A report released last Tuesday by Toronto's DiverseCity Counts project documents the diversity of the GTA’s health care leaders.
The report, conducted in partnership with Mount Sinai hospital, is the eighth installment in a series of research papers on leadership diversity in the GTA released by DiverseCity Counts, a multi-year research project that is itself one of nine initiatives of DiverseCity: The Greater Toronto Leadership Project, a joint project of Maytree and CivicAction.
Unlike previous reports, which focused solely on visible minorities, this newest release A Snapshot of Diverse Leadership in the Health Care Sector takes a broader view of "diversity." While still looking at visible minorities, the report includes a focus on sex/gender identity, disability, and sexual orientation.
Despite evidence that diversity in the health care leadership is growing (with women currently making up 61 per cent of senior management teams), the report also revealed something troubling: visible minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ individuals continue to be underrepresented.
"It matters that leaders in the health care sector are diverse," says report author Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital. "Senior management teams and governance boards in health care institutions play a critical role in setting mandates and priorities, and shaping services to help meet the needs of patients and employees. It is this leadership, for example, that has the influence and authority to recognize and acknowledge needs, approve systemic changes, and prioritize and commit the resources necessary to respond."
The report, which documents the benefits of diverse leadership in health care (among other things, it makes the system more responsive to the needs of marginalized demographic groups), also outlines best practices and practical tips for organizations hoping to diversify their leadership positions.
"We know that leading health care institutions are committed to diversity in leadership and are taking action to make it happen,” stated John Tory, Chair of CivicAction and Co-Chair of DiverseCity in a press release. “However, in the health care sector overall, it is safe to say that more work remains to be done."
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: DiverseCity, Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital