Equity Grand Rounds

Hosted by the DFCM Education Programs in partnership with the Office of Inclusion and Diversity at Temerty Medicine

Building on the 2022 Grand Rounds on Antisemitism and Islamophobia in Medical Education, the Equity Grand Rounds series is designed to deepen DFCM education offerings related to Equity, Diversity, Indigeneity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism (EDIIAA).

Sessions are open to all DFCM faculty, staff and learners.

For questions, please contact dfcm.communications@utoronto.ca. 

Equity Grand Rounds

Addressing Antisemitism in Healthcare (Apr 16, 2024)

Presented by

  • Dr. Ariel Lefkowitz, Internal Medicine physician and Education Lead for the Division of General Internal Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
  • Dr. Joanna Krongold, Postdoctoral Research Fellow investigating antisemitism in health professions education at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity, the Wilson Centre, and the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies.
  • Dr. Ayelet Kuper, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and a member of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Session description

Join us for this session led by Dr. Joanna Krongold, Dr. Ariel Lefkowitz, and Dr. Ayelet Kuper as they engage participants in a conversation about antisemitism in health care, and how the concepts of equity and anti-oppression apply to the social context of our Jewish patients and colleagues. We will learn about the historical and current marginalization of Jews in medical and educational institutions, evaluate our own biases about religious groups and how they may impact patient care or conduct with colleagues, and develop strategies to identify and challenge antisemitic language and policy in health care and in society in order to foster a safer environment for Jewish patients and colleagues.


About the speakers

  • Dr. Ariel Lefkowitz is an Internal Medicine physician and the Education Lead for the Division of General Internal Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, and is the lead for novel educational sessions at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine on Religious Discrimination in Health Care and on Lessons for Physicians from the Holocaust. His scholarly interests include ethics, equity, professionalism, and narrative medicine in medical education.
  • Dr. Joanna Krongold is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow investigating antisemitism in health professions education at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Office of Inclusion and Diversity, the Wilson Centre, and the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. Her work explores Holocaust memory, literature, and pedagogy, the intersections between antisemitism and the COVID-19 pandemic, EDI and social justice-oriented education, and experiential learning. She has taught at many levels in both university- and community-based settings, and her scholarly monograph is forthcoming from Lexington Books.
  • Dr. Ayelet Kuper is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and a member of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. A child and grandchild of Holocaust survivors, she has a doctorate in Holocaust literature and is cross-appointed to the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies. She has published over 90 peer-reviewed papers, many of which relate to power, equity, inclusion, and social justice, and is frequently invited to speak about those topics internationally. Between June 2021 and June 2022 she served as the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Senior Advisor on Antisemitism.

Black Health and Anti-Black Racism in Healthcare (Oct 15, 2024 | 5:30pm - 7:00pm) REGISTER NOW!

Presented by 

  • Dr. Onye Nnorom, Family Physician and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.
  • Professor Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh, Executive Director, Black Health Education Collaborative and Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

Register Now


About the speakers

  • Dr. Onye Nnorom (she/her/hers) is a distinguished physician, advocate, public speaker and leader in the field of public health and equity. She is a family doctor and public health and preventive medicine specialist and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, in Canada. Born in Montreal to parents of Nigerian and Trinidadian backgrounds, she learned at an early age the impact of social injustice and the power of community action. With a deep commitment to social justice and health equity, Dr. Nnorom has dedicated her career to addressing health disparities and improving health outcomes for marginalized communities, with a particular focus on Black populations. She has led numerous initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities, promoting cultural competency in healthcare, and empowering underserved populations, these include co-founding the Black Health Education Collaborative and creating and hosting the social media movement Healthcaring Differently.
  • Professor Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh is the Executive Director of the Black Health Education Collaborative and an Assistant Professor in the Clinical Public Health Division at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Sume provides strategic consultations to organizations as principal of Another World Lab. She holds a Master of Health Sciences in Health Promotion and Global Health from the University of Toronto. Hailing from Cameroon, she is grateful to live, work and play in Turtle Island and is committed to working towards decolonial futures. 

Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom (Oct 29, 2024 | 5:30pm - 7:00pm) REGISTER NOW!

Presented by

  • Ms. Kendra Naidoo, Legal Counsel, Office of University Counsel, University of Toronto
  • Dr. Pier Bryden, Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs and Professional Values, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Register Now


Educational objectives

  • To learn more about how faculty use social media
  • To reflect on academic freedom and free speech
  • To identify challenges and common areas of risk
  • To become equipped to better support colleagues

About the speakers

  • Dr. Pier Bryden has been a staff psychiatrist at the Hospital for Sick Children since 2001 and has a subspecialty certification in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry with the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada. She is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs and Professional Values, in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.  Dr. Bryden is a grateful graduate of the University of Toronto, the University of Oxford, and McMaster University. Her academic publications include papers on medical education, medical professionalism, and ethical and legal aspects of child psychiatry.
  • Kendra Naidoo is Legal Counsel in the Office of University Counsel at the University of Toronto. Prior to joining the University, Kendra served as Senior Legal Counsel, Clinical Legal Services at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She has instructed extensively on health law and mental health law in addition to representing healthcare institutions and clinicians before the Consent and Capacity Board, Ontario Review Board, Health Professions Appeal and Review Board, Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, Superior Court of Justice, and Ontario Court of Appeal. A proud University of Toronto alum, Kendra completed undergraduate studies in health and disease and received her HBSc prior to obtaining her JD from the University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law.