Alison Kenzie

The dashboard enables users to explore five years of equity data gathered through its Employment Equity Survey, a data collection tool that offers an annual snapshot of how employees self-identify.

After redesigning the survey’s content six years ago, U of T’s Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture (PSEC) is now seeking to significantly change how the U of T community engages with the employment equity data it collects.

For example, dashboard users can use the dashboard to filter by employee type, year, and campus. The dashboard – which substantially augments the university’s annual Report on Employment Equity – also reintroduces access to equity data for CUPE 3902, Unit 1 employees, many of whom hold multiple jobs.

Kelly Hannah-Moffat, vice-president, people strategy, equity and culture, recently spoke to U of T News about the evolution of the Employment Equity Survey and how the new dashboard can support efforts to improve representation gaps among the university’s employees.

How did the Employment Equity Survey start at U of T?

The university began administering an Employment Equity Survey in response to the Federal Contractors Program, designed to address inequalities in employment opportunity for members of one or more designated groups (the Employment Equity Act identifies four groups: Indigenous Peoples, women, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities). The program requires Canadian employers to collect and report employment data through a voluntary self-identification survey. In addition to identifying gaps in representation, employers are responsible for taking steps to address these gaps in an intentional and meaningful way.

The University of Toronto has expanded our Employment Equity Survey over the years, recognizing the value of knowing the types of our employees who are and are not represented in our institution. For instance, we elaborated upon the Employment Equity Act’s categories of self-identification, adding ethnocultural identities such as “Black” and delineating between evident and non-evident disabilities. In 2016, our division led a complete overhaul of the questions U of T employees and applicants are invited to answer. We also gave respondents greater agency, allowing them to choose multiple categories, revise answers and opt out of questions, if they wished.

Our current Employment Equity Survey is one of the most detailed in the post-secondary sector, but there is definitely room for improvement. I am excited about the changes we’re undertaking now, and how they can impact the university’s recruitment, hiring and retention strategies, our programming and funding, and many other areas of policy and practice.

What kinds of information does the most recent survey (2021) tell us about the composition of U of T’s employees? Any notable trends?

In terms of the university’s staff population, we saw an increase in staff who self-identified as Racialized or Persons of Colour, Black, Persons with Disabilities, 2SLGBQ+, and Trans. The self-identification data of our new hires also suggests that our staff increasingly reflect the diversity of the Greater Toronto Area. That is welcome news, as it means that we are building stronger connections to the communities that surround our three campuses.

On the faculty side, the number of new faculty hired who self-identified as Racialized or Persons of Colour was significantly higher this year than last. Many of these new faculty positions are supported by base budget funding from the Provost’s Diversity in Academic Hiring Fund, which has provided funding for 160 diverse faculty hires (primarily Black and Indigenous faculty) since 2016. We need to sustain this focus on attracting and supporting candidates who are least represented at U of T.

How does the new Employment Equity dashboard connect to the recommendations of the Anti-Black Racism Task Force report?

The report called for a reassessment of how the university collects and presents employment equity data, and the new dashboard we’ve released makes an important first step in that direction. It represents “phase 1” in the dashboard’s development: now that we have established the means to share the data in a dynamic way, we can work with our community to improve what data we collect – and how.

The dashboard is part of a larger “Employment Equity Project” that we initiated last year to support data-driven decision-making at the university. An advisory group of faculty, librarians, and staff is currently working to provide recommendations in two areas: data governance (considering who should have access to our employment equity data and what they should see) and employment equity survey content (focusing on ways to improve the current survey). We will have reports from the advisory group by the end of this summer and then will start planning enhancements to our dashboard. We expect to launch a revised Employment Equity Survey in 2023.

How do you see the dashboard evolving in future? What do you hope the dashboard will be able to tell us?

One of the discussions we're currently having is how to enable comparisons at a more granular level. In future, that could mean, for instance, that deans and other academic leaders could compare faculty and staff representation in their own unit with that in other units across the university. Having this degree of access – and insight – could help leaders make very informed and strategic decisions about recruitment and hiring, and to identify where new programs and policies would be needed to support every member of their unit.

