Breaking barriers: A new era of medical education

Over 171 years after its inauguration, Queen’s School of Medicine is now emerging at the forefront of diversity initiatives in Canadian medical education.

Acknowledgement of the deep history of discrimination and recent progress at the School of Medicine is emphasized through events like the annual School of Medicine Black History Month Opening Ceremony—an event celebrating Black history in medicine and emphasizing the vitality of advocacy. The ceremony was held on Feb. 4 in the School of Medicine building.

“Queen’s hasn’t always been a welcoming place, for Black students and faculty […] but I do feel like we’ve come a long way, but we certainly have [work to do],” Dr. Eugenia Piliotis, a professor in the Department of Oncology with cross-appointment to the Department of Medicine, said during the ceremony. 

The event focused on the past, present, and future of the School of Medicine with a focus in empowering Black students to advocate for change.

At the ceremony, Dr. Wiley Chung, professor of surgery and attending staff at Kingston Health Science Centre, left the audience with words to inspire.

“Black history isn’t just something we recognize one month a year. It’s something we should
be building on every day. To Black students, residents, and faculty here. You belong in medicine. You are shaping the future of our profession. And your voices matter,” Dr. Chung said.

The intersectionality between healthcare and race is a deep and complex issue evident through disparities in health outcomes for Black or marginalized communities.

Scientific racism—a systematic system of misusing science that propagates erroneous scientific theories to justify racial hierarchies—is a prominent issue that’s deeply woven into the fabric of medical education and healthcare. Though largely discredited, the theory persists in ongoing science and research. Major Canadian universities are now pledging to fight against it.

An example of systemic discrimination at the School of Medicine is its past ban of Black students between 1918 and 1965, though it remained informally in effect for 100 years. Reconciliation of the universities dark past has been slow, but in recent years, Queen’s has demonstrated an increased commitment to address past injustices and fostering growth for future generations.

Inequalities in medicine persist across the globe, sometimes eliciting catastrophic patient outcomes. While the roots of scientific racism are deeply engrained in a flawed society, medical education—with its immense influence on future healthcare professionals—has the power to either perpetuate or dismantle these issues.

With hard work and dedication, progress within initiatives such QuARMS—Queen’s Accelerated Route to Medical School— and the new medical admission process are propelling the institution forward.

The introduction of the selective QuARMS program in 2013 was among the first programs of its kind in Canada. QuARMS was designed to allow students to complete their medical degree within just six years after high school. Above all, the program intended to attract Black and Indigenous students in order to help minimize the unjust nature of the medical school admissions process.

Last year, the final cohort of QuARMS students began the program, with its dismantlement providing the foundation for Queen’s new Doctor of Medicine admissions process which targets a broader scale of inequity.

This fall, the first phase of the new process has been put into effect and aims to overcome disparities and high applications volumes in a unique way: Should prospective students reach certain thresholds of GPA, MCAT, and Casper scores, they’ll be entered in a lottery system.

Together, these steps works to establish parity and give any qualified candidate the opportunity to reach the interview stage regardless of socioeconomic status—a determinant which exacerbates inequalities and a lack of representation in the medical field.

According to the University, a second phase of the admissions change will support the recruitment of Black students specifically. In an interview with The Journal, Dr. Ryan Brooks, assistant professor and internist in the Division of General Internal Medicine, expressed his anticipation of the long-term success of these programs diversifying the
student body.

“It may not be immediate, but it will start to open doors,” Dr. Brooks said.

“Lived experiences [of Black students and faculty] will help to inform us and […] understand the perspectives of others using the system,” Dr. Brooks said.

Tags

black history month, diversity, School of Medicine, scientific racism

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