DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE
Understanding
INDIGENOUS REPRESENTATION
in Research and Medicine
By Nadia Boachie and Laura M. Best
I
nclusion of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences is essential for achieving equitable and effective infrastructure in Canada. However, Indigenous people remain under-represented among health care professions and other STEM (science, technology, engineering or math) fields. When considering healthcare, specifically, it was reported that in 2016 less than one percent of the 93,985 specialists and general practitioners in Canada were Indigenous, despite Indigenous people comprising 4.9% of the population.1 This deficit may, in part, be due to intergenerational trauma as well as other embedded systemic barriers. Entering a STEM or healthcare profession often requires a university education, yet the current learning environment remains disproportionately inaccessible and unsafe for many, including those of Indigenous heritage. As such, under-representation of Indigenous students is apparent among undergraduate degree programs in STEM fields, and only eleven percent of Indigenous people in Ontario have completed a university program.2 This is in stark contrast to the almost thirty percent of non-Indigenous Canadians in Ontario who completed university.3 To learn more about the ways that the University of Toronto is investing in creating a more supportive environment for Indigenous learners, and to discuss his own experiences as an Indigenous individual trained as a medical doctor, The IMS Magazine recently had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Chase Everett McMurren.
Dr. McMurren identifies as a queer, Indigenous individual. He exudes a humble, open demeanour and is devoted to fostering safe and inclusive spaces for Indigenous learners. A member of the Turtle Clan, he is training as a nâtawihôwêw* [not-a-way-who-ee-oo], or Medicine Man (*in Michif), while currently providing at-home care for long-living elders at Taddle Creek Family Health Team. Dr. McMurren is an Assessor and Clinical Supervisor for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Medical Director of the Al and Malka Green Artists’ Health Centre at Toronto Western Hospital, and a supervisor for the Psychotherapy Training Program through the Medical Psychotherapy Association of Canada (MDPAC). At the University of Toronto, Dr. McMurren is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, and the Theme Lead for Indigenous Health in the MD Program within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. When asked about the difficulties that Indigenous learners may encounter, Dr. McMurren described the numerous barriers that currently exist. Dr. McMurren explains how the healthcare system is based on colonial constructs. He describes how systemic racism is quite profound; the entire training that people receive to work in the medical field is really institutionalized. When asked about ways to reconcile with the past he answers, “I think the term stolen land also comes to my mind. It is hard to know where to start when our current society is built on subjugation and the attempted eradication of Indigenous people, it is kind of hard to repair that.”
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Colonization contributed to the complete marginalization of Indigenous people from mainstream society and the disruptive effects continue to be evident in situations concerning access to healthcare and education. “For me, I think lately, in particular in my role as Indigenous Health Theme Lead for the MD program and as the chair of ISAP [the Indigenous Students Application Program for admissions], I am of multiple minds. There is a deep desire to make space for Indigenous voices and Indigenous people as well as a strong hesitation to welcome them into such a scary place. It can be quite unsafe, from a soul perspective,” he concludes. To overcome some of these barriers, universities are working to develop more infrastructure to support Indigenous students. For example, the U of T is investing resources in dismantling forms of racism on campus. “We are very lucky at the University of Toronto,’’ Dr. McMurren says. He explains how U of T is working on improving several programs, like ISAP, to help Indigenous students along every part of the university journey, from admission to graduation. In the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Dr. McMurren and colleagues, including Dr. Lisa Richardson and Rosary Spence (a Knowledge Keeper) are developing more inclusive resources and he explained how a change in the name of their office was a great start. Formerly the Office of Indigenous Medical Education, the now Office of Indigenous Health will “be inclusive of the MD program, the postgraduate and the graduate Health Sciences, and the Rehab Sciences.” Dr. McMurren continues, “We are also partnering with the Center for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health at Women’s Graphic design by Ingrid Barany
