Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Our commitment

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the heart of the collaborative, open innovation, and interdisciplinary creativity research and development (R&D) that characterize the TransMedTech Institute. We believe that a diverse and inclusive environment is essential to the development of new technologies and medical interventions that meet societal needs.

In this spirit, we are committed to:

  • Foster an inclusive culture that supports and values all talents;
  • Pay particular attention to the impact and accessibility of the benefits of our work for the entire population;
  • Promote an inclusive and intersectional approach in our practices, R&D and training activities, and in our service to the community.

Our approach

Our strategy is to build a participatory EDI culture and approach that reflects our Institute, in living lab mode and with the TransMedTech community, in addition to building medtech solutions with greater long-term impact by incorporating a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion.

Concretely, the actions preferred by the TransMedTech Institute in terms of EDI are to:

  • Increase awareness of EDI issues among internal and external community members;
  • Increase the presence, retention and promotion of individuals from underrepresented groups within iTMT;
  • Conduct our activities in an inclusive research environment;
  • Innovate in our R&D approaches based on our EDI commitments;
  • Ensuring equitable access to iTMT funding opportunities.

Participatory EDI approach

Medtech Solutions

Achievements

  • 74% of iTMT’s highly qualified staff are women and/or racialized professionals;
  • iTMT’s Scientific Steering Committee, which plays a key role in the development of scientific programs, includes 47% women, 13% visible/ethnic minorities and 1 person with a chronic condition;
  • In the last graduate student scholarship competition, 68% of our recipients belonged to one or more designated groups, including one member who identifies as Indigenous;
  • Helped organize the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Development Program, an initiative to promote diversity in entrepreneurship and to encourage more women and visible/ethnic minorities (especially immigrants) to become entrepreneurs and aim for leadership positions in companies in the life sciences industry;
  • We created a training program entitled Optimizing Power Skills in Interdisciplinary, Diverse & Innovative Academic Networks (OPSIDIAN), which aims to provide individuals with the skills and know-how to efficiently interact in a diverse and interdisciplinary research context (funded by NSERC-CREATE, under the leadership of Prof. Isabelle Villemure);
  • Our latest excellence scholarship and recruitment competitions explicitly included EDI criteria and consideration of non-traditional profiles in the selection and evaluation process, as well as in the design of the students’ projects.

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