Workshop – Let’s Talk! Interprofessional Dialogue and the Intersections of Religion, Diversity, and Healthcare
Date: March 28, 2013, 8:15am to 4:30pm
Coordinator: Rukhsana Ahmed (University of Ottawa)
Location: University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, FSS 5028
What roles do diversity, and religious beliefs and practices play in health and healing, and medical decision-making? The one day event will focus on the theme: “Interprofessional Dialogue at the Intersections of Religion, Diversity, and Healthcare,” and cover topics, including cultural and religious issues surrounding organ donation; diversity and equity in medical schools/students; religious plurality in the context of end-of-life care; clinical perspectives on mental Illness of refugee populations in Canada; religion and HIV/AIDS; religion and psychiatry; diversity in nursing; counselling and spirituality; and women’s health and disability.
The timeliness of this event cannot be over-emphasized because as the Canadian society grows increasingly culturally, ethnically, and religiously diverse, the need for effective and appropriate healthcare practices to address patient and provider diversity and to create an inclusive health care environment grows larger. Effective healthcare is built on interprofessional collaboration that provides opportunities to problem-solve and learn together and create communities of practice. Despite the important role religion plays in the delivery of health care, the intersection of religion and health care is understudied and religion is an often-ignored topic in diversity training and cultural competency initiatives in health care. Against this backdrop, the workshop brings together top medical and nursing faculty, practitioners, patient advocates, and religious studies scholars from across Canada and engage them in two panel discussions on the intersections of religion, diversity, and health care. The panel discussions will examine the following questions:
- Do the permeable boundaries of religion and health/religious and scientific sensibilities provide a framework for understanding issues of health and healing?
- Can the fluid and shifting spatial boundaries of religion, diversity, and health open up new/alternative spaces/locations for public discourse about health issues/ for discourse and action for health care receivers, providers, and policy makers?
In doing so, panelists will present current research and best practices to proactively address issues at the intersections of religion, diversity, and health care. The workshop also hopes to use the panel discussions to consider possible trajectories over the coming years. How are the speakers uniquely poised to address the future of religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity in health care through their research, teaching, and advocacy? In the spirit of fostering an inclusive dialogue, the moderator will open up the floor for questions from the audiences, inviting them to share their experiences and work at the intersections of religion, diversity, and health care.
To read the report, please click here.