IMS Researchers Publish Guide for Advancing EDI in Academic Medicine

Researchers at the University of Toronto's Institute of Medical Science (IMS) are helping advance equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in academic medicine through a new viewpoint article that offers practical strategies for integrating EDI principles into research, mentorship, teaching, and professional practice. 

Ben Li, a PhD student in IMS, led the work in collaboration with members of the IMS Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Indigeneity and Accessibility (EDIIA) Committee's Faculty Engagement Working Group. Senior author Linda Mah, Senior Clinician Scientist at Baycrest and  Associate Professor of Psychiatry, contributed to the development and direction of the publication.

Through their work on the EDIIA Committee, the group recognized that faculty members often support EDI in principle but may not know how to put those commitments into practice in their day-to-day research and mentoring activities.

“Faculty members play a critical role in the experience and success of graduate students. Given the increasing diversity of graduate students, our team felt that a practical guidance document for faculty members may be helpful to support productive supervision and mentorship in the research setting” says Li, who is also a vascular surgery resident in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s Surgeon Scientist Training Program.

Drawing on national and international guidelines, the team developed a resource that translates high-level recommendations into concrete actions for faculty in three key areas:

Supporting trainees through mentorship and teaching

Faculty members can create inclusive academic environments by recruiting, mentoring, and supporting trainees equitably. Broadening outreach efforts, reducing bias in selection processes, and ensuring equitable access to opportunities such as conference attendance, networking, and leadership roles can help foster more inclusive learning and research environments. 

Culturally responsive mentorship and regular trainee check-ins can help create a sense of belonging, supporting the success of students from diverse backgrounds.

Embedding EDI throughout the research process

Rather than treating EDI as a separate consideration, researchers are encouraged to incorporate it throughout every stage of a project—from developing research questions and designing studies to analyzing data and sharing results.

Faculty should consider which populations their work may affect, identify groups previous studies may have overlooked, engage people with lived experience when appropriate, and account for factors such as sex, gender, race, and other dimensions of diversity in study design and analysis.

Building diverse and high-performing research teams

Research teams perform best when leaders create environments where all members can contribute, share ideas, and feel respected. Recommended practices include transparent conversations about authorship and credit, equitable distribution of responsibilities, accommodations for diverse needs, and ongoing learning about EDI.

The recommendations also tackle common challenges in academic research such as power imbalances and tokenism, offering strategies to ensure participation is meaningful rather than symbolic.

Why this work matters

Li, Mah and colleagues argue that integrating EDI principles is essential not only for creating more supportive academic environments, but also for producing stronger research. Diverse perspectives can help researchers ask better questions, identify overlooked populations, and generate findings that better reflect the communities they aim to serve.

This important work reflects the ongoing commitment of IMS students, faculty and staff to advancing EDI principles across graduate education and research.

“This work provided a unique opportunity for faculty and trainees to collaborate on developing an overview of best practices in EDI for faculty researchers,” shares Mah. “This collaboration was especially critical in drafting the section on the supervision of research trainees, which was shaped by perspectives from both trainee and faculty members of the working group.”