U of T welcomes largest cohort of Black medical students in Canadian history
September 28, 2020
Change has been slow, but steady.
In 1991, Dominick Shelton and Lisa Robinson were the only Blacks in the University of Toronto (U of T) medical school class of 252.
Fast forward to 2016 and the number was one in a class of 259. Chika Oriuwa made history this year as the university’s medical school first female Black valedictorian.
Through U of T’s Black Student Application Program (BSAP) instituted to encourage more Black students to apply for medical school, 14 students were admitted last year through the pathway.
This fall, the university welcomed the largest cohort of Black medical students in Canadian history.
The celebrated class of 26 includes Sonia Igboanugo who is honoured to be part of the group.
“It’s a dream come true to be amongst this historic class and it’s kind of surreal to be part of a class at any Canadian medical school with so many Black students,” she said. “When you look at the history of medicine in Canada, it’s shocking, but not surprising that there hasn’t been a lot of representation in that field. I, however, feel hopeful now that more Black students are getting into medicine and there will be more Black doctors that are going to be part of the health care system.”
Igboanugo graduated from the U of T’s Summer Mentorship Program (SMP) established in 1994 by Dr. Kristine Whitehead, Diana Alli, the late Dr. Miriam Rossi and Shelton, a two-time Harry Jerome Award winner and the medical Director of Quality & Safety and Sunnybrook Hospital Emergency Department.
They started the initiative to offer a focus for Black and Aboriginal students with both an interest and aptitude for the sciences, particular for those who otherwise would not have available mentorship opportunities.
In the last 26 years, almost 1,100 students have graduated from the four-week program. Almost all have attained undergraduate degrees and nearly half have completed a medical degree or professional program in health sciences.
“I am ecstatic and gratified to learn that Sonia, a graduate of the SMP, is part of the cadre of Black students in the first-year medical class at U of T,” said Alli who was the Senior Officer of Health Professions and Student Affairs before retiring in 2012. “I am inspired by the mold being broken for under-represented high school students to restore their sacred right to dream and realize they too have the opportunity to prosper and be mentors and role models like Sonia.”
Championing the SMP that changed her life is a no-brainer for Igboanugo who migrated from Nigeria at age seven and was raised in Whitby.
“That was the first time that I really got excited about science and STEM because here I was seeing people that looked like me and I could relate to them,” said the Father Leo J Austin Catholic Secondary School graduate who was an SMP mentor this year. “Dr. Onye Nnorom (the Black health theme lead for the U of T Faculty MD program and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion lead for the Department of Family & Community Medicine) was the first Black physician I had ever seen and I felt so excited.
“We shadowed Black health physicians, we did a research project and there were a lot of practical things we learnt that strengthened my confidence in pursuing science. I was passionate about science before I entered the program, but being part of it and the exposure I got to different health careers and pathways allowed me to feel that it is a field that Black students could pursue. It changed my trajectory in terms of where I could go with science. I know now I could do more, pursue more and I am supported in doing so by a community of people.”
Motivated by her stimulating SMP experience, Igboanugo and University of British Columbia Master’s student Kayonne Christy started the Black Aspiring Physicians of McMaster (BAP-MAC) program during the 2016-17 school year to support Black students at the university interested in health sciences.
“I recognized that those supports are crucial in high school students pursuing university and also medicine,” she said. “It was a combination of awareness and a commitment to being involved in creating more communities and more resources for Black students and then just having my desire to pursue medicine.”
The BAP-MAC is patterned after the Community of Support (COS) initiative launched in 2015 by Ike Okafor, the Senior Officer of Service Learning and Diversity Outreach at the Office of Health Professions Student Affairs(OHPSA) and chair of the Black Canadian Admissions Subcommittee (BCAS), to increase outreach and boost the number of Black medical students at U of T.
COS meets these goals by providing opportunities for mentorship, job shadowing and research as well as personalized guidance on admissions.
Intrigued by the human body at a young age, Igboanugo gravitated towards biological and social sciences and learning about how marginalized communities are impacted by health disparities.
“I have always been curious about the human body and just humanity in general,” she said. “When I was learning about how the body works, it was never in isolation with just the basic science concepts. I was also interested in social structures like how does poverty and being marginalized influence health. As I took those curiosities out into the world, I tried to expose myself more to settings where I could learn more.”
While unsure of the area of medicine she will specialize in, Igboaungo is certain about one thing – her work will address the needs of marginalized populations.
“Right now, I am very open and I am really enjoying the fact that there is so much to learn and there are many different options,” the University Health Network research trainee and former Salvation Army Ellen Osler Home health advocate noted. “I had quite an uplifting experience shadowing an inner-city physician and I was so impressed by the way he cared for his patients from marginalized communities and moved by the compassion and empathy he displayed in each clinical encounter. I just love that doctors proactively consider the social determinants that shape a patient’s health both inside and outside clinical environments through advocacy.”
Surrounded by positive role models is key to student success as Igboanugo found out.
Her parents and Dr. Juliet Daniel, who is a McMaster University Department of Biology professor, are at the top of the list.
“Dr. Daniel introduced me to Kayonne which led to the formation of the BAP-MAC,” she said. “She took me as a mentee in my first year and literally paved the way for me, just as she has done for so many Black students, through this entire journey. She taught me about leadership and encouraged me to pursue my dream with humility and selflessness.”
After high school, Igboanugo was part of the first cohort that completed McMaster University’s new Biomedical Discovery & Commercialization (BDC) program that provides both bachelor and master’s level training at the interface of biomedical science, business and the health sciences sector based on a commitment among teaching faculty to active team-based learning.
Last year, she was the recipient of a John Holland Award and a Black Business & Professional Association scholarship.
