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Announcement: Dr. Sukhveer Bains appointed Associate Dean, Equity and Social Accountability
Office of the Dean
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Sukhveer (Sukhi) Bains has been appointed as the Associate Dean, Equity and Social Accountability at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2030.
Dr. Sukhi Bains is a triple board-certified physician in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine, who attained a Masters in Sociology at Western before obtaining her M.D. at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in 2011. Following completion of her residency training in combined Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center/Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York in 2016, Dr. Bains joined the University of Illinois at Chicago as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine, with an academic focus on social medicine and health equity.
At Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, Dr. Bains has served as the Acting Associate Dean, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization, supporting learners, staff, faculty and leaders in operationalizing equity work and addressing the systemic barriers that impact the School community and the communities we serve. This includes advocating for equitable academic environments, supporting curriculum renewal and building and strengthening partnerships.
Dr. Bains also represents the School provincially and nationally, including as a member of the EDI Committee for the Council of Ontario Faculties of Medicine, and as Co-Chair of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Committee for the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada.
To more clearly reflect the School’s commitments and responsibilities outlined in its Strategic Plan, the Office Dr. Bains leads has been renamed the Office of Equity and Social Accountability. This change does not diminish the School’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization; rather, it makes explicit how these principles are enacted through our broader responsibility as a medical and dental school to the public we serve.
The new name emphasizes that equity, inclusion, anti-racism and decolonization are not standalone values, but foundational to the School’s social accountability mandate — our obligation to respond to community-identified needs, address structural inequities and contribute to health systems that advance fairness, build trust and improve outcomes for all. The School’s responsibilities for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action are central to this mandate.
Looking forward, Dr. Bains is committed to building on the Office’s existing, strong collaborations with engaged learners, staff, faculty and partners, and empowering the School to focus more clearly on our unique position of strength as a medical and dental school: the work of social accountability.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Bains on her appointment. For more information on the evolution of the Office and the vision moving forward, I invite you to read a Q&A with Dr. Bains.
John Yoo, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University