Beyond Representation: Celebrating Black Excellence in BC Healthcare
Thank you for joining Vancouver Coastal Health and Faculty of Medicine’s Office of Respectful Environment, Diversity, and Inclusion on Wednesday, February 28th, 2024, from 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm (PST) for “Beyond Representation: Celebrating Black Excellence in BC Healthcare.” In this session we learned about and celebrated the important contributions made by Black professionals in BC healthcare. The panel featured Aisha Sallad, UBC Midwifery Student Manager; Barbara Sutherland, Director of VCH Coastal and Acute Services; Dr. Oluseyi Malomo, Staff Psychiatrist at Fraser Health and Clinical Instructor at UBC; and Dr. Taru Manyanga, Assistant Professor in the Division of Medical Sciences at UNBC. The panel was moderated by Madison Tardif, REDI Equity Advisor at UBC, and Oluwaseun Ajaja, Regional Manager for Anti-Racism at VCH. During this session, the panelists shared their experiences navigating the healthcare work environment and emphasize the importance of recognizing and promoting Black excellence in health care.
Speaker bios
Aisha Sallad, Midwifery Student Manager, UBC
Aisha is the Student Manager for the UBC Midwifery program. Aisha is responsible for overseeing all aspects of student recruitment, advising, educational program planning, and student retention initiatives for two UBC Midwifery programs – the 4-year undergraduate Midwifery program and the Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program (IEMBP).
Barbara Sutherland, Director, Coastal and Acute Services, VCH
Barb Sutherland is a registered nurse with over 25 years of experience providing frontline care to those most in need. She served as the Director of Operations at Royal Columbian Hospital and recently came out of retirement to support Lions Gate Hospital as Interim Director of Coastal and Acute Services. Barb is a certified leadership coach with extensive experience supporting leaders in gaining competence and confidence in their roles.
Dr. Oluseyi Malomo, Staff Psychiatrist, Fraser Health;
Clinical Instructor, UBC
Dr. Oluseyi Malomo is a Staff Psychiatrist at Fraser Health and Clinical Instructor at UBC. In addition to being licensed to practice in Canada, he is a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrist in the UK.
Dr. Taru Manyanga, Assistant Professor, Division of Medical Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia
Dr. Taru Manyanga is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Medical Sciences at the University of Northern British Columbia. He is affiliated with the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia. Taru obtained his entry-to-practice physical therapy degree from the University of Manitoba and completed a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Ottawa. Taru is a registered physical therapist who has practiced physical therapy in four provinces (Manitoba, Alberta, Ontario, BC) and one territory (Yukon). He occasionally provides physical therapy services in rural First Nations communities in northern British Columbia.
Taru’s research applies an equity lens in examining and promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors (e.g., physical activity, sleep, less screen time), particularly among rural and underserved populations throughout the life course. Taru is a member of several clinical and research organizations where he is actively involved in projects advancing physical therapy and promoting healthy lifestyles for overall health and wellbeing.
Moderators
Madison Tardif, 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.
Oluwaseun Ajaja, Regional Manager for Anti-Racism, VCH
Oluwaseun, the inaugural Regional Manager for Anti-Racism at Vancouver Coastal Health, is a seasoned human rights lawyer with a wealth of experience in public policy, intergovernmental affairs and conflict resolution.
Topic: Beyond Representation: Celebrating Black Excellence in BC Healthcare
Date: Wednesday, February 28th, 2024
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 pm PST
Location: Livestream
Polarization
According to Courageous Dialogues: Moving Beyond Polarization project, “Polarization is a complex social dynamic that occurs when an issue that involves many different people, concerns and opinions is reduced to two opposing sides— ‘for or against’ or ‘us vs them.’ It goes well beyond ordinary disagreement. In fact, it can lead us to avoid debate or consideration of others’ ideas completely. When we believe that we alone hold the truth, we may see differences of opinion, values and beliefs as threatening and intolerable. These dynamics disrupt effective patterns of home and workplace communication. Instead of working with difference and making conflict constructive, we allow polarization to create painful divisions that are hard to overcome.” We encourage you to learn more about strategies to overcoming polarization in the workplace.
The Association of Administrative and Professional Staff (AAPS) is hosting two professional development sessions on Polarity Management, entitled “Generational Differences to Creating a Culture of Belonging.” One session is for AAPS Managers and will be held on Friday, February 23, 2024, from 10 am to 12 pm. The other session is for AAPS Professionals and will take place on Friday, March 1, 2024, from 10 am to 12 pm. You can also register to receive the recording. Those sessions are only open to AAPS staff members.
