By: Adrianna Broussard, Diagnostic Ultrasound Student

Adrianna has just completed her first year of the Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound program and is the new student advisor to Sonography Canada’s board of directors. During the PLANS African Nova Scotian Health Science Summer Camp (July 8-13, 2018), Adrianna was one of 18 current postsecondary and recent graduates that participated in a facilitated mentor session with the campers.  Adrianna shared her experiences and helped Malyana Gero (from Amherst, NS) develop goals for her own journey.

In May 2018 Adrianna attended the Sonography Canada Conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland; here are her thoughts.

I had not envisioned the vast amount of experience I would gain when I set out to attend the Sonography Canada Conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland. This conference is the 36^th annual conference held by Sonography Canada, the credentialing organization for sonographers. For those of you that don’t know, a Sonographer is a health professional specialized in the use of ultrasound technology to perform diagnostic exams. The conference is a major event in the Canadian sonography community for professional development and networking. At the Conference I met with potential employers, learnt about scanning techniques, met ultrasound technology companies, networked with sonographers and attended informative lectures on pathologies.

At the event, I received the amazing news that I am the new student advisor for the Sonography Canada’s board of directors. At the conference I was able to meet all the board members as well as the previous student advisor. The previous student advisor was amazing at informing me of my new role on the board of directors. I was able to network and gain knowledge to prepare for my major role as the representative of all student sonographers across Canada. As student advisor I look forward to bringing diversity to the board and profession.

Not only was this conference a major asset to advance my career, but I was able to enjoy the wonderful city of St. John’s. The Johnson Scholarship Foundation Bursary made it possible for me to attend this amazing conference.

Adrianna Broussard with Malyana Gero

PLANS African Nova Scotian Health Science Summer Camp Mentor Session (July 8-13, 2018)

By: Keisha Jefferies, PhD candidate, Dalhousie School of Nursing

Keisha Jefferies is currently completing her PhD at Dalhousie. She is an advocate for health equity with a particular focus on the African Nova Scotian experience.  Keisha is a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholar having spent time doing research in Tanzania as well as the 2016 recipient of the Dr. Ron Stewart Award for Student Leadership in Global Health.  She will also be presenting at Global Health Day on Sept. 26 as part of the poster displays in the Tupper Medical Building Link. Read more about Keisha’s recent experience at the PEGASUS Conference here.

On April 27-29^{th, 2018} I had the opportunity to attend the PEGASUS Peace, Global Health and Sustainability Conference at the University of Toronto. The theme of the conference this year was “From Evidence to Action” and it was attended by clinicians, academics, graduate students and key stakeholders from across Canada as well as internationally. The PEGASUS Conference was on my radar for a few years after first discovering it in 2015 while attending the Canadian Conference for Global Health in Montreal. I was unable to attend in 2016 however, I am thankful that I was able to not only receive a conference bursary through the Johnson Scholarship Foundation in order to attend the conference but also that the abstract for my thesis proposal was accepted for a poster presentation. It was a very exciting and beneficial experience to present my intended work on the Leadership Experiences of African Nova Scotian Nurses to a new audience. My poster was well received and I was able to establish several great connections with attendees.

Over the 3 days, I was able to enjoy and participate in very stimulating and timely workshops and presentations related to various aspects of local and international global health as well as peace and sustainability. I am really impressed with the caliber of work being done by clinicians, students and faculty across Canada as well as in Toronto. Many of the presenters shared powerful messages and stories related to vulnerable group in Canada such as immigrants and refugees and their struggles to attain and navigate the Canadian healthcare system. Another important message that was threaded through several of the keynote presentations and session presentations was the innate biases ingrained in policy and the need to examine, deconstruct and rebuild more inclusive, appropriate policies. I was able to capture a few great moments during the conference and these can be found on my Twitter page @KeishaJeff56.

I would like to acknowledge the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, the Dalhousie Global Health Office and School of Nursing as well as my PhD thesis supervisors (Dr. Megan Aston and Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy) for providing funding to travel, offering guidance throughout my studies and enabling me to be actively involved in local and international global health initiatives.

To learn more about the Global Health Office’s Diversity programs.

By: Rania Fashir and Tiffany Richards, Dalhousie Medical students

As part of the support received from the Johnson Scholarship Foundation, PLANS (Promoting Leadership in health for African Nova Scotians) and Indigenous Health provide micro-scholarships to support Black and Indigenous post-secondary students to assist with participation in academic conferences, training seminars, and associated fees for entrance exams such as the MCAT, CASPer, or DAT.  For more information visit: dal.ca/medicine/global-health/diversity.

Recently, two medical students attended the Student National Medical Association in San Francisco.  Here is their account of their experience.

The Student National Medical Association (SNMA) is the world’s largest, independent, student-led organization which focuses on issues pertinent to Black medical students. This group’s mandate is to support and advocate for underrepresented minority medical students and to also address the needs of the communities these students come from. Each spring this organization hosts an Annual Medical Education Conference (AMEC) which features workshops and programming centered on the academic and clinical success of Black medical students and residents. It also includes discussions on the health of Black communities. This year, over the Easter long weekend, we had the great privilege of attending the 2018 AMEC, along with 1600 medical students, residents and physicians. The theme for this conference was, “Embracing Our Diversity: Filling the Gaps and Building the Future.”

Tiffany:

The workshop session that was most impactful to me was entitled, “The Scarcity of Black Men in Medicine.” Although this panel session centered on addressing the declining numbers of Black men in the United States, entering the medical profession, I feel that the barriers to entering medical school and some of the solutions outlined in this session apply generally to Black Canadian students in medicine. Several of the Black, male, physicians on this panel candidly expressed the feelings of uncertainty in navigating applying to medical school and the lack of role models in this profession, from their own community. Further barriers detailed included: low expectations from members of the school system and combating stereotypes from peers and people in leadership positions. One of the takeaway messages from this session was to regularly speak to community members, patients, family and friends about our journey through medical school. Examples given included: posting pictures on social media wearing our white coats, or asking pediatric patients if they have ever thought about becoming a doctor. In my own personal experience meeting physicians from my community solidified that this path was possible for me. This conference reinforced something that has been absolutely true in my life, representation matters.

Rania:

Cultural competency is one of the tenets found in the mission of SNMA. On my second day I attended a workshop entitled “Cultural Competency: Exploring Implicit Biases and The Impacts On The Patient Encounter.” The purpose of this workshop was to provide us with tools that would allow us to test our knowledge and expand our skill set to ensure our patient interactions and interview questions are unbiased and patient sensitive. The workshop highlighted the important role of unbiased medical appointment interactions between co-workers, patients and families from various backgrounds in assuring optimal health care delivery. The workshop included role-play scenarios, follow up discussion, as well as the opportunity to work with standardized patients and a medically certified translator. This experience has provided me with the tools that will aid me in developing the leadership skills, and mindset required to work in a diverse environment.

Our conference experience was extremely gratifying, for it allowed us to engage with hundreds of fellow medical students, residents and physicians with a common goal of diversifying the face of medicine and centering Black health. We have gained the knowledge and skill set necessary to address some of the issues that contribute to health inequities and the tools to develop leadership skills in advancing health equity. We are excited to deploy the skills we have gained in improving healthcare outcomes of our communities.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Johnson Scholarship Foundation for granting us the monetary support to attend the SNMA conference.