Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDI)
The EDI committee provides consultation to the CSI council, helping to develop programs that ensure equal treatment of all Canadian immunologists regardless of career stage, affiliation, race, ethnicity, age, gender, spiritual belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, or other diverse backgrounds.
We strive to make the CSI a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive society and to become a national and international role model for other societies through novel and strategic EDI initiatives.
We achieve this through liaising with CSI council to develop an EDI strategic plan, build awareness of EDI issues;, create an environment where all members feel valued and are open to other viewpoints and provide advice and counsel to CSI council and the trainee engagement committee (TEC) on EDI issues.
2023 / 2024 EDI Committee
Chair: Dr. Yanet Valdez, Independent Consultant
Dr. Ninan Abraham, University of British Columbia
Dominique Gatti, University of Victoria
Dr. Aline Ignacio, University of Calgary
Dr. Craig Jenne, University of Calgary
Siavash Mashhouri, University of Toronto
Dr. Kelly McNagny, University of British Columbia
Dr. Heather Melichar, University of Montreal
Dr. Melina Messing, University of California Santa Barbara
Sabryna Nantel, University of Montreal
Saki Sultana, Dalhousie University
Lauren Westhaver, Dalhousie University
Publications:
A Retrospective Analysis of Leadership, Awardees, and Member Gender Representation of the Canadian Society for Immunology, Published April 15, 2024, Journal of Immunology
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Canadian immunology: communication and complexity, Published May 2023, Immunology and Cell Biology
Equity, diversity and inclusion in academia: lessons from the Canadian Society for Immunology, Published January 26, 2022, Trends in Immunology
