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Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
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Our equality, diversity and inclusion work

Gender equality

The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry is proud to hold Silver Athena SWAN Awards for both Medicine and Dentistry. Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network) is a charter established 2005, that recognises and celebrates good practices in higher education and research institutions towards the advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all.

The 10 Athena SWAN Principles

The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry is committed to the the Athena SWAN Principles. Further information can be found here on the Advance HE webpages

Athena SWAN Silver Award Logo

Key facts about Athena SWAN in the FMD: 

  • The most recent Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry award submission (2017) received a Silver Award. It emcompassed the following institutes: BCI, Blizard, IHSE, WHRI, Wolfson. Download the dcoument here Silver Athena SWAN document [PDF 6,086KB]
  • The Institute of Dentistry submits a separate award submission to Medicine. Dentistry received it's own Silver Award in 2018. Download the document here Institute of Dentistry 2018 Silver Award [PDF 2,600KB]
  • The next Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry award submission is due in 2022, and Dentistry is due in 2023. 
  • Each award submission is compiled by a Self-Assessment Team (SAT) comprising a diverse mix of academic and professional staff, and UG and PG students. 
  • The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry SAT Chair is Professor Chloe Orkin. Professor Orkin has been a Consultant HIV Physician at the Royal London Hospital for the last 16 years. Her clinical duties include running a busy HIV and HIV/HCV research unit, as well as being the current chair of the British HIV Association (BHIVA), and Vice President of the Medical Women’s Federation. 
  • The Institute of Dentistry SAT Chair is Dr Aylin Baysan, Reader in Cariology in relation to Minimally Invasive Dentistry (MID), Honorary Specialist in Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics with Barts Health NHS Trust
  • Both SATs are supported by an Athena SWAN Coordinator, Laura Simpson l.simpson@qmul.ac.uk , and an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Data Officer, Im Hussain im.hussain@qmul.ac.uk 

Some examples of our initiatives are below: 

  • Implementation of Queen Mary wide policy, such as the new Menopause Policy and Fertility Treatment Policy. 
  • Networking opportunities and mentoring schemes for female staff
  • Promotions network for female academic staff, providing peer to peer workshops and promotions resources and information. 
  • CEA workshops and mentoring
  • More visible female role models around the campus. 
  • Improved quality of staff and student data.
  • EDI/Athena SWAN standing agenda item on all senior board meetings
  • All major panels relating to academic promtion, staff bonus scheme or the REF are observed by a senior EDI represenatative
  • All recruitment panels must meet gender targets and recruiting staff must attend unconscious bias training sessions
  • Improved communications to staff via newsletters, emails, social media and plasmas screens. 
Female student standing in front of a mural in East End

Race equality

BMA racial harassment charter for medical schools

We are delighted to announce that the School of Medicine and Dentistry has joined the BMA racial harassment charter for medical schools

The charters sets out clear standards for medical schools, including support and training on how to respond when such behaviour is seen or experienced. As part of the charter, we will need to establish and implement an action plan, and this will be uploaded here when it is ready. 

Barts and The London BMA Racial Harassment Charter [PDF 148KB]

Raising concerns during the clinical environment

A student -led working group has been set to re-design the raising concerns in the clinical environment policy. This group is working with Dan Burke (Governance Manager) to create a new interactive online raising concerns platform. This will be showcased shortly. 

Anti-Racism Steering Committee in the School of Medicine and Dentistry

Who are we?

We are ARSC (Anti-Racism Steering Committee): a student-staff collaboration to help actively address issues of race & racism within our curriculums. We want to represent all of BL SMD and currently have student & staff representatives for Medicine, Dentistry, Physician Associates and Global Health. We are working towards having representation from all courses and will be sending out application forms in the near future for unfilled positions.

 

Why were we created?

We were set up following the recent unrest and Black Lives Matter protesting in the wake of the unlawful killing of George Floyd & many others, and increased awareness of systemic racism in our societies. In addition, much conversation has rightly centered the racial health disparities in mortality rates from COVID-19, further exposing the health, social and racial inequities that have been present for so long.

It has become clear that we can no longer stand and allow these and countless other issues to be side-lined; we need collaborative work to enact long-lasting change.

Steering Committee members

The steering committee is a student-staff collaborative initiative and currently includes students and staff from Medicine, Dentistry, Physician Associate, Malta and Allied Healthcare Courses.  

Thaarabi Tharmapathy –BLSA BAME Student Representative and Student Lead 

Yasmine Saima Jabbar – British Medical Association (BMA) Student Representative 

Jed Ashman – Phase 1 Student Lead 

Guilia Olayemi – Phase 1 Student Lead 

Sally Mohammed – Phase 2 Student Lead 

Christine Joerres – Phase 2 Student Lead 

Halima Okewole – Phase 3 Student Lead 

Rakin Choudhury – BLSA Alumni Rep / Phase 3 Student Lead 

Ehsan Gauher – Gozo Society President (Malta) 

Angie Anifalaje – Malta Student Representative 

Milton Justinsuthakaran – Dental President 

Mollie Cronin – Global Health Course Representative 

Dr Riya George – Co-Chair of EDI SMD Committee 

Dr Nimesh Patel – Head of Assessment 

Dr Wendy Lowe – Senior Lecturer in Medical Education  

Dr Lucy Carter – Physician Associate Lecturer 

Dr Deepa Shah – Clinical Lecturer/ Co-lead  on Yr 3 GP teaching, CBME 

Dr Devina Raval – Senior Lecturer/Lead in Clinical Skills (London) 

Ms Gina Baker – Academic and Wellbeing Support in Malta 

Professor Mangala Patel – Professor of Bio Dental Materials 

Dr Shahrar Ali – IHSE EDI Lead 

Male student standing in front of a mural in East End

Widening Success

The experience of becoming a doctor/dentist for those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds can sometimes be challenging. It is a well-documented national finding that BAME medical and dental students under-perform in examinations compared to their White counterparts, what is not clear is why this might be? Reducing differential outcomes and improving the experience for BAME students is an institutional priority for many UK medical and dental schools.

The Westfield funded research project developed in collaboration with Medical and Dental Schools aims to understand and address these challenges. It describes the emergence of a collaborative interdisciplinary working group with faculties from the School of Medicine, Institute of Dentistry, Engagement, Retention and Success and Educational Development. A key component of the research is also working collaboratively with students to develop findings and instigate change.

The research team completed the medical and dental interviews and are in the process of analysing the quantitative and qualitative data. The collaborative team will complete the study in Autumn 2020.

Widening success [PDF 18,650KB]

Research team: Dr Riya George (Chair of the Differential Attainment Research Group), Professor Mangala Patel, Dr Aylin Baysan, Emma Kennedy, Harris Harris Nageswaran, Diego Bunge and Wafaa Muhiddin. 

Female student in front of a mural in East End
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