REDI Committee Statement
The School of Population and Public Health (SPPH) REDI committee works to advance SPPH’s commitment to respectful environments, equity, diversity, and inclusion (REDI) so that people from all backgrounds in our school see and experience SPPH as an inclusive, respectful and safe place to learn and work. The SPPH REDI committee will advocate for positive change, value diverse ways of knowing, practice humility, and amplify marginalized voices to foster a more inclusive and equitable SPPH.
The SPPH REDI Committee will work to address injustice and strive to address all forms of oppression, prejudice, and discrimination*. The SPPH REDI committee will actively work against discriminatory behaviours, practices, policies, and power imbalances at our School to promote fairness and equity for all members of our community.
The SPPH REDI Committee respectfully acknowledges that it is situated on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nation. The SPPH REDI Committee will work to address racism and to promote deeper understanding and awareness of historical and ongoing colonial violence and how this impacts our academic systems and Indigenous Peoples. The SPPH REDI Committee will strive to promote safer spaces for Indigenous Peoples that support cultural safety and resilience. The SPPH REDI Committee is committed to creating and supporting initiatives that address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action, including work that supports the implementation of the UBC Indigenous Strategic Plan and the UBC Faculty of Medicine Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action.
The SPPH REDI Committee is fully committed to engaging the SPPH community in these efforts, seeking input and participation from students, staff, and faculty to ensure that their perspectives and experiences are integrated into the work of the Committee. Through collaboration and partnerships within SPPH and beyond, the SPPH REDI Committee will strive to create learning and work environments where everyone can thrive.
* This includes, but is not limited to ableism, ageism, anti-Asian racism, antisemitism, body size discrimination, cissexism, classism, ethnic and religious prejudice, heterosexism, homophobia, Islamophobia,linguistic discrimination, racism, sexism, transphobia, and xenophobia.
Approved September 23, 2024
| Join the SPPH REDI Committee! Invitation for Student and Staff Representatives The SPPH Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Committee is seeking one student and one staff member to contribute to fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment at SPPH. If you’re passionate about equity and inclusion and want to be part of a team developing meaningful initiatives, consider this opportunity. Indigenous and non-Indigenous students are encouraged to apply. To get involved, please contact Dr. Sue Mills, SPPH REDI Lead at sue.mills@ubc.ca. Volunteers Needed for REDI Working Groups The REDI committee is looking for student, staff and faculty volunteers to be part of our action-oriented working groups. The anticipated time commitment is an average of 4-5 hours per month. A gift certificate will be provided for student participation. Towards Creating Inclusive Spaces Working Group We are looking for a student who would like to work collaboratively with students, staff and faculty to explore how best to make our physical and social/cultural spaces feel truly welcoming and inclusive for everyone at SPPH. We are imagining that this effort could begin with an arts-based workshop where we gather and create individual and collaborative works that enable us to surface and discuss our ideas and experiences of what fosters a sense of belonging and makes a space feel welcoming. The resulting artwork could then be displayed as an invitation for others to respond. If you would like discuss being part of this working group or you have some ideas, please let Susan Cox (susan.cox@ubc.ca) know asap. We are getting underway very soon! Community Conversations Working Group We are seeking one student, staff and faculty to help us build positive and effective community relations and foster deeper understanding of oppression, prejudice, and discrimination through open, respectful conversations. We anticipate that this working group will organize opportunities and events for the SPPH community to learn, and share perspectives, experiences and ideas using collaborative, and trauma informed approaches. If you are interested in being part of this working group and to help SPPH create more avenues for meanginful and important conversations, please contact SPPH Communications Specialist (spph.communications@ubc.ca). REDI Action Plan Working Group We are recruiting one student, staff and faculty to help us develop objectives and measures to plan and evaluate the progress of REDI initiatives at SPPH in relation to UBC, FoM, and SPPH related strategies, frameworks and goals. If you have a passion for making plans and measuring progress, and would like to discuss being part of this working group, please reach out to Sue Mills, REDI Lead (sue.mills@ubc.ca) as soon as possible. |
In development
In development
Sue Mills, SPPH REDI Chair
I come to the Chair position with humility, gratitude, and profound respect for the Indigenous People who have taken care of the land and waterways for thousands of years. As a white settler, I have a significant responsibility to help address the harms caused, and still being caused by colonialism, and to acknowledge the strengths and resilience of the Indigenous People. As someone who has always worked to illuminate and address injustices, I strive to continually learn how my positionality and diverse life experiences shape my perspectives, relationships, and work. As the Chair, I am committed to, and accountable for creating open, inclusive spaces for dialogue and action where all members of the committee have a voice and are empowered to lead SPPH forward in achieving equity, diversity, and inclusion in all our learning and work environments. I am inspired by the diverse backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge of all the members on the committee and look forward to the meaningful work we will do together in the months ahead.
