Scholars from the University of Toronto and Dalhousie University have created a set of online courses on Black health and anti-Black racism in the Canadian health-care system, which will be available to learners across Canada – a momentous step in helping advance equitable care for Black Canadians.
The Black Health Primer was created in response to gaps in education and training on Black health and anti-Black racism in medicine and public health, say its creators Onye Nnoroman assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Temperance Faculty of Medicine, Sume Ndumbe-Eyohan assistant professor at Dalla Lana and OmiSoore Drydenthe James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine.
The courses are intended for students, faculty, educators and health-care practitioners alike and can be used for professional development at health-related institutions and organizations, the founders say.
The initiative was developed by the Black Health Education Collaborative (BHEC), a group of Black scholars and practitioners committed to transforming medical and health professional education in the service of improving the health of Black communities across Canada.
“Black people in Canada experience health and social inequities rooted in anti-Black racism,” says Nnorom, who co-founded the BHEC with Dryden. “The historical impacts of slavery on this land affect Black people today and influence the stereotypes they experience in health care.
“By providing education on the issues that Black communities are facing in their everyday lives, the racism they encounter in health care and better anti-racist approaches to care, we – the Black Health Education Collaborative – believe the primary can improve the quality of care Black Canadians are receiving.
“Furthermore, these modules were designed to support the ‘unlearning’ of racism and learning racially just practices which improve health for all.”
The BHEC, with support from Dalla Lana, Temerty Medicine, and Dalhousie University, will launch the Black Health Primer on March 21 – the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – at an online event titled, “Why Anti-Racist Healthcare Matters. “
“The Public Health Agency of Canada has highlighted that ‘anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination are key drivers of health inequalities faced by diverse Black Canadian communities,’ and yet health-care professionals – from doctors to public health professionals – are not taught about the ways in which anti-Black racism negatively impacts the health of Black communities,” says Ndumbe-Eyoh, who is BHEC’s executive director.
“This is a significant failure which leads to health professionals practicing without the knowledge and skills required to provide adequate care for Black patients and communities.”
“It is our hope that the medical students, doctors, nurses, and students who are in other health fields will complete the training and be inspired to provide better quality care,” says Nnorom, who hosts the Healthcaring Differently social media campaign.
Registration for the Black Health Primary opened Thursday