edgar
  • Mr. Robert Joseph, Treaty Negotiator

Bios and photos coming soon — stay tuned!

Cultural Support

Shane Pointe - Ti-te-in

Shane Pointe – Ti-te-in
Speaker & Cultural Support

Ti-te-in | Sound of Thunder – Shane Pointe is a Musqueam Knowledge Keeper, and his motto is Nutsamaht! – We are one. Ti-te-in is a proud member of the Salish Nation, the Pointe family, and the Musqueam Indian Band. In addition to being a proud grandfather and a great-grandfather, he is a facilitator, advisor, traditional speaker, and artist. Shane has worked for five different school boards, Corrections Canada, Simon Fraser University, The University of British Columbia, and the First Nations Health Authority. He provides advice and guidance on ceremonial protocols for local, national and international cultural events.

Moderators

Derek K Thompson – Čaabať Bookwilla | Suhiltun
, Director, Indigenous Engagement

Derek K Thompson – Čaabať Bookwilla | Suhiltun
, Director, Indigenous Engagement

Maï Yasué

Maï Yasué, Associate Director, Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

What Will I Learn?

You will learn about the unique perspectives and experiences about the context of truth, reconciliation and redress from members of a BC First Nation Chief & Council.

Continue Learning

“The time to make things happen is now. The time to seek out our individual and shared power is now.”

Learn more about REDI’s Indigenous Initiatives here

Discover more about REDI’s Indigenous Initiatives Speakers Series here

Find REDI’s Indigenous-Specific Resources here

Inclusive Leadership in Healthcare Symposium

Creating a Safe Space for Indigenous Patients in Primary Care

Oh No! Not Another Workshop On Feedback In Clinical Education!

REDI’s Indigenous Media and Book List

REDI's Indigenous Media and Book List

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada, a time to recognize and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience, and diversity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities across Canada. In honour of this day, we are thrilled to share a curated list of our favourite Indigenous book and media. We encourage you to explore our curated collection and participate in local festivities throughout British Columbia.

Films & Documentaries
TV Shows
Books

Films & Documentaries

Our People Will Be Healed
CBC Gem

Stories from the Land
CBC Gem

Dancing Around the Table 
NFB

The Washing of Tears
NFB

Red Path
CBC Gem

Bimibatoo-win: Where I Ran
CBC Gem

Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance
NFB

Future History
CBC Gem

Now is the Time
NFB

The Road Forward
NFB

Oshkikishikaw: A New Day
CBC Gem

Indian Dialogue
NFB

TV Shows

North of North
CBC Gem

Tribal
CBC Gem

Mohawk Girls
CBC Gem

Books

Where Wolves Don’t Die
by Anton Treuer

Indians on Vacation
by Thomas King


Potlatch as Pedagogy: Learning Through Ceremony
By Sara Florence Davidson & Robert Davidson

JEDII Courses

Deepen your understanding of Justice, Equity, Decolonization, Inclusion and Indigenization (JEDII) — and how to apply these principles in your own work — with this newly-curated page of courses from UBC and beyond. Designed to help you build the knowledge and skills needed for more equitable and inclusive practices, consider taking a course with your team or unit, reflect on your learning together and explore ways to embed it into your everyday practice.

JEDII Courses: New REDI page

Indigenization and Decolonization
EDI Foundations
Accessibility
Anti-Racism
Conflict Engagement
Gender & Sexuality

Indigenization and Decolonization

  • Weaving Relations (UBC Faculty of Applied Science and the Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
    Weaving Relations explores Indigenous histories, people, and contexts, as well as settler colonialism in Canada, through the lens of Indigenous-Canadian relationships. The course considers how we got to where we are now, and how we can build a better future together.
  • Indigenous Learning Pathways (ILP) program (CTLT Indigenous Initiatives)
    A multi-course suite supporting respectful engagement with Indigenous histories and perspectives. It includes:
    • Beginning Your Learning Journey – introduces learners to cultural principles guiding the program, how to best use the courses based on your own role and learning areas, and the community involved in creating ILP as well as grounding the learning journey ahead in our place on unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) land. 
    • Engaging with Indigenous Knowledges and Perspectives – supports learners to reflect on their own professional development needs, orients them to the various types of Indigenous-focused resources available at UBC and tips on how to engage with Indigenous resources effectively and respectfully. 
    • Truth Before Reconciliation – explores the impacts of colonization in post-secondary settings and identifies tools and resources to build foundational awareness and necessary truths and collective healing. 
    • Land Acknowledgements at UBC – provides foundational knowledge about what land acknowledgements are, why we do them, and the basic elements of what makes a meaningful, accountable acknowledgment.   

Indigenization & Decolonization in Healthcare

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EDI Foundations

  • Grounding Anti-Oppression (UBC Faculty of Applied Science and the Faculty of Land and Food Systems)
    Grounding Anti-Oppression is designed to delve into the intricate dynamics of power and oppression at individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels. The course empowers participants to cultivate a robust understanding of anti-oppression principles and strategies, and facilitates critical reflections on personal roles and experiences within systems of power and oppression.
  • Fairness 101 (Ombudsperson British Columbia)
    This course provides employees of public bodies in BC with an introduction to fairness in the public sector. It provides an overview of administrative fairness and teaches participants how to recognize and apply the key elements of fairness in their everyday role.

EDI & Admission

EDI, Teaching & Learning

EDI & Research

EDI & Hiring

EDI & Healthcare

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Accessibility

  • Disability at Work 101 (UBC Centre for Workplace Accessibility)
    This course is a resource for all UBC employees who’d like to deepen their disability inclusion literacy. It will support you in strengthening your understanding about disability and identifying different strategies to promote disability inclusion in the workplace.
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Anti-Racism

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Conflict Engagement

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Gender and Sexuality

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Co-Creation for Equity in Health Research

Am I Ableist? Disability Awareness in Healthcare