A week-long summer program at St. Joseph's Health Centre is giving Toronto teenagers who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of colour a close-up look at careers in medicine, in an effort to bring more underrepresented groups into the healthcare profession.
The Leading Inclusive Futures Together (LIFT) program, now in its third year, runs two summer cohorts for local Grade 9 and 10 students. Participants spend a full week inside the hospital shadowing physicians, taking part in hands-on simulations and working through team problem-solving activities, according to a Unity Health Toronto article.
The program aims to reduce barriers for racialized students considering healthcare careers by offering mentorship, resources and opportunities to help them find their way into the field.
Why Grade 9 and 10 students
The steering committee that created LIFT deliberately targeted Grade 9 and 10 students, a group that tends to have limited program options. It is also a pivotal moment, as students begin making career plans and course selections while potentially facing financial constraints, limited opportunities and little direct access to medical professionals.
To help offset those barriers, the program provides students with a meaningful stipend for attending and connects them with medical students who can offer guidance on applying to medical school and making informed choices about their future.
"Extensive research has shown that when a care team reflects the social identities of its community, health outcomes improve for those community members and patients," said Allison Needham, Director of Anti-Racism, Equity and Social Accountability at Unity Health Toronto, in the Unity Health Toronto article.
Inside the curriculum
The curriculum introduces students to multiple specialties within healthcare. Each morning, students pair up with a physician mentor to observe clinical activities, followed by hands-on sessions that teach technical skills used across specialties.
"I learned a lot about patients and how the interactions go beyond just common injuries like breaking bones and sprains, there's psychological help too," said Alex Craig, a student in the LIFT program. "I also learned that a lot of doctors have extracurriculars that they enjoy, such as playing sports to decompress, and that they're very well-rounded people."
Students also explore other parts of hospital work, including quality improvement and Indigenous wellness. In a previous session, participants visited the Parkdale Intercultural Association to learn how local organizations support newcomers to Canada, including settlement services, language supports and community belonging, and how those factors influence health and wellbeing.
"Building those relationships not only serves the purposes of the program, but we're able to better serve our community and be more connected to it," said Nolan Blodgett, an Equity Specialist at Unity Health and co-organizer of the program. "It's a small part of a bigger strategy where we're trying to improve our relationship with communities who may have been underserved or harmed by healthcare."
Rooted in community data
The program traces its origins to 2023, when initial funding of over $71,000 was raised through a St. Joseph's fundraising campaign called Team EDI, led by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Amr Elmaraghy, who now serves as a mentor in the program.
A steering committee was then formed. When it compared physician data to census data in neighbourhoods surrounding St. Joseph's, it found that Black, Indigenous and Southeast Asian groups were underrepresented among staff at the time — a finding that shaped the program's focus on encouraging recruitment of underrepresented groups.
"My number one take-home message for the students is that they should visualize themselves practicing or leading a life that would make them fulfilled," said Dr. Elmaraghy. "If their eyes light up, through access and exposure to our program, and they start to see themselves potentially enjoying medicine as a career, then I'm hoping that will be the flame that will guide them through their academic pathway and ultimately make them successful."
