Call for Interest – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee Members

The Standing Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI Committee) is looking for 4 new members.

Apply by Friday June 3, 2022!

The first EDI Committee at the Douglas, which emanated from a McGill University initiative, is on the tail-end of its first mandate.

Last December, the EDI Committee published a cultural survey to all of the Douglas community and results will be communicated in the near future. Based on the results, the EDI Committee will be responsible for developing an EDI Action Plan and contribute to putting it into action. This plan needs to be submitted to the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé in October 2022.

In the last two years, meetings were held about 4 times annually. Because of the Action Plan, members should expect to have a few more meetings this year. Consult the committee's Terms of Reference here.

We are looking for engaged candidates to submit their application at latest Friday June 3, 2022!

Consult the full call

Submitting your application

How?

In an email addressed to research.centre@douglas.mcgill.ca, with the title Application-EDI Committee, identify: 1. your current position in the organization (trainee, faculty), 2. your lab/department name, 3. the position you are seeking to fill on the EDI Committee (see below chart), and 4. include a statement expressing your interest for joining the EDI Committee.

When?

Wednesday May 25 to Friday June 3, 2022

Questions?

Don’t hesitate to contact research.centre@douglas.mcgill.ca for any questions

Selection Process

Three (3) current members of the EDI Committee (Chair or Co-Chair, one EDI Officer and one trainee member) will review each application. They will check for eligibility of the candidates.
If there is more than one eligible applicant per position, a review of applications will be done. If there is only one applicant for a position, the candidate will automatically be named.

Membership and Vacant positions

Committee Position	Application Requirements	Term	2019-2021	2022-2024
Chair (1)	Open to principal investigators only	2 years Renewable once	Maria Natasha Rajah	Vacant position
Co-Chair (1)	Open to staff or principal investigators	2 years Renewable once	Ridha Joober	Vacant position
EDI Officers (4)	Open to PIs from Human Neuroscience Division only	2 years Renewable once	Sylvia Villeneuve	Vacant position
	Open to PIs from Clinical Research Division only	2 years Renewable once	Rachel Rabin	Renewing
	Open to PIs from Basic Neuroscience Division only	2 years Renewable once	Cecilia Flores	Renewing
	Open to PIs from Mental Health and Society Division only	2 years Renewable once	Srividya Iyer	Renewing
Trainee members* (3)	Open to trainees only	1 year Renewable once	Jamie Snytte	Renewing
	Open to trainees only	1 year Renewable once	Katie Marie Lavigne	Renewing
	Open to trainees only	1 year Renewable once	Salomé Calado Bernardo de Magalhaes Xavier	Vacant position

* Meetings will be held during work hours. Students will need to inform their superiors and plan their workload accordingly.

EDI Definitions and Terminology

Equity is defined as the removal of systemic barriers and biases enabling all individuals to have equal opportunity to access and benefit from resources and career development opportunities.

To achieve this, all individuals who participate in the research ecosystem must develop a strong understanding of the systemic barriers faced by individuals from underrepresented groups (e.g., women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, racialized minorities, individuals from the LGBTQ2+ community) and strive to put in place impactful measures to address these barriers.

Diversity is defined as differences in race, colour, place of origin, religion, immigrant and newcomer status, ethnic origin, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and age.

A diversity of perspectives and lived experiences is fundamental to achieving research and training excellence.

Inclusion is defined as the practice of ensuring that all individuals are valued and respected for their contributions and equally supported.

Ensuring that all team members are integrated and supported is fundamental to achieving research and training excellence
Providing spaces, information and actions necessary to ensure activities and opportunities are accessible to those with disabilities

(From: https://www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/funding-financement/nfrf-fnfr/edi-eng.aspx#1c)

Terms of Reference EDI Committee

Scope

This is a consultative steering committee that provides input and feedback to the DRC Executive Committee and Leadership on best practices in research with regards to EDI at the Douglas Research Centre and serves as liaison to central EDI resources at McGill University (https://www.mcgill.ca/equity/edi-research/internal-mcgill-resources).

Decisions related to EDI are made by the DRC Executive Committee and execution responsibilities are shared between the EDI Committee and the Executive Committee.

The CIUSSS ODIM is also developing its EDI initiative and the Committee could be called to work collaboratively with our wider organization. These resources will be important, especially for members not linked to McGill University (ex.: staff).

Membership

Nine appointed members:

One Chair
One Co-Chair
4 EDI Officers (one per Research Division)
3 trainee members

The Executive Committee designates a member to sponsor the EDI Committee.

Because people with concerns are generally more comfortable going to local EDI members, the Douglas EDI Committee has four designated EDI Officers, one per research division. Along with the Chair and Co-Chair, they serve as primary contacts for faculty. The EDI Committee also includes 3 trainee members who serve to support the students and postdoctoral researchers working at the Douglas. Anyone seeking information or have a concern can reach out to any EDI Committee members. They will connect you to the appropriate resources at the Douglas, McGill, or others.

Responsibilities

The committee will stay informed about EDI initiatives and policies from McGill University and other relevant sources and will: (i) help identify EDI gaps; (ii) conduct surveys with the support of the DRC Executive; (iii) help develop an EDI Action Plan with the support of the DRC Executive; (iv) provide input on how to integrate EDI best practices into standard workflows; and (v) host EDI-related educational events at the Douglas Research Centre.

Training

Training, information and other support is provided to the committee by the office of the Associate Provost Equity and Academic Policies and other sources. All faculty members of the EDI committee will undertake relevant EDI training including McGill’s Equity and Inclusion in the Academic Search Process workshop.