Why is it important to improve representation among the university’s employees?

This work has so many implications for who we are as a university and what kind of role we see the university playing within our local community and more broadly. It has implications for how we understand excellence in relation to the scholarship and work we do at this institution, too.

To distil all these many layers, I would say improving representation among our faculty, librarians and staff is necessary groundwork. It is an important way in which we can foster the conditions that allow diverse perspectives and lived experience to be shared and valued at this university.

Embracing difference, not uniformity, nurtures and sustains excellence. It can inspire new ideas, keeping us intellectually curious as a community and able to think more creatively about the world and our place in it.

I’d also say that if we support diverse representation among our employees, we are much better positioned to attract and – crucially – to support a diverse student population. We set our employees and students up for success if they can feel free to be themselves and become who they truly want to be.

As head of U of T’s EDI efforts, Jodie Glean aims to foster environments where everyone can ‘live a life fully’

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 16:33:02 +0000

As head of U of T’s EDI efforts, Jodie Glean aims to foster environments where everyone can ‘live a life fully’

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 06/15/2022 - 12:33

Cutline

(Photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Alison Kenzie

Topic

Our Community

Kelly Hannah-Moffat

Diversity and Inclusion

Equity

Jodie Glean took over the role of executive director, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) on May 1 – and one of her first priorities is to support the university in collectively defining its EDI and anti-racism commitments through community consultations.

Her work will involve aligning common themes of action identified in existing institutional reports such as Answering the Call: Wecheehetowin (created in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada) and the final reports of the Anti-Black Racism Task Force and Antisemitism Working Group.

In the future, Glean – the former director of the Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office (ARCDO) – will help U of T incorporate the recommendations of the newly launched Anti-Asian Racism Working Group, among others.

Kelly Hannah-Moffat, U of T’s vice-president, people strategy, equity and culture, describes Glean as a “positive agent of change for this institution,” praising her commitment to collaboration across U of T’s broad community of students, staff, faculty and librarians.

“Without question, Jodie brings to this role a deep understanding of equity work and policy,” says Hannah-Moffat, who led an extensive tri-campus consultation to fill the position. “She also brings a tremendous passion – and talent – for building relationships, meeting people where they currently are, and listening closely to truly understand the needs of our community.”

Glean recently spoke with U of T News about the importance of equity and anti-racism work at the university, and what she hopes to accomplish.

If you had to describe your new role to someone outside the university, what would you say?

There are three key components to this role. The first is providing collaborative leadership to support institutional EDI and anti-racism visioning.

The second is to be a lifelong learner who can bring that learning to U of T to benefit our community. This work is evolving, and it requires not only academic rigour, but also engagement with community members and with oneself. It is important to engage in “self-work” to mitigate your own biases, to hold yourself accountable and to keep finding ways to make the work impactful.

The final component of this role is supporting members of the university community with care and compassion in all their experiences and identities. We are all working towards the same goal, which is to live a life fully.

What is your strategic vision?

To define what we are working towards at this institution in EDI and anti-racism work, and to develop a pathway collaboratively, where everyone in all operations and functions at U of T can understand their role in realizing the university’s goals and commitments to create a culture of belonging. EDI and anti-racism priorities are interconnected with all our work. This is what makes these commitments a collective responsibility.

You have been doing this job in an interim capacity since December. What have you learned during the transition from your previous role as director of ARCDO?

I’ve learned that there is so much commitment and will at U of T to see EDI and anti-racism work advance at this institution. I hope to contribute to that passion and to support the many efforts occurring across multiple levels of the university, including the implementation of the Scarborough Charter and the recommendations of institutional reports, including those by the Antisemitism Working Group, Anti-Black Racism Task Force and U of T TRC Steering Committee.

What opportunities exist when it comes to leading equity work at U of T?

