In 2019, a group of physicians from the Vancouver Physician Staff Association (VPSA), along with staff members from VCH Physician Relations and Compensation, organized an appreciative inquiry (AI) to better understand the barriers female physicians were facing in assuming formal leadership roles at VCH. Over 60 physicians from various VCH departments and divisions, and senior executives from VCH and Providence Health Care attended these sessions to provide their insights and experiences. The findings from those sessions led to the publication of the report, Using All Our Talents: Meaningful Leadership Opportunities for Women Physicians, which was subsequently presented to, and the proposed action plan endorsed by, the VCH Board.
Following the release of the report, the Physician Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee was established with the purpose of implementing the recommendations from the AI report, and it's mandate was broadened to define diversity beyond gender. The committee created three working groups to operationalize the different sections of the action plan: the Culture and Environment Working Group; the Meaningful Metrics Working Group; and the Leadership Skills, Talent Management, and Succession Planning Working Group.
The Leadership Skills and Talent Management Working Group, co-chaired by Dr. Sophia Park and Dr. Alex Lee, comprises of physicians from VCH's three communities of care and to representatives from VPSA, VCH People, and the VCH Medical Engagement, Leadership, and Development (MELD) Group. The working group conducted a critical review of the medical leadership job descriptions in collaboration with VCH Medical Affairs, and provided recommendations for the selection and hiring process of medical leaders in order to better promote inclusivity and equity of underrepresented groups.
The working group has planned several exciting leadership workshops for the fall. The first occurred late Sept/early October, the Personal Leadership: Identifying Your Core Values and Vision course from CMA Joule's Physician Leadership Institute, introduced participants with an interest in leadership to reflect on their personal values and how these will shape their leadership approach. Later n October, VGH radiologist and EDI expert Dr. Faisal Khosa began facilitating the first of three interactive workshops titled Stepping Stones and Stumbling Blocks of Leadership Positions for Women and Underrepresented in Medicine. Stay tuned for more information.
This past June, the working group hosted an intimate and powerful dialogue with Drs. Alika Lafontaine, Don Wilson, and Terri Aldred, three local and national Indigenous physician leaders, and discussed the system transformation necessary to combat the Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in B.C.'s health-care system, as detailed in the In Plain Sight report.
The working group has planned several exciting leadership workshops for the fall. The first occurred late Sept/early October, the Personal Leadership: Identifying Your Core Values and Vision course from CMA Joule's Physician Leadership Institute, introduced participants with an interest in leadership to reflect on their personal values and how these will shape their leadership approach. Later in October, VGH radiologist and EDI expert Dr. Faisal Khosa began facilitating the first of three interactive workshops titled Stepping Stones and Stumbling Blocks of Leadership Positions for Women and Underrepresented in Medicine. Stay tuned for more information.
The VCH Physician DEI Leadership Skills and Talent Management Working Group is currently seeking new members. If you are interested in getting involved in this challenging, yet extremely rewarding work, please contact Neli Remo at Neli.Remo@vch.ca.
1 https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/appointment-framework/employment-equity-diversity/employment-equity-groups.html
Written by Dr. Sophia Park
