Chika Stacy Oriuwa

Last updated
Chika Stacy Oriuwa
Born
Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Alma mater University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine
Known forAdvocacy against systemic racism
Scientific career
FieldsPsychiatric medicine

Chika Stacy Oriuwa is a Canadian physician, spoken word artist, and advocate against systemic racism in health care. [1] In 2021, she was one of six frontline workers honored by the Barbie Role Model Program with a doll created in her likeness. [2] In 2020, Oriuwa was the first black woman to become the sole valedictorian at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Oriuwa was born in Ontario, Canada. She is the daughter of Stephen and Catherine Oriuwa, who emigrated from Nigeria to Canada in the 1980s. [4] [5] She attended St Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, where she became valedictorian in 2011. [3]

Oriuwa graduated from McMaster University with a bachelor's degree in Health Sciences and then took a gap year to focus on poetry. [6] She was signed to the Hamilton Youth Poets slam poetry label and twice competed in national competitions. [6] In 2016, Oriuwa began a combined medical degree and Master of Science at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, where she was the only Black student in her class. [7] [3]

On 2 June 2020, Oriuwa graduated from the University of Toronto as valedictorian. [8] [9] She was the first solo black female valedictorian at University of Toronto, the second overall black female valedictorian, and the first woman in 14 years. [8] Her valedictory address was presented online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [8]

Advocacy

In 2017, the University of Toronto created the Black Student Application Program (BSAP), an optional application process that requires the same standards and includes an interview process conducted by members of the Black community, faculty, and students, [10] and Oriuwa became an ambassador and public face of the program. [3] As of 2020, the incoming class of 2024 has 24 black students. [8] [11]

During medical school, Oriuwa co-founded the Black Interprofessional Students' Association (BIPSA) to network students across graduate programs. [12] She also served as a strategic advisor and contributing writer to Healthy Debate, a healthcare journalism platform. [13]

In 2018, she delivered the keynote speech at Women's College Hospital for International Women's Day, [14] titled "Thriving at the Intersections: Being a Black Woman in Medicine," [15] and was a speaker at the 2018 International Women and Children's Health Conference at McMaster University. In 2019, she was a workshop speaker at the Canadian Conference on Physician Leadership. [16] She has said she uses poetry both as an outlet for her struggles with encountering racism and as a form of advocacy against it and during her second year of medical school, created a spoken word video titled, "Woman, Black." [4]

Career

Oriuwa is a psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto. [17]

Oriuwa is also the co-director of a non-profit youth leadership organization called Uflow, and was on the External Implementation Steering Committee to the Minister of Children and Youth Services, focused on shaping the Ontario Black Youth Action Plan. [18]

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York University</span> Public university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

York University, also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, and over 370,000 alumni worldwide. It has 11 faculties, including the Lassonde School of Engineering, Schulich School of Business, Osgoode Hall Law School, Glendon College, and 28 research centres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Alberta</span> Public research university in Edmonton, Canada

The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, the university's first president. It was enabled through the Post-secondary Learning Act. The university is considered a "comprehensive academic and research university" (CARU), which means that it offers a range of academic and professional programs that generally lead to undergraduate and graduate level credentials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McMaster University</span> Public university in Hamilton, Canada

McMaster University is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on 121 hectares of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood and Westdale, adjacent to the Royal Botanical Gardens. It operates six academic faculties: the DeGroote School of Business, Engineering, Health Sciences, Humanities, Social Science, and Science. It is a member of the U15, a group of research-intensive universities in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Stowe</span> Canadian physician

Emily Howard Stowe was a Canadian physician who was the first female physician to practise in Canada, the second licensed female physician in Canada and an activist for women's rights and suffrage. Stowe helped found the women's suffrage movement in Canada and campaigned for the country's first medical college for women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massey College, Toronto</span>

Massey College is a graduate residential college at the University of Toronto that was established, built and partially endowed in 1962 by the Massey Foundation and officially opened in 1963, though women were not admitted until 1974. It was modeled around the traditional Cambridge and Oxford collegiate system and features a central court and porters lodge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Medical College</span> Medical school of Touro University

New York Medical College is a private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro University System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine</span> Medical school of the University of Toronto

The Temerty Faculty of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Toronto. Founded in 1843, the faculty is based in Downtown Toronto and is one of Canada's oldest institutions of medical studies, being known for the discovery of insulin, stem cells and the site of the first single and double lung transplants in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maude Abbott</span> Canadian physician (1868/69–1940)

Maude Elizabeth Seymour Abbott was a Canadian physician, among Canada's earliest female medical graduates, and an internationally known expert on congenital heart disease. She was one of the first women to obtain a BA from McGill University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences</span> Medical school in Canada

The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is one of the constituent faculties of McGill University. It was established in 1829 after the Montreal Medical Institution was incorporated into McGill College as the college's first faculty; it was the first medical faculty to be established in Canada. The Faculty awarded McGill's first degree, and Canada's first medical degree to William Leslie Logie in 1833.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McGill University</span> Public university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

McGill University is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter, the university bears the name of James McGill, a Scottish merchant, whose bequest in 1813 established the University of McGill College. In 1885, the name was officially changed to McGill University. The university has an enrolment of more than 39,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Toronto</span> University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada. Originally controlled by the Church of England, the university assumed its present name in 1850 upon becoming a secular institution. As a collegiate university, it comprises 11 colleges each with substantial autonomy on financial and institutional affairs and significant differences in character and history. The university maintains three campuses, the oldest of which is St. George, located in downtown Toronto. The other two satellite campuses are located in Scarborough and Mississauga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Philpott</span> Canadian physician, academic administrator