REDI Committee Members
Suiqiong Fan, Graduate Student
As a queer person of color, I have personally experienced the challenges of navigating spaces where identities are often marginalized or misunderstood. These experiences have shaped my passion for advocating for mental health services that are inclusive and accessible to students of all identities, including those from underrepresented or marginalized communities. Working with the REDI committee at SPPH, my goal is to ensure the EDI issues raised by SPPH students are heard and changes to the system are implemented accordingly.
Jennifer Pitt, Graduate Student
I was motivated to become a member of the REDI committee due to my interest in understanding intersectionality and identifying influences of power and privilege in academia, health care, and every day life. I am a passionate advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous ways of knowing and being to create safer spaces for Indigenous students and leaders. This includes critically examining the historical and ongoing systems of oppressive forces and applying a two eyed seeing approach to our every day work and lives.
Erica Frank, Professor
I want to share the REDI strategies, networks, and resources I have acquired professionally as the longest-standing faculty member representing Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) on UBC’s CRC EDI Action Plan (CRCEDIAP) Working Group (and with other EDI foci at UBC), and as someone personally working on recognizing, better strategizing on, and being out about her own issues around equity, disability, inclusion, respect, and privilege.
Susan Cox, Professor, Chair in Biomedical Ethics, Director of MSc and PhD Programs
I am a big believer in the value of contemplative and other practices that support resilience and wellbeing in higher education and recognize that we still have a long way to go in creating working and learning environments that feel authentically welcoming, productive and joyful for everyone. I hope that our work on the REDI committee will help to advance this goal and encourage a stronger sense of community.
Connie Wu, Communications Specialist
As an immigrant and person of color living on unceded land, I understand the importance of representation and inclusion. In my role, I am committed to communicating messages with REDI in mind, ensuring that our messages are inclusive and supportive of all members of our community. This experience has highlighted the importance of REDI in communications and fuels my passion for supporting these efforts within the REDI Committee.
Reza Afshari, Clinical Professor
Over the past thirty years, my academic and professional journey has traversed continents, offering diverse experiences across Asia, Europe, and North America. These global encounters have profoundly influenced my perspective on REDI. I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with colleagues and mentoring students from diverse backgrounds. My dedication extends to addressing social and health disparities within racial, ethnic, and minority communities, a focal point of my research endeavours. I am committed to tackling these issues with a rigorous scientific methodology and an unwavering dedication to continual improvement.
Amanda Versteeg, Senior Human Resources Manager
Previous REDI Committee Members
Junelle Knihniski, Graduate Student
I want to uplift and empower student voices in the strategic REDI work that SPPH is pursuing, and be actively involved in creating accountable, proactive and welcoming environments within SPPH. I believe everyone has a right to feel supported and safe in their environments of work, study and socialization, and that diversity enriches our faculty. As an Indigenous learner I am committed to dismantling harmful structures and want to create a culture of celebration, equity and justice.
Suhail Marino, Program Manager and Privacy Officer
I consider it a privilege to be working on REDI-related issues and fostering best practices leading to inclusive and respectful environments. As an immigrant and person of colour, I see my role in this committee as assisting SPPH in building a respectful community where all diverse individuals feel safe, valued, respected, and welcomed. I am hopeful that SPPH, through the work of this committee, can make systemic changes that benefit everyone.
Negar Balouchestani-Asli, Alumna
As a first-generation daughter of immigrants to Turtle Island, colonially known as Canada, I have embarked on a journey of learning and unlearning personal biases, acknowledging my position as an uninvited guest on these lands. Over the past few years, I have come to understand the weight of my positionality and the unearned privileges I hold. This awareness has instilled in me a profound sense of responsibility, particularly towards the Indigenous Peoples whose unceded land I occupy.