Racial Equity at the NCCDH
Weaving racial equity into organizational change
At the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health (NCCDH), we provide the Canadian public health community with knowledge and resources to take action on the social determinants of health, to close the difference in health across the social gradient.
We work with the public health field to move knowledge into action—in practice, in policy and in decision making—to achieve societal improvements that result in health for all.
Progress has been made, however racism continues to profoundly impact health and wellbeing both directly and through other social determinants of health. We recognize that racial equity makes us all stronger and healthier.
As a knowledge translation organization, we acknowledge the role racism plays in shaping who we are, what we know and how we come to know it. The National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health is committed to weaving racial equity into all aspects of our work. This includes more consistent application of different ways of knowing and drawing from a more diverse pool of knowledge generators as we develop resources and organize learning activities and broadening and developing a more diverse network. We are shifting our internal practices and organizational culture and embedding racial equity into every day decisions and practices. We are committed to building a multi-racial team equipped to steward racial equity.
We are committed to sharing our experiences with others, learning from the work of others and maintaining transparency as we learn and grow.
Our work is supported by an internal workgroup and an external advisory group.
Workgroup
- Faith Layden, Program Manager
- Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh, Senior Knowledge Translation Specialist
- Jaime Stief, Communications Assistant
- Danielle MacDonald, Research Assistant
Advisory Group
- Rod Knight, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of British Columbia
- Corey Bernard, Manager of Patient Engagement, Mississauga Halton Local Health Integration Network
- Nancy Laliberte, Ph.D. student, University of British Columbia
Process
For an overview of this process, please read the following blog posts by NCCDH management:
- Becoming anti-racist: Small steps along the way (2017) and
- Becoming anti-racist: An NCCDH initiative (2017)
- NCCDH staff becoming anti-racist through informed dialogue: 1 of 2 (2018)
- NCCDH staff becoming anti-racist through informed dialogue: 2 of 2 (2018)
- Thoughts on trying to achieve anti-racist leadership (2019)
- Integrating equity into employment (2019)
- Insights from the NCCDH’s racial equity journey (2019)
To peruse items in our Resource Library relating to anti-racist, click here and/or decolonizing action in public health, click here.
To view NCCDH events and webinars relating to anti-racist and/or decolonizing action in public health, click here for a webinar titled: Whiteness and health equity, or click here for a webinar titled: Can understanding Whiteness improve anti-racism activities in health?.
We invite others engaged and interested in this work to reach out to us.
Photo credit: Markus Spiske