Islamophobia in Healthcare Settings

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.

Presented by

• Dr. Umberin Najeeb, Vice-Chair, Culture and Inclusion with the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto
• Dr. Kashmala Qasim, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Wilson Centre at the University of Toronto

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Educational objectives

• Define Islamophobia, including gendered Islamophobia, and share its historical and social context
• Recognize biases and discriminatory practices in society and academic/healthcare settings that perpetuate harmful stereotypes of Muslim patients, learners, and colleagues
• Appraise one's own biases about religious groups and question how they may impact patient care or conduct with learners and colleagues
• Discuss strategies to identify and challenge Islamophobic practices in healthcare to foster a safe environment for Muslim patients, learners, and colleagues 

About the speakers

• Dr. Kashmala Qasim is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Wilson Centre. Kashmala completed her PhD in History, Theory, and Critical Psychology from York University, where she examined how Qur'anic learning influences Muslim women's perceptions of empowerment, well-being, and identity, using a Standpoint Feminist framework. Her doctoral research combined community-based studies with psycho-educational workshops, as well as her experience in conducting pastoral counselling. Kashmala has also completed her Islamic studies at Al Huda Institute, as well as a Qualitative Methodology graduate certificate at the University of Toronto. As a fellow working under the supervision of Drs. Cynthia Whitehead and Umberin Najeeb, Kashmala is conducting research to understand the role and impact of Islamophobia in medical education and healthcare settings.
• Dr. Umberin Najeeb is a staff internist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto. She is the Vice Chair Culture and Inclusion and the Co-Director of the Master Teacher program in the Department of Medicine (DoM) at the University of Toronto. She served as the inaugural DoM Faculty Lead, Equity (2020-2023), the founding Faculty Lead for the PGY4 Internal Medicine (2012-2018) Program, and Temerty Faculty of Medicine's Senior Advisor on Islamophobia (June 2021- Dec 2022). 
  
  She is a Clinician Educator with a scholarly focus on 1) transition and integration of International Medical Graduates (and other Internationally Educated Health Professionals) into their training and working environments and 2) health professions education with a specific focus on curriculum design, faculty development, and mentorship. Dr. Najeeb has won numerous teaching, education, and mentorship awards at the local, provincial, and national levels. She teaches around the constructs of equity, diversity, inclusion, and allyship at undergraduate, postgraduate, and faculty development levels and contributes to research and development of scholarship along with committee and policy work related to social justice and EDI.