Our Shared Vision: Leading Transformative Change in Health for BC First Nations
Thank you for joining us on Wednesday, February 21st, 2024 from 12:00 pm – 3:30 pm (PST), for “Our Shared Vision: Leading Transformative Change in Health for BC First Nations.” This Indigenous Speaker Series session brought together a panel of senior political representatives working across the four pillars of BC First Nations Health governance: the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), the First Nations Health Council (FNHC), the First Nations Health Directors Association (FNHDA), and the Tripartite Committee on First Nations Health (TCFNH). We had a conversation with Marion Colleen Erickson, Nak’azdli Whut’en, Board Chair, FNHA and Co-Chair, TCFNH; Keith Marshall, President, FNHDA; Richard Jock, Chief Executive Officer, FNHA and Wade Grant, Musqueam, First Nation Chair, FNHC. In this session, we learned about the work of these leaders across the four pillars of BC First Nations Health governance and how these pillars work towards a shared vision to support Healthy, Self-Determining, and Vibrant BC First Nations Children, Families, and Communities.
Join us virtually on Wednesday, February 21st, 2024 from 12:00 pm – 3:30 pm (PST), for “Our Shared Vision: Leading Transformative Change in Health for BC First Nations.” This virtual event is presented by the Indigenous Speakers Series.
Panelists
Marion Colleen Erickson, MEd,
Nak’azdli Whut’en
Board Chair, First Nations Health Authority;
Co-Chair, Tripartite Committee on First Nations Health
Marion Colleen Erickson is a Dakelh grandmother (Ut’soo) from the Nak’azdli community and a member of the Lasilyu (Frog) Clan. As an active community member participating in the balhats (potlatch) system, she firmly believes that cultural identity is the foundation of health and wellness, and is committed to improving the health and wellness of First Nations.
A former two-term Chief of Saik’uz First Nation, Colleen is a recognized community leader and a veteran member of the RCMP. She currently teaches part-time at her local college, with a primary focus on Aboriginal Studies.
Colleen holds a Master’s degree in Education, with a special focus on the traditional philosophies of Carrier teachings.
Presently serving as the FNHA Board chair, Colleen’s background includes various board positions within local government, the Elder society, and numerous appointments in school districts. She brings a wealth of negotiation, financial administration, mediation, and leadership skills to the FNHA board, along with extensive cultural and traditional knowledge.
Keith Marshall, MSW MPA (Health),
Director, Community Health Programs, Hailika’as Heiltsuk Health Centre;
Heiltsuk Nation
President, First Nations Health Directors Association
Keith is of African Canadian/Caribbean descent from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Keith Marshall is the Director of Community Health Programs for the Hailika’as Heiltsuk Health Centre Society in Bella Bella. His primary role is to provide programs and services for the improvement of the health status of this community.
Keith holds a Master’s degree in social work and a Master’s degree in Public Administration specializing in health services. He recently completed his Graduate Diploma in Executive Coaching at Royal Roads University.
Keith is an experienced professional with over 30 years of experience working in Indigenous communities, focusing on promoting capacity building with community members and supporting them in charting their own course for being the catalyst for improving their health status. He provides the vision, managerial, and administrative leadership necessary to develop and implement health care programs and services that meet the health needs of the members of the Heiltsuk community in Bella Bella, BC.
Additionally, he has worked with federal, provincial, and private organizations in senior health, managerial, and administrative positions, including negotiating major contracts; facilitation and mediation skills with large organization in the national and provincial arenas; management of major programs including organizational and planning requirements; clinical case management; developing and implementing organizational; policy development, interpretation and implementation.
Keith currently serves as the President of the First Nations Health Directors Association Board of Directors. The First Nations Health Directors Association is part of a unique health governance structure that includes political representation and advocacy through the First Nations Health Council, and the planning, management, and delivery of health programs and services through the First Nations Health Authority. Collectively, this First Nations health governing structure works in partnership with BC First Nations to achieve our shared vision. Keith served on the committee responsible for the development of the British Columbia Cultural Safety and Humility Standard.
Richard Jock, Chief Executive Officer, First Nations Health Authority
Richard Jock is a member of the Mohawks of Akwesasne and serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the First Nations Health Authority.
Richard’s portfolio includes Health Benefits, policy, planning, engagement, service improvements/integration, investment strategies and regional partnership implementation. His position also provides leadership for the building, functioning and implementation of strong partnerships within the First Nations health governance structure and within the health system more broadly.
Richard has worked for the past 25 years for First Nations organizations and the federal government, including numerous positions in the health field. Immediately prior to joining the FNHA, he held the post of Chief Executive Officer for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN). Among his other professional roles, Richard has held senior leadership positions at Norway House Health Services Incorporated, Health Canada, the National Aboriginal Health Organization and Mohawk Council of Akwesasne.
Richard is committed to his wellness and challenges himself to stay active and spend time outdoors. He wears his FitBit daily, rarely missing his 10,000 steps, and enjoys playing racquetball in his spare time.
Wade Grant,
Musqueam First Nation
Chair, First Nations Health Council
Wade Grant was first elected to the FNHC as a Vancouver Coastal Representative in June of 2019, and then appointed as Chair in September 2021. He is the Intergovernmental Officer for the Musqueam First Nation and serves as a board member for Covenant House Vancouver.
Previously, Wade spent three years with the BC provincial government as the special advisor to the Premier on Indigenous issues and held a number of roles including member of the Vancouver Police Board, band council member with the Musqueam Indian Band, assistant general manager of the Four Host Nations Aboriginal Pavilion during the 2010 Olympics, policy analyst for the BC Assembly of First Nations and as executive assistant to the Solicitor General of British Columbia.