The opportunities are endless when you are surrounded by the brilliance of the students, staff, faculty, and librarians here at the university. We are all afforded multiple opportunities to deepen our learning and be intentional in our actions to create change.

As an institution, we have been demonstrating our responsibility to advance EDI and anti-racism through change across the three campuses. We know that systemic and individual intersecting forms of racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, ageism and sexism continue to impact our lives and livelihoods.

As executive director, equity, diversity and inclusion, I hope to lead in a way that strengthens our efforts across the diversity of communities so that we honour everyone’s unique voice and contributions while working collectively and creatively for change.

Before coming to U of T in 2019, you worked at Humber College and York University for about a decade, focusing on equity and anti-racism. What draws you to this kind of work?

I grew up in the Caribbean (Grenada) and completed my first degree in Canada in 2008. In my final year, I took the course “Politics of Race,” for which I had my first Black professor, Dr. Annette Isaac. The opportunity to engage with this professor and this course changed my life and inspired my journey into equity and anti-racism work. What draws me to this work is its impact on the daily lives of students, staff, faculty and librarians, and knowing that one course, training or policy can make all the difference in someone’s life.

From astrophysics to literature: 29 researchers at U of T awarded Canada Research Chairs

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 17:15:54 +0000

From astrophysics to literature: 29 researchers at U of T awarded Canada Research Chairs

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 12/16/2020 - 12:15

Cutline

Twenty-nine U of T researchers are among 259 in Canada to receive new or renewed Canada Research Chairs, which support exceptional work across a wide variety of fields (U of T file photo)

Alison Kenzie

Topic

Our Community

Institute of Biomedical Engineering

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Pediatrics

Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research

Cell and Systems Biology

Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Canada Research Chairs

Chemical Engineering

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Electrical & Computer Engineering

English

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Faculty of Arts & Science

St. Michael's Hospital

Sunnybrook Hospital

Ted Sargent

U of T Mississauga

University Health Network

Vasanti Malik’s research into the dietary and lifestyle risk factors for chronic diseases has far-reaching implications – for both individuals and the world.

By considering risk factors for type 2 diabetes across the lifespan – including in utero exposures, maternal health and childhood obesity – the assistant professor of nutritional sciences in the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine intends to develop a “dietary environmental index.”

The index would allow health practitioners and the public to understand how food and lifestyle choices can affect their own health as well as the health of the planet.

“What we eat has an impact on greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use and so on,” says Malik, adding that she can envision a smartphone app that helps underscore such connections for Canadians.

Soon, she will also be working with pregnant women in Chennai, India to study how reducing refined carbohydrate intake (for instance, substituting brown rice for white rice) can prevent gestational diabetes. This data could not only improve maternal health, but also potentially reduce childhood obesity, a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Malik is one of 29 researchers at U of T – and among 259 nationwide – to receive new or renewed Canada Research Chairs, which support exceptional work across a wide variety of fields. (See the full list below.)

“I would like to congratulate all the University of Toronto researchers who received a new chair or had their chair renewed in this round,” says University Professor Ted Sargent, U of T’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“This important federal support and recognition will enable our leading researchers to pursue critical research across a number of fields, helping generate new knowledge and innovative ideas that could ultimately change the way we live here in Canada and around the world.”

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Canada Research Chairs program, established by the federal government to attract and retain top Canadian researchers working in a variety of disciplines – from engineering, the natural sciences and health sciences to the humanities and social sciences. The investment is significant: up to $295 million each year.

With 315 chairs total, U of T receives more than $46 million annually in funding from the Canada Research Chairs program.

At the same time, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) – in collaboration with the CRC program – announced support for two U of T researchers through its John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), which helps universities pay for cutting edge laboratories and equipment. The two U of T researchers are Kieran Campbell and Hartland Jackson, both of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in the Sinai Health System.

As for Malik, her tier two Chair in Nutrition and Chronic Disease Prevention brings with it five years of funding (renewable once) and the chance to pursue an ambitious three-part research project that will span Canada and India and involve collaboration with experts from nutritional science, environmental science and economics.

