Announcement: Dr. Sukhveer Bains, appointed Acting Associate Dean, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Sukhveer (Sukhi) Bains has been appointed as the Acting Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization (EDID), at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University. This appointment is effective September 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023.Establishing this office under the leadership of a new Associate Dean was a primary goal outlined in our five-year Strategic Plan. We recognize that our commitment to social accountability begins with a more inclusive school. Under Dr. Bains’ leadership, this office will work diligently to ensure that everyone has a place and a voice in our enterprise, to maximize the potential of our community.
Dr. Bains is a triple board-certified physician in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine. She completed her undergraduate and graduate education (M.A. Sociology) at Western University and went on to obtain her M.D. degree at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in 2011. Dr. Bains completed her residency training in combined Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center/Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York in 2016.
She went on to join the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine where she focused her academic career on social medicine, health equity and addiction medicine.
Her professional interests include medical education, curriculum development and coordinating systems to improve healthcare provision through community listening and engagement.
Dr. Bains has led educational initiatives on health equity, supported healthcare-based housing first programs in Chicago and worked to build capacity for accessible addiction services. She recently returned home to Ontario to join the Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine at Western University/London Health Sciences Centre and is excited to work with our community and serve our institution in this new role.
Social accountability necessitates a commitment beyond our own walls – a commitment to respond to the pressing health needs of society, including health inequities, in our region and beyond. I’m confident that with Dr. Bains' guidance, our commitment to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and anti-racism will be fundamental in our mandate to advance health.
Sincerely,
John Yoo, MD, FRCS(C), FACS
Dean, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Western University
