Antiracism resources for child and youth health care providers

Anti-Indigenous racism in health care

Indigenous child and youth health in Canada: A curriculum for paediatric residents(2020, CPS/National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health): Developed by the Canadian Paediatric Society and the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health, this 4-part training program on Indigenous child and youth health includes a module on providing culturally safe care.

Indigenous Health Primer(2019, Indigenous Health Writing Group of the Royal College): An accredited learning tool for physicians who want to learn essential knowledge about Indigenous health, including case studies of Indigenous experiences and insights from Indigenous Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Addressing Racism in the Healthcare System(2021, Pauktuutit): A discussion paper by Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada with recommendations to improve care for Inuit Women by confronting anti-Indigenous racism in Canadian health care.

Acknowledge the truth about racism in health care(2019, CPS): Video clip from “Partners in Reconciliation: Health care leaders working together as allies in Indigenous health”, delivered by Dr. Margo Greenwood of the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health and Dr. Radha Jetty of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario at the CPS Annual Conference.

First Peoples, second class treatment: The role of racism in the health and well-being of Indigenous peoples in Canada(2015, The Wellesley Institute): “This paper explores the role of racism in the health and well-being of Indigenous peoples in Canada. It provides an overview of the historical and contemporary contexts of racism which…negatively shape the life choices and chances of Indigenous peoples, and then examines the ways in which racism fundamentally contributes to the alarming disparities in health between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.” Executive Summary also available.

Effects of racism on children and youth

Pediatric Collections: Racism and its effects on pediatric health(2020, AAP): A collection of papers published over the last 10 years in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ peer review journal, Pediatrics.

Racism and Its Harmful Effects on Nondominant Racial—Ethnic Youth and Youth-Serving Providers: A Call to Action for Organizational Change(2018, Society for Adolescent Medicine): “The positions presented in this paper provide a comprehensive set of recommendations to promote routine clinical assessment of youth experiences of racism and its potential impact on their self-concept, health and well-being, and for effective interventions when affected youth are identified.”

Implicit Bias in Pediatrics: An Emerging Focus in Health Equity Research(2020, Pediatrics): “Recent reports highlight how implicit and explicit bias contribute to the experience of racism and discrimination in child and adolescent health….To truly address implicit bias in pediatrics, we must approach solutions with an understanding that it is not about how individuals feel but how they process information, which can impact clinical decision-making and consequently health outcomes.”

Racism’s Roots in Medicine and Impact on Early Childhood(2020, University of Minnesota Grand Rounds): In this presentation, paediatrician Dr. Nathan Chomilo discusses how the different levels of racism manifest in medicine, racial socialization in children, and how child health professionals can address various forms of racism.

The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health(2019, AAP): “By acknowledging the role of racism in child and adolescent health, pediatricians and other pediatric health professionals will be able to proactively engage in strategies to optimize clinical care, workforce development, professional education, systems engagement, and research in a manner designed to reduce the health effects of structural, personally mediated, and internalized racism and improve the health and well-being of all children, adolescents, emerging adults, and their families.”

Transmitting Trauma: A systematic review of vicarious racism and child health(2017,Social Science & Medicine): “Given the recent national exposure to racially-charged events, a deeper understanding of the association between vicarious racism and child health is crucial in fueling research-informed social action to help children, families, and communities exposed to racism.”

Bringing Reconciliation to Health Care in Canada: Wise practices for healthcare leaders(2018, HealthCareCAN): “Discusses critical issues facing Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and the role that Canadian health leaders play in helping to close the health gap.”

Resources for medical educators

National Circle for Indigenous Medical Education (NCIME) Catalogue(2024): Resources developed by the NCIME to ensure medical education environments welcome and support Indigenous learners and faculty, and that institutions provide effective education in Indigenous health, including safe, trauma-informed care.

Indigenous health in specialty postgraduate medical education guide(2021, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada): This guide responds directly to faculties of medicine looking to enhance Indigenous health curricula and programming.

CanMEDS-Family Medicine Indigenous Health Supplement(2020 and 2023, College of Family Physicians of Canada): The Indigenous supplement to the CanMEDS-FM 2017 competency framework is a resource for undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing medical education with potential to assist with program design, curriculum content, learning methods, and learner assessment. See also, CanMEDS–Family Medicine: Indigenous Health Case Study Compendium

A Framework for Integrating Structural Competency into Physician Leadership Curricula(CAMH, 2024): Describes how to integrate structural competency into physician leadership curricula so that educators can help learners challenge inequities in medicine.

A framework for developing antiracist medical educators and practitioner-scholars(2022, Academic Medicine): The authors propose a framework for faculty development in antiracism education, and describe key elements to building faculty capacity to provide antiracism education to medical students and residents.

Checklists and toolkits for antiracism in medical education

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: A toolkit for Doctors Nova Scotia members, Board of Directors and Staff(2022, Doctors Nova Scotia): Guidance on human resources, allyship, strategic planning, and fostering EDI in membership and professional organizations.

Health Equity and Inclusive Framework for Education and Training(2021, CAMH): A framework to integrate equity and inclusion into the process of designing, developing and/or delivering training, courses and curriculum for health professionals.

Anti-racism in medicine collection(2020, Association of American Medical Colleges): Practice-based, peer-reviewed resources to teach antiracist knowledge and clinical skills, improve curricula, and foster collaboration to eliminate racism within medical education.

Toolkit for teaching about racism in the context of persistent health and healthcare disparities(2017, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine): Provides examples of resources and activities used to teach about race and racism, bias, identity, intersectionality, and privilege.

The Upstate Bias Checklist: A Checklist for Assessing Bias in Health Professions Education Content(2017 and 2017, Dr. Amy Caruso Brown): Free, publicly available tool for use when developing or reviewing content for learners at any level in the health professions. See also, Inclusive and bias-free curriculum checklist, adapted by Northwestern Medicine, and De-Biasing Medical Education: A Checklist Methodology, a one-hour webinar by Dr. Amy Caruso Brown.

Anti-Black racism in health care

Black Health Primer and Pediatric Learning Series(2024, Black Health Education Collaborative): An online, accredited, self-learning course developed in Canada by the Black Health Education Collaborative created in response to gaps in education and training on Black health and anti-Black racism in medicine and public health in Canada.

Black at Temerity Medicine; Addressing Anti-Black Racism(2022, University of Toronto): This "accountability report" from the University of Toronto's medical school looks at current and future actions to dismantle anti-Black racism, with a particular focus on the MD program and post-graduate medical education.

From Stories to Action: Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Health Care(2020, McMaster University Department of Medicine): Chair’s Grand Rounds featuring Sarah Adjekum, Lyndon George, Dr. Ameil Joseph, Dr. Madeleine Verhovsek