She says the award seemed “unattainable” during her many years of graduate and post-doctoral training, which she began at U of T and completed at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

Malik adds that being situated within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine is an asset, allowing her to collaborate with clinicians working in partner hospitals and giving her a front row seat to how her research might impact clinical care guidelines.

“My ultimate goal is to create evidence for policy – evidence that links diet and lifestyle choices to chronic disease prevention,” Malik says.

Malik says she is looking forward to the opportunity to collaborate with economists and other researchers at U of T and beyond. She has many questions: Would a plant-based diet be feasible for low-income Canadian households? Would brown rice be easily accessible to Indian families living in poverty? Can governments here and abroad afford not to invest in chronic disease prevention, given the high costs of an unhealthy population?

While COVID-19 has put her travel plans on pause, Malik is excited to prepare for teaching her first class at U of T, a fourth-year international and community nutrition course that aligns with her research interests. As she strategizes how to make the course as interactive as possible, Malik looks forward to the energy generated by her students as they learn and discuss new ideas.

“We’re all figuring this out together,” she says.

Here are the new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at U of T:

New Canada Research Chairs

Jennifer Adese of the department of sociology at U of T Mississauga, tier two in Métis women, politics, and identity
Gillian Booth of the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, tier one in policy solutions for diabetes prevention and management
Kieran Campbell of the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, tier two in machine learning for translational biomedicine
Angela Colantonio of the department of occupational science and occupational therapy in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, tier one in traumatic brain injury in underserved populations
Herbert Gaisano of the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, tier one in diseases of endocrine and exocrine pancreas
Jennifer Gommerman of the department of immunology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, tier one in tissue-specific immunity
Ali Hooshyar of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, tier two in electric power systems
Timothy Hughes of the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, tier one in decoding gene regulation
Hartland Jackson of the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, tier two in systems pathology
Hae-Young Kee of the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science, tier one in theory of quantum materials
David Lie of the department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, tier one in secure and reliable systems
Radhakrishnan Mahadevan of the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, tier one in metabolic systems engineering
Vasanti Malik of the department of nutritional sciences in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, tier two in nutrition and chronic disease prevention
Stephen Matthews of the department of physiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, tier one in early development and health
Nick Reed of the department of occupational science and occupational therapy in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, tier two in pediatric concussion
Lisa Robinson of the department of paediatrics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Hospital for Sick Children, tier one in vascular inflammation and kidney injury
John Rogers of the department of English in the Faculty of Arts & Science, tier one in early modern literature and culture
Shoshanna Saxe of the department of civil and mineral engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, tier two in sustainable infrastructure
Greg Stanisz of the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, tier one in cancer imaging
Harindra Wijeysundera of the department of medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, tier two in structural heart disease policy and outcomes
Hannah Wunsch of the department of anesthesiology and pain medicine in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, tier two in critical care organization and outcomes
Azadeh Yadollahi of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and University Health Network, tier two in cardiorespiratory engineering

Renewed Canada Research Chairs

Jo Bovy of the David A. Dunlap department of astronomy and astrophysics in the Faculty of Arts & Science, tier two in galactic astrophysics
Birsen Donmez of the department of mechanical and industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, tier two in human factors and transportation
Lisa Forman of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, tier two in human rights and global health equity
Alan Moses of the department of cell and systems biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science, tier two in computational biology
Anthony Niblett of the Faculty of Law, tier two in law, economics and innovation
Laura Rosella of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, tier two in population health analytics
Arjumand Siddiqi of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, tier two in population health equity

Alison Kenzie

New dashboard invites U of T community to engage with employment equity data

As head of U of T’s EDI efforts, Jodie Glean aims to foster environments where everyone can ‘live a life fully’

Read more about Jodie Glean’s appointment

From astrophysics to literature: 29 researchers at U of T awarded Canada Research Chairs