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Systemic racism within health care is increasingly garnering critical attention, but to date attention to the racism experienced by health professionals themselves has been scant. In Canada, anti-Black racism may be embodied in structures, policies, institutional practices and interpersonal interactions. Epistemic racism is an aspect of systemic racism wherein the knowledge claims, ways of knowing and 'knowers' themselves are constructed as invalid, or less credible. This critical interpretive qualitative study examined the experiences of epistemic racism among 13 healthcare professionals across Canada who self-identified as Black women. It explores the ways knowledge claims and expert authority are discredited and undermined, despite the attainment of professional credentials. Three themes were identified: 1. Not being perceived or portrayed as credible health professionals; 2. Requiring invisible labour to counter professional credibility 'deficit'; and 3. Devaluing knowledge while imposing stereotypes. The Black women in our study faced routine epistemic racism. They were not afforded the position of legitimate knower, expert, authority, despite their professional credentials as physicians, nurses and occupational therapists. Their embodied cultural and community knowledges were disregarded in favour of stereotyped assumptions. Adopting the professional comportment of 'Whiteness' was one way these health care providers strived to be perceived as credible professionals. Their experiences are characteristic of 'misogynoir', a particular form of racism directed at Black women. Anti-Black epistemic racism constitutes one way Whiteness is perpetuated in health professions institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits available to organizations that embrace diversity measures may be elusive to health organizations in their struggle with scarce resources and overburdened staff. Current literature highlight the importance of leadership in realizing the longer-term benefits that may be derived from increasing diversity. This article presents the findings of a study that explored the experiences of White nurses in relation to ethnocultural diversity. Grounded theory design informed by participatory action research principles guided the study. In-depth individual interviews and focus group discussions involving 21 nurses were the sources of data. Purposive sampling guided the selection of the initial interview participants while theoretical sampling directed further recruitment and data collection. Constant comparison informed the data analysis. Member-checking, audit trail, and peer-debriefing served as validation strategies to establish credibility of findings. Four key themes emerged from the analysis: leadership commitment, diversity policies, organizational culture, and resources to support diversity initiatives. The major themes of the study support the literature arguing for the importance of organizational commitment and leadership in creating and managing a diverse workforce necessary for effective healthcare.

In Canada, research with indigenous communities is often conducted within the research hegemony of western institutions. The purpose of this paper is to present an appraisal of a community based participatory research (CBPR) study informed by indigenous qualitative methodologies. The research objective was to understand Mi'kmaw youth mental health. Traditional ideologies of research dominate the structures, processes, and outcomes of indigenous research. Consequently, indigenous communities have called for research which is inclusive of indigenous epistemologies, decolonizing, and transformative. Two indigenous theoretical constructs guided this research: two-eyed seeing, and ethical space. These constructs were enacted in partnership with a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) composed of Mi'kmaw youth and adults. The contributions and challenges of conducting indigenous health research employing the theoretical constructs of two-eyed seeing and ethical space, and the barriers and opportunities of employing CBPR with a Mi'kmaw community are presented. The findings of Mi'kmaw youths' understandings are highlighted to provide a context for the analysis of this research that is inclusive of indigenous epistemologies, decolonizing, and transformative. The methods employed in this research offer an approach to conducting indigenous health research within the confines of the research hegemony of western institutions.