PAMELA ROACH — PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR — DEPARTMENTS OF FAMILY MEDICINE & COMMUNITY HEALTH SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

Experiences and perceptions of racism and Sexism among Alberta physicians: quantitative results and framework analysis of a cross-sectional survey

Journal of General Internal Medicine 2023

DOI: 10.1007/s11606-022-07734-8

Authors: Shannon M Ruzycki 1 2, Pamela Roach 3, Jayna Holroyd-Leduc 4 5, Cheryl Barnabe 4 5, Sofia B Ahmed 4

The prevalence of harassment and discrimination in medicine differs by race and gender, with current evidence limited by a lack of intersectional analysis. In this study, among the 1087 respondents 73.5% reported experiencing workplace harassment or discrimination, which were least common among White cisgender men and most common among BIPOC cisgender women.

Prevalence and characteristics of anti-Indigenous bias among Albertan physicians: a cross-sectional survey and framework analysis

BMJ Open 2023

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063178

Authors: Pamela Roach, Shannon M Ruzycki, Santanna Hernandez, Amanda Carbert, Jayna Holroyd-Leduc, Sofia Ahmed, Cheryl Barnabe

Explicit and implicit anti-Indigenous bias was found to be present among Albertan physicians. These results corroborate the validity of patient reports of anti-Indigenous bias in healthcare and emphasise the need for effective intervention to rectify and prevent structural and interpersonal racism in healthcare settings.

Evaluating transformative health leadership education for Indigenous health: a mixed methods study

BMJ Leader 2023

DOI: 10.1136/leader-2022-000721

Authors: Michelle Lu, Dina Moinul, Rachel Crooks, Kenna Kelly-Turner, Amanda Roze des Ordons, David Keegan, Pamela Roach

There is an urgent need to improve structural competency and anti-racism education across health systems. This project evaluates a new health leadership Indigenous health course: PLUS4, with the overarching and long term goal of creating systems-level change to address structural racism and implement high-quality Indigenous health and anti-racism education.

Action, Accountability and Transparency for Indigenous Health Systems Safety.

Anti-Indigenous racism is prevalent within Canada's healthcare systems; consequences are catastrophics, and systems change and critical education guided by the Indigenous Peoples and research into how racism operates within healthcare settings are needed. In Alberta, promising initiatives are under way, including one First Nations-led initiative that identifys racism and colonialism as key health determinants, novel experiential education, transformative education for senior health leaders and reframes health system measures to reflect Indigenous Peoples' perspectives.

Access, relationships, quality and safety (ARQS): a qualitative study to develop an Indigenous-centred understanding of virtual care quality.

BMJ Open Quality 2022

DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2022-002028

Authors: Pamela Roach, Meagan Ody, Paige Campbell,Cara Bablitz, Ellen Toth, Adam Murry, Rita Henderson, Andrea Kennedy, Stephanie Montesanti, Cheryl Barnabe, Lynden Crowshoe

This study showed that, for indigenous peoples in Canada, the shift to virtual care largely seen during COVID-19 pandemic, does not compromise quality of care, nor does it lead to negative patient experiences. Optimal care is possible in virtual settings for some care needs and could potentially decrease barriers to access and improve patient experiences of safety and quality while facilitating patient/provider relationships.