March 2026: Guest Chair’s Column on Culture & Inclusion

By Dr. Umberin Najeeb, Vice Chair, Culture & Inclusion

The Culture and Inclusion portfolio was established in 2019 by the then Chair of the Department of Medicine, Dr. Gillian Hawker, as an evolution of the previous Mentorship, Equity, and Diversity (MED) portfolio. I am honoured and privileged to have led this important portfolio for the last three years. My goal is to continue to foster a culture in the department that actively attracts, embraces, supports, and advances diverse talent throughout the academic lifecycle. Guided by the departmental strategic plan, I remain committed to advancing the department’s strategic priorities related to mentorship across the academic lifespan, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), and faculty/learner wellbeing, with the invaluable support of the Culture and Inclusion (C&I) team¹. The three key pillars of the Culture and Inclusion portfolio — Mentorship, EDI, and Wellbeing — are deeply interconnected. A brief overview of each pillar is provided below.

The mentorship structure for early career faculty members in the Department of Medicine (DoM) is considered a best practice model both locally and nationally. It involves ensuring that every newly appointed faculty member has a designated formal faculty mentor and that both mentors and mentees have access to mentorship resources. To further strengthen our mentorship framework, several strategic initiatives have been implemented with particular emphasis on also meeting the mentorship needs of mid-career and late-career colleagues. A late career guidelines document and an annual “career transition workshop” facilitate career transition planning for late-career faculty members. Mid-career faculty comprise the largest group within the department and the initiation of mid career mentorship workshops in the fall of 2025 was a first step in addressing mentorship needs at this stage. The 2025 DoM survey demonstrated strong interest in initiatives such as group mentorship sessions tailored to faculty at different stages of their careers.

In my role as the Faculty Lead, Equity (2021-2022) and as the Vice-Chair of Culture and Inclusion (2023 – present) in the DoM, the portfolio initiated several scholarly innovations. From the EDI perspective, one notable achievement was the development and dissemination of the DoM’s first self-identification survey in 2021, which captured a snapshot of the diversity of our department’s faculty members. The survey results revealed that only 2.3% of our faculty identified as Black and 0.8% as Indigenous. To address this gap, we remain committed to the Black and Indigenous CaRMS application pathway  to increase representation of Black and Indigenous trainees and faculty, and to promote equitable, population-reflective recruitment practices. Expanding this pathway from the core internal medicine program to additional PGY1 programs within the DoM is an active and ongoing priority. The survey results have also been used to develop and innovate policies and procedures regarding hiring, promotion and recognition, and to create resources to support faculty members in working towards our goal of inclusive excellence. Revising the Dept. of Medicine search guidelines for faculty recruitment to include an intersectional lens, and review of the DoM Awards Nomination and Adjudication processes with the creation of new awards, are some examples of this work.

Creating a culture that prioritizes faculty and learners’ wellbeing remains a priority. Wellness extends beyond individual resilience or the development of coping strategies. It encompasses a shared commitment to caring for ourselves and one another, strengthening meaningful supports for faculty and learners, and advancing institutional and system-level change. However, implementing standardized evidence-based wellbeing initiatives across multiple academic institutions can be challenging. The 2025 DoM survey reported a decrease in the burnout rate compared to 2022 (29% vs. 55%) but also identified several actionable priorities, including reducing and streamlining procedural requirements associated with academic milestones (e.g., promotion), fostering greater collaboration and departmental cohesion, expanding opportunities for academic recognition, and strengthening preparation for career transitions and retirement.

At a personal level, I continue to reflect on how we might thoughtfully humanize these academic milestones and processes—ensuring that they not only uphold standards of excellence but also honour the experiences, aspirations, and wellbeing of our faculty. Achieving this vision necessitates a meaningful cultural shift—one in which we all feel comfortable acknowledging our limitations and vulnerabilities without fear of judgment or reprisal. While this represents a substantial undertaking, embracing this work collectively is both timely and essential. Two examples are shared below:

• The establishment of the Faculty Lead, Valuing Clinician Teacher (VCT) position has further strengthened the support framework for Clinician Teachers (CTs), who play a pivotal role in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. This important role reflects the department’s sustained commitment to inclusive excellence and professional wellbeing. Clinician Teachers comprise 38% of the department’s full-time faculty, underscoring the importance of dedicated structures to recognize and support their contributions. Recent initiatives aimed at celebrating and elevating the work of CT colleagues include the annual CPA Day (since 2024), the introduction of a monthly newsletter titled the Clinician Teacher Tribune, and the establishment of Clinician Teacher Week. Collectively, these efforts affirm the department’s recognition of the essential educational leadership provided by Clinician Teachers.
• In 2024, the Culture and Inclusion Faculty Development series was initiated to enhance the knowledge and skill set of the department’s faculty members around several topics in health equity, teaching and education, mentorship and wellbeing. These monthly noon time sessions are very well attended and are now a Royal College accredited activity. This series is specifically helpful in creating communities of practice within and across various job descriptions, as well as diverse academic and clinical interests. The C&I portfolio is also purposefully developing communities of practice according to various social identities and hosts a variety of events with the aim of bringing people together. The DoM 2SLGBTQ2+ Think Tank, Black and Indigenous Medical Society, Annual Lecture in Black Health, yearly DoM Pride Event and Women in Academic Medicine Summit are examples of this work. The Culture and Inclusion website with curated resources remains a dynamic platform for knowledge enhancement. These initiatives have helped to promote departmental connectedness and an enhanced sense of wellbeing.

Many of these rigorously developed initiatives have been disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, workshops, and presentations at national and international forums, including the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM) 2023, 2024 and 2025, as well as the International Conference on Residency Education (ICRE) 2022, 2023 and 2025. In addition, three oral presentations have been accepted for the upcoming ICAM 2026, further extending the scholarly impact of this work.

The C&I portfolio remains committed to building a more inclusive and equitable department. Our vision is to celebrate diversity, cultivate a strong sense of belonging, and foster a culture in which every member of our DoM community feels valued, fulfilled, and empowered.

I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to serve as Vice Chair and to work with amazing faculty leads in the C&I portfolio. I would welcome the opportunity to connect with anyone interested in discussing how we can further strengthen and support this important work. Please feel free to reach out to me by email at umberin.najeeb@sunnybrook.ca. Together, we can shape a stronger and more vibrant future.

1. Culture and Inclusion Executive Group: Drs. K. Gitau (Faculty Lead, Black & Indigenous Resident Recruitment and Mentorship Program), M. Trinkaus (Faculty Lead, VCT), M. Vyas (Faculty Lead, Mentorship)

Acknowledgements:

The Culture and Inclusion portfolio is grateful to Dr. Gillian Hawker for launching this portfolio, to Dr. Arno Kumagai for ongoing support, to Drs. Yayi Huang and Erica Tseng for bringing the early career faculty perspective, and to Drs. E. Cohen, C. Kramer, M. Norris, S. Singh, C. Yu (in alphabetical order) for serving as prior Faculty Leads in the C&I portfolio.