Jane Philpott is a physician, academic administrator, and former Canadian politician who represented the riding of Markham—Stouffville in the House of Commons. She was first elected in the 2015 federal election as a member of the Liberal Party and was appointed to the Cabinet of the 29th Canadian Ministry, headed by Justin Trudeau, on November 4, 2015. On March 4, 2019, she resigned from her cabinet position as President of the Treasury Board over the SNC-Lavalin affair. On April 2, 2019, she and Jody Wilson-Raybould were expelled from the Liberal caucus in the aftermath of the controversy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May Cohen</span> Canadian physician and educator

May Cohen, OC is a Canadian physician and educator. She is best known for initiating the creation of a women's health curriculum in Ontario medical schools and for her work as a women's health advocate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophia B. Jones</span> Canadian-born American medical doctor

Sophia Bethena Jones was a British North America-born American medical doctor and the first woman of African descent to graduate from the University of Michigan Medical School. She founded the Nursing Program at Spelman College, where she was the first black faculty member.

Miriam Rossi was emeritus professor of pediatrics at the University of Toronto, and a pediatrician in the division of Adolescent Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children. She was Associate Dean of Student Affairs & Admissions at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Medicine for 13 years. Rossi is best known for her contributions to diversity and health equity in undergraduate medical education.

Lisa Robinson is a clinician-scientist. She is a University of Toronto professor in the Department of Paediatrics and the Dean of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, former Head of the Division of Nephrology at The Hospital for Sick Children, a Senior Scientist at the SickKids Research Institute, President American Pediatric Society 2022-2023, and the first-ever Chief Diversity officer for the Faculty of Medicine at University of Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James C. Temerty</span> Entrepreneur, business executive and philanthropist

James Constantine "Jim" Temerty is a Ukrainian-Canadian entrepreneur, business executive and philanthropist who lives in Toronto, Ontario. He founded Northland Power in 1987 and served as Chair until December 2019.

Arlington Franklin Dungy was a Canadian dentist who practiced in Ontario, and was a known advocate for a more inclusive medical community. He specialized in paediatric dentistry, and practiced first in Toronto, before accepting the role of chief of dentistry at Ottawa's Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. His academic career included the positions of dean of alumni and student affairs and associate dean of professional affairs, at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine. During his tenure at the University of Ottawa, he co-founded the Indigenous admissions program, as well as two scholarships, to address a lack of Indigenous representation within the Canadian medical profession. He was fondly known as "Arlie" by people close to him.

Anna Banerji M.D., O. Ont. is a Toronto infectious disease doctor, tropical disease specialist, pediatrician, public health specialist, academic, and activist. She is the founder and chair of both the North American Refugee Health Conference in Canada and the Indigenous Health Conference, and the co-founder of the Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers. She was awarded the Dr Peter Bryce Henderson for her advocacy for Indigenous children.

Onye Nnorom is a Canadian physician and public health specialist. She is an assistant professor and associate program director of the public health and preventative medicine residency program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She is the Black health lead for University of Toronto's faculty of medicine, and is a former president of the Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario. Her research considers public health and health inequality for Black and other marginalized communities.

References

  1. ↑ Tillman, Rachel (August 4, 2021). "Mattel honors 6 frontline workers with personalized Barbie replicas". NY1 . Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  2. ↑ Bianchini, Elisabetta (August 4, 2021). "Black Canadian Barbie: Toronto doctor makes history with classic doll in her likeness amid COVID-19 pandemic". Yahoo News. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 James, Royson (June 5, 2020). "The only Black medical student in a U of T class of 259, Chika Oriuwa graduates as valedictorian". Toronto Star (Opinion). Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 "U of T Faculty of Medicine first Black female valedictorian is a poet and activist". Ron Fanfair. May 28, 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  5. ↑ "Chika Oriuwa - a story of inspiration and determination". The Gleaner . June 7, 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  6. 1 2 Herrold, Charlotte (September 30, 2018). "Chika Stacy Oriuwa, Med School Student & Slam Poet". Flare . Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  7. ↑ Parkhill, Maggie (June 12, 2020). "U of T valedictorian hopes to inspire future Black doctors". CTV News . Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Ricci, Talia (June 2, 2020). "Chika Oriuwa named valedictorian of U of T's faculty of medicine". CBC. Archived from the original on 2020-06-02. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Katawazi, Miriam (June 15, 2020). "In her own words: Chika Oriuwa graduates as valedictorian at U of T's faculty of medicine". CTV News . Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  10. ↑ Gordon, Andrea (March 9, 2017). "U of T aims to attract more black med students". Toronto Star . Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "24 Black medical students accepted to U of T Medicine — the most in Canadian history". Global News. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  12. ↑ "Building a Social Network for Black Graduate and Professional Students at U of T". StartUp HERE Toronto. 2017-10-30. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  13. ↑ "About Us". Healthy Debate. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  14. ↑ Soudat, Julia (April 22, 2020). "Chika Oriuwa: UofTMed's Class of 2T0 Valedictorian, Poet, Writer, Activist". Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Dean's Office. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  15. ↑ "IWD 2018 - Keynote Presentation: Chika Stacy Oriuwa". Women's College Hospital. YouTube. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  16. ↑ "Workshop Speakers Saturday, April 27 — Day 2". Canadian Conference on Physician Leadership. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  17. ↑ Bresge, Adina (August 4, 2021). "Canadian doctor Chika Stacy Oriuwa among 'role models' celebrated in Barbie tribute". The Canadian Press . Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  18. ↑ "Faces of U of T Medicine: Women of 2T0 & 2T1". MD Program, Temerty Faculty of Medicine. March 8, 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  19. ↑ Levine, Romi (October 2, 2018). "U of T's African scholars, community leaders celebrated at awards ceremony". U of T News. University of Toronto. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.