Black Excellence in Healthcare: Black History Month

February 1, 2024 - Posted in Category: Uncategorized | 3 min read

Today on February 1^st, Emily’s House and Philip Aziz Centre celebrate Black History Month. This is a time to learn, acknowledge and honour the incredible achievements of our Black community throughout Canadian history to the present day.

Black Excellence in Healthcare

History

Bernice Redmond

In 1874, Canada opened its first school of nursing however the institution did not allow Black women the opportunity to enroll. It was not until the First World War broke out that Black women, who were also excluded from serving their county in traditional ways, opened their own chapters of the Black Cross Nurse (BCN). The BCN, which originated in the United States (U.S) and was modeled after the Red Cross, provided the women with an opportunity to serve their communities. BCN members took courses through St. John Ambulance and were able to apply first aid to wounded Black soldiers upon their return from war. The women of the BCN also supported their communities through education on maternity, childcare as well as nutrition.

Despite the success that Black women were having within the BCN, they continued to be excluded from enrolling in universities and formally studying nursing. To pursue their educational goals these incredible women moved abroad and earned their diploma of nursing in the U.S. The first Black Canadian nurse to work in Canada was Bernice Redmond. In 1945 Bernice was hired in Syndey, N.S. where she worked in public health. Throughout her career, Bernice consistently advocated for the rights of Black women to be given equal opportunities to study nursing in Canada. Finally, in the late 1940s, universities across Canada expanded their student enrollment to include Black women. Bernice would later be appointed the highest honour in nursing, Victorian Order of Nurses in Canada award. Bernice Redmond was the first Black woman to receive this honour!

Today

Dr. Chika Oriuwa

In 2016, Chika Stacy Oriuwa began her academic journey as a medical student at the University of Toronto (UofT). She would soon discover that she was the only Black student out of a cohort of 259. Though this was initially very disappointing to Chika, she decided to act and began advocating for increased diversity within the medical program. Chika became the face for the new Black Student Application Program (BSAP) with the goal of BSAP being, to increase the number of Black applicants to the medical program.

Fast forward four years ….

In 2020, Chika graduated from medical school and was UofT’s first Black woman to become the sole valedictorian of her class, an honour that would take 179 years in UofT’s history to achieve! To top off this remarkable achievement, the year Oriuwa graduated, twenty-four new Black students were enrolled in the same medical program.

Chika Oriuwa’s journey did not end there. She has spoken at several national and international events on topics of EDI, mental health, leadership, and her passion for advocating for underrepresented minorities in medicine. She is also a professional spoken word artist!

Dr. Chika Oriuwa’s work on addressing systemic racism in healthcare has not gone unnoticed by the world!

2017

Chika Oriuwa’s poem, Woman, Black, went viral with over 12,00 views on YouTube.

2018

African Scholars Emerging Academic Award – UofT
Keynote Speaker at Women’s College Hospital for International Women’s Day
Published a seminal article, In My White Coat, I am More Black than Ever, for Flare Magazine’s Black History Month campaign.

2020

Best of Health Magazine’s Woman of the Year

2021

Time Magazine’s – 2021 Next Generational Leaders of the World
Mattel Toys honoured six global frontline medical workers with a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll and Chika was one of the six recipients.

2022