The Council is committed to anti-racism. The EDI Strategic Policy Group advises the Council on integrating this agenda across its policy and leadership work, continuing the work of the former Race Equity Group. Some of the work we have done in this area includes:
Race Equity Month
In November 2024, we will be launching the Council’s fourth Race Equity Month. Each Race Equity Month, we provide a month of sharing best practice and learning with our membership and across the sector, exploring issues such as allyship, decolonised curricula, and improving the diversity of the healthcare academic workforce. We produce a range of blogs and podcasts throughout the month which continue to be available to read and listen to.
Anti-Racism in Academia CoDHcast series
The Council ran a series of podcasts on the theme of anti-racism in academia and health. The series involved speaking to academics and researchers from our membership, as well as interviewing some of the #150Leaders from the Student Leadership Programme.
Fellowship Scheme
The Fellowship Scheme was an opportunity for individuals who are enthusiastic about progressing their careers in academia and research. The scheme hopes to encourage career progression for academics that are currently underrepresented within our membership. After overwhelming interest, we recruited 11 Fellows at the end of 2021.
We have recognised the need for a stronger emphasis on increasing diversity in academia and ensuring that this is role-modelled across all of the Council’s work. We are committed to ensuring a diversity of speakers across our events and webinars (including in the Student Leadership Programme), and a diverse range of individuals who are engage in our policy groups. Many of our Fellows are now engaging in the Council’s strategic policy groups, where the content aligns with their areas of interest.
Anti-Racism in AHP Education: building an inclusive environment
The Council has published its guide on anti-racism in AHP education. The guide has been commissioned by Health Education England, now NHS England.
The aim of the guide is to put a spotlight on the experience of minority ethnic AHP students throughout their journey in higher education, from admissions right through to transition to employment. It showcases examples of initiatives and approaches that universities have undertaken to support minority ethnic AHP students.
Resources and further information:
- Council of Deans of Health’s Anti-Racism CoDHcasts and other Council resources
- Broken Ladders – a joint publication from The Fawcett Society and the Runnymede Trust
- Women’s Higher Education Network (WHEN)
- Decolonising Midwifery Education Toolkit – Royal College of Midwives
- People Like Us toolkit around mental health and wellbeing support for people coming from Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities, run by the University of West London
- Systemic Racism, not Broken Bodies – inquiry into racial injustice in maternity care
- Developing an anti-racism strategy
- What will your anti-racist university look like?
- Starting anti-racism conversations in your organisation – materials produced by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy
- Sponsoring people of colour
- Race Equity Activity Library – Sheffield Hallam University