Diego Herrera & Nicholas Hickens
Scientific Series: June 6, 2024
“Together towards inclusion”. The creation and participatory implementation of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan at the RI MUHC
This presentation analyzes the participatory process of creating and implementing the EDI Action Plan at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) called “Together towards inclusion”. Two questions guide the reflection: 1) What opportunities did the consultations and implementation of the EDI Action Plan create for equity-seeking groups at the RI-MUHC to be effectively recognized, heard and influential? 2) What institutional changes have resulted from this participatory design and implementation process? Through self-reflective analysis of a concrete case, we present lessons learned about the role of participatory action in the organizational changes necessary to create an inclusive work experience in a health research institute.
At the end of this session, participants will:
Learn, from a concrete experience, participatory methodologies to conduct consultation to create an equity, diversity and inclusion action plan.
Reflect on the challenges equity-seeking groups face in a health research institution.
Strengthen skills in the creation of actions that contribute to the creation of an inclusive environment in a health research institution.
Diego Herrera, PhD, is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Specialist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). He has worked sixteen years as a researcher and practitioner with Indigenous peoples, women, displaced population, and youth affected by armed conflicts in seven countries. He worked as EDI Advisor for Research at the University of Ottawa and as program specialist at UN Women Colombia and at the Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) in Canada. He holds a PhD in intercultural communication and development.
As an EDI Specialist at the RI-MUHC, he is responsible for creating, implementing and monitoring strategies to make the Research Institute an inclusive work environment representative, inclusive and responsive to Canadian diversity. He leads, supports and monitors awareness-raising, training, research and strategic actions to ensure the accurate inclusion and development of full potential of the Institute’s members regardless of their gender, backgrounds or origin.
Nicholas Hickens (he/him) is a healthcare professional of Caribbean descent with experience in various research initiatives, including working for the Public Health Agency of Canada. He has a Human Nutrition, Biochemistry & Biology and Applied Sciences background from Mount Saint Vincent University and Dalhousie University. He is a candidate in the MSc Family Medicine program at McGill University. He works at the Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Health Program, investigating the state of patient-reported outcome and experience measures in HIV clinical guidelines. He serves on the review committee for the Healthy Populations Journal at Dalhousie University, the QEII Foundation Diversity in Healthcare Bursaries and two co-investigation committees addressing systemic discrimination and racial bias in Psychology EEG research and Dietetic practice. His research interests include chronic diseases and infections, optimizing and managing healthcare systems, AI in healthcare, public health ethics, and decolonizing healthcare.