ZONE NEWS

Scroll down to view a collection of updates, news and upcoming events relevant to physicians across Alberta.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Wellness

For more, follow on X (formerly Twitter): 
@CSM_PESJO

Online events, webinars, courses and conferences:

  • Feb. 11, 1:00 – 4:00pm MT:  The CSM community is invited to attend From Bystander to Upstander: Intervention Training, hosted by the Office of Faculty Development. This three-hour in-person course at the Foothills campus will prepare learners, faculty, and staff to speak up and stand up when they witness discrimination and harassment. Register here

  • Feb. 13 & 14: UCalgary CSM’s Disability and Sexuality Lab is hosting the Sexuality, Disability, and the Power to Disrupt conference. Participants can register at no cost to attend this virtual event, which will focus on centring disabled voices, challenging assumptions, and providing open space for conversations about love, desire, pleasure, and intimacy.

  • Feb. 18, 12:00 – 1:30pm MT: UCalgary’s Office of Indigenous Engagement presents the first webinar in its 2026 Indigenous Knowledge Lecture Series, a public learning program where leaders and scholars share Indigenous knowledge and research methodologies. Dr. Terry Poucette will present Is Reconciliation Dead?  More information here and register here

  • Feb. 25, 3:00 – 5:00pm MT:  Everyone is invited to attend a panel discussion and networking session, Celebrating Black Scholarship, hosted by CSM’s PESJO and the Centre for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences Education.

Articles and Resources:

  • An article in Inside Higher Ed, discusses Equity-Minded Mentorship as Courageous Action, a way for individual faculty members to continue to advance equity despite lack of institutional supports to help people from equity-deserving groups. The article describes five actions individuals can take to provide mentorship and allyship to students and early-career scholars.

  • Read about how the History of Colonialism and Slavery Still Impacts Black People in Canada in this article in Policy Options.

  • Two researchers at Western University are seeking people involved in medical education research with a focus or interest in EDI to participate in a research study, Measuring the Shifting Temperature of EDI Research in Medical Education: An Exploration of the Experience for EDI Researchers in the Current Sociocultural Climate. Click here if you are interested in participating by completing an anonymous online survey that will ask questions related to your experiences with publishing, funding, institutional support, and sociopolitical pressures impacting EDI-related scholarship.

    Recordings of recent webinars, podcasts and presentations:

  • The Black Health  Education Collaborative has a recorded webinar, Why Anti-Racist Healthcare Matters, with a focus on Black health and anti-Black racism in healthcare, exploring how anti-racist and inclusive practices improves the healthcare system and patient care for all.

  • The Alberta Human Rights Commission has several webcast series on YouTube discussing topics such as Understanding and Preventing Harassment in the Workplace, Gender Discrimination, and Duty to Accommodate.

     

     

Physician Wellness

Resources available to support you in your wellness:

Well Doc Alberta
Well Doc Alberta is an initiative aimed at advancing a collaborative, co-operative, pan-provincial approach to physician wellness. Their work, focused on education and prevention, is supported by the science of physician wellness and driven by need. Well Doc works with physicians at the grassroots level and with leadership to grow capacity, empower change, shift culture, and achieve their vision of “Shaping the future of physician wellness, together.”

Alberta Medical Association Physician & Family Support Program
The AMA's Physician and Family Support Program provides confidential support and help with personal health issues and enhances the quality of patient care and public safety by promoting health and well-being for the medical profession that cares for all Albertans. More resources are posted on the AMA website link above.

Their phone line is available for you at any time:
1.877.SOS.4MDS (767.4637)
International: 403.930.0529 (you may call collect)
CONFIDENTIAL 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year

Canadian Medical Association Physician Wellness Hub
This Hub provides reliable wellness tools and resources to empower physicians, medical learners and leaders to create change in the culture of medicine.

Community Collect YYC
Community Connect YYC is a collaborative of Calgary-based agencies committed to helping community members quickly and easily access mental health and other social support services.

Vital Signs

Vital Signs began in 1996 as a black-and-white stapled newsletter. It evolved over the years, eventually becoming a sleek and modern digital magazine until it was discontinued in 2020. To learn more about the history of Vital Signs and those who helped create it over the years, take a look at the final issue.

Archives
Click on links below to view each year's issues in pdf format.