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Upcoming E-Forum: Towards Accountable Action on Equality, Allyship, and Peacemaking in Healthcare

 
The COO recognizes the impact of systemic racism in Ontario and is committed to supporting registrants in the equitable delivery of healthcare in the province. To that end, the COO is pleased to announce that we have partnered with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO), to co-host a two-part session for registrants that will focus on anti-oppression and peacemaking in the delivery of healthcare services.
 
Details
 
Title: Towards Accountable Action on Equity, Allyship, and Peacemaking in Healthcare
Speakers: Dr. Ed Connors/Tecumseh and Dr. Stephanie Nixon
Session Dates: 
Session 1: March 31, 2025 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm - Register Here (accreditation 4486 1 PG) 
Session 2: April 28, 2025 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm - Register Here (accreditation 4487 1 PG) 
To gain a full understanding, registrants are strongly encouraged to attend both sessions, as Part 2 will be building on the learnings delivered in Part 1.
Each session is accredited as 1 Professional Growth (PG) hour. 

Session Details:
 
In Session 1 (March 31), the speakers will discuss the Coin Model of Privilege and Critical Allyship as a framework for helping answer the question, “What is my work to do on equity, inclusion and justice?” This conversation will introduce mind-maps that can impact the delivery and receipt of health care within a colonial-built system.
 
We return for Session 2 (April 28) to receive Indigenous teachings that offer alternatives to a power-over mindset in order to build new habits of mind toward peacemaking. Our speakers will offer different ways to understand and interact with our diverse and complex society in a way that supports inclusive healthcare.
 
Speaker Details:
 
Dr. Ed Connors 

Dr. Ed Connors, also known as Tecumseh, is of Mohawk ancestry from Kahnawake Mohawk Territory and of Irish ancestry. He is a retired psychologist who has worked with First Nations communities across Canada since 1982 in both urban and rural centres. His work over this time has included Clinical Director for an Infant Mental Health Centre in the city of Regina and Director for the Sacred Circle, a Suicide Prevention Program developed to serve First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario. Tecumseh/Ed’s recent work has involved development of Indigenous Life Promotion projects, including Feather Carriers Leadership for Life Promotion. While developing this service, Tecumseh/Ed worked with Elders and apprenticed in traditional First Nations approaches to healing. Today his teaching incorporates traditional knowledge about healing and his experience as a psychologist. His current work includes consultation and community training to assist First Nations in the development of Restorative Justice programs.
 
Dr. Stephanie Nixon
 
Stephanie Nixon, Ph.D. is Vice-Dean of Health Sciences and Director of the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen's University. She has been a physiotherapist, HIV activist and global health researcher for 20 years. She completed her Ph.D. in Public Health and Bioethics in 2006 at the University of Toronto, and a post-doc at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa from 2006-2008. Stephanie is co-founder of the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation. Stephanie is a straight, white, middle-class, able-bodied, cisgender, settler woman who tries to understand the pervasive effects of privilege. In particular, she explores how systems of oppression shape health and community care, research and education, and the role of people in positions of unearned advantage in disrupting these harmful patterns.

Stephanie developed the Coin Model of Privilege and Critical Allyship to translate core ideas about anti-oppression and anti-racism to people in positions of unearned advantage. She has conducted workshops on the Coin Model with more than 100 groups including universities, hospitals, community-based organizations, and professional associations across Canada and internationally. Several open-access resources are available on the Coin Model of Privilege and Critical Allyship, which folks are welcome to use and share however helpful. Stephanie also provides leadership training on privilege using the Coin Model, in the form of 60-90-minute presentations, half-day or full-day workshops, or one-on-one training with senior leaders.