Black Canadians face significant barriers in the healthcare system, where representation among medical professionals remains critically low. While Black individuals constitute 4.7% of Ontario's population, they account for only 2.3% of the province's physicians. This stark contrast highlights ongoing challenges in achieving equity within the healthcare sector.
Dr. Mojola Omole, a general surgeon and president of the Black Physicians Association of Ontario (BPAO), has experienced these disparities firsthand. As the sole Black student in her University of Toronto class, she faced feelings of imposter syndrome and anxiety. Dr. Omole credits her success to the support and guidance of her mentors, predominantly female physicians who understood her struggles.
Dr. Omole emphasizes that dismantling anti-Black racism requires fairness across various systems. She stated, “Dismantling anti-Black racism means there needs to be fairness across systems.” This sentiment reflects a broader call for systemic changes aimed at increasing representation and support for Black medical professionals.
Dr. Nnorom, a family doctor and public health specialist based in Toronto, is a past president of the BPAO and co-founder of the Black Health Education Collective. She echoes the sentiment of the importance of representation, stating that inclusion efforts must begin early in education to ensure that aspiring Black medical students can envision themselves in the field.
Another prominent figure in this discourse is Dr. Bolu Ogunyemi, a psychiatrist and author of the autobiography "Unlike the Rest." He was the first Black student from Newfoundland and Labrador to train at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) and will begin his term as president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) in May 2026. Dr. Ogunyemi points out that "the path to medicine is long — inclusion efforts need to start earlier." He further reflects on the unique challenges faced by Black medical professionals, saying, "You are at once both hyper-visible and invisible.”
Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa, also a psychiatry resident in Toronto, shares her experiences in her autobiography, which inspired the creation of a Black Barbie doctor. She expressed, "I felt really that I had to hide my Blackness in a lot of ways." Over time, she found comfort in her identity, stating, "It took me a long time to get to the point where I no longer felt uncomfortable with being Black and being in my skin and being in medicine."
Dr. Oriuwa acknowledges the vital role played by her mentors in shaping her journey. “I have to give credit to those people. They always made sure that I could reach out and talk to them and unpack the experiences because they know exactly what it feels like because they are Black female physicians,” she said.
Dr. Omole also highlights troubling anecdotes from within the healthcare system, recalling instances where providers struggle to perform medical procedures due to what they perceive as challenges related to skin color. “I’ve heard comments from providers saying they have trouble getting an IV because a patient’s skin is too dark,” she shared.