Wade was recognized by Vancouver Magazine’s “Power 50” list in 2015 and 2013, and in 2012 he received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal for services to community. He lives on the Musqueam Indian Reserve and has two children.
Moderator
Derek K Thompson – Thlaapkiituup, Director, Indigenous Engagement
Description
In 2013, BC First Nations worked together in unity and with an unwavering strength of mind and heart to establish the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), and also established the First Nations Health Council (FNHC), the First Nations Health Directors Association (FNHDA), and the Tripartite Committee on First Nations Health (TCFNH). These four pillars collectively provide overall health governance on behalf of BC First Nations and work towards a shared vision to support Healthy, Self-Determining, and Vibrant BC First Nations Children, Families, and Communities.
The FNHA is part of a unique health governance structure that includes political representation and advocacy through the FNHC, and technical support and capacity development through the FNHDA. Together, this First Nations health governing structure works in partnership with BC First Nations to achieve our shared vision.
The upshot of this important shared vision is to ensure that BC First Nations have greater control over community wellness programs, primary care and related health services in an effort to improve the health status of the people in our communities, including those members living away from home.
This important and timely dialogue with the current senior political representatives of the FNHA/TCFNH, FNHC and the FNHDA will highlight the important work that’s taken place since 2013, and bring to light the work that is currently underway in the context of Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the In Plain Sight Report, and the BC Cultural Safety and Humility Standard.
Topic: Our Shared Vision: Leading Transformative Change in Health for BC First Nations
Date: Wednesday, February 21st, 2024
Time: 12:00 – 3:30 pm (PST)
What Will I Learn?
You will learn about the overall work of the FNHA, the FNHC, the FNHDA, and the TCFNH.
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
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
“Without memory there is no culture. Without memory there would be no civilization, no society, no future.”
Elie Wiesel
In 2005 the United Nations General Assembly designated January 27th to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the Nazi’s largest and deadliest concentration camp. It is a day to honour the 6 million Jews who were systematically murdered by the Nazis. We remember and honour other victims: 250,000 people with disabilities, 200,000 Roma people, thousands of gay, lesbian, and gender diverse people, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Black people and political opponents. It is a time to remember and reflect upon the lessons of the Nazi genocide of Jews and the impact on future generations. The UN urged all member states to adopt this day of commemoration and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.
“We must also go beyond remembrance, and make sure that new generations know this history. We must apply the lessons of the Holocaust to today’s world. And we must do our utmost so that all peoples may enjoy the protection and rights for which the United Nations stands.”
Message by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for the second observance of the Holocaust Victims Memorial Day on 19 January 2008
The Holocaust and its attempt to exterminate European Jewry cannot be relegated to the past. The lessons of the Holocaust reverberate across time and are a prism through which we may find guidance in dealing with the persistence of hatred, prejudice, antisemitism and other forms of racism and discrimination evidenced in the ongoing engagement in dehumanizing discourse.
The consequences of the Holocaust are not in the past. They are with us today. “Never Forget, Never Again,” the post-Holocaust rallying cry expressing optimism that the lessons of the Holocaust would eradicate genocide is at risk of becoming an empty sentiment as the world continues to bear witness to genocides: Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia. Sadly, the list goes on.
Join us today as we echo the words of then President of the United States Barack Obama spoken in an address to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2011:
“We are reminded to remain ever-vigilant against the possibility of genocide, and to ensure that Never Again is not just a phrase but a principled cause” … “And we resolve to stand up against prejudice, stereotyping, and violence – including the scourge of anti-Semitism – around the globe.”
“Never forget” means not only remembering what happened. To avoid the mistakes of the past we must support Holocaust education to promote social justice, human rights and genocide awareness. Remembering provokes reflection and insight into the dangers of remaining silent, apathetic and indifferent to the oppression of others.
Learn More
- Read The Lancet Commission on medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust: historical evidence, implications for today, teaching for tomorrow. Click here to read.
- Register for the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) webinar “An Educational Roadmap from The Lancet Commission on medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust” taking place on Thursday, January 25th at 9 am PST.
The AAMC will host its third annual virtual event in observance of International Holocaust Day of Remembrance. Members of The Lancet Commission will provide an overview of the Commission on medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust: historical evidence, implications for today, teaching for tomorrow and its recommendations for educators as well as a look at some new educational initiatives on this topic. This is a free and open event. Click here to register. - Watch the 2023 “It Starts With Us: Contextualizing and Educating about the Holocaust.”
This powerful webinar was developed in partnership with the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre as part of the It Starts with Us series through the Faculty of Medicine’s Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Click here to watch.
New Year, New You: REDI’s New Year Book List
Explore a compilation of books that have deeply inspired the REDI team in their work. Immersing yourself in the stories, lived experiences, and perspectives of individuals from various historically marginalized groups can foster empathy, understanding, and even aid in mitigating bias in your teaching and clinical practice.
