Tackling Barriers Facing Black Physicians and Patients

Black Physicians of Canada Founder Dr. Hadal El-Hadi advocates for more Black Physicians and better research.

Vancouver Division board member Dr. Hadal El-Hadi is a Founder of Black Physicians of Canada, an organization that began in 2020 as the world grappled with racial injustice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. According to Dr. El-Hadi, the group seeks to unite, support, amplify, and empower Black Physicians and Black Physicians-in-training throughout Canada.

As we celebrate Black History Month, Dr. El-Hadi shares her thoughts on the need for more Black doctors, overcoming the barriers they face, the challenges impacting Black patients, and what both governments and Physicians can do to address the situation.

Barriers Facing Black Physicians in Canada

Dr. El-Hadi is troubled that Black Canadians are disproportionately underrepresented in the medical field.

She points to policies that existed between 1918 and 1965 at Queen’s University preventing Black students from enrolling in medical school1 as an example of formal barriers that have left Black Canadians underrepresented within the ranks of our nation’s Physicians.

“You don’t have to look back many decades,” she says.2

According to El-Hadi, UBC, despite being one of the largest medical schools in North America, had only graduated thirty-three Black medical students in 66 years, from the years 1954 to 2020.

“Those numbers don’t lie,” she says. “There are definitely more than thirty-three Black medical students that have applied to UBC.”

In 2020 Dr. El-Hadi’s colleagues in the Black Physicians of BC organization reported those numbers to UBC, which, she says, prompted action to rectify the situation.

“UBC is taking steps to address that,” she says. “They’ve shown humility and a willingness to take accountability.”

UBC ultimately launched a new admissions pathway for Black medical students in the summer of 2022.

Other Barriers Facing Black Physicians Are Less Formal

“People can’t be what they can’t see,” says Dr. El-Hadi.

She observes that Black high school students may not be encouraged to pursue more advanced classes, hindering their chances of pursuing a career in medicine. She also believes that unconscious bias in the interview process is leading to fewer Black applicants being selected for medical school.

“If the people interviewing you don’t have shared life experience and are unable to relate to you on a humanistic level, there’s a disadvantage there,” she says.

Dr. El-Hadi was raised by an African family, but says that she feels pressured to present in a Western European-North American manner within the medical system.

“Black people aren’t able to authentically be themselves,” she says. “There’s a lot of shape shifting that goes on. If you don’t have people helping to guide you through that, it’s hard to conform.”

Mentorship of Black Physicians

To combat this, Black Physicians of Canada have instituted a mentorship program that currently fosters 60 mentor-mentee relationships, a number that Dr. El-Hadi would like to see grow.

She’s also happy to see Black Physicians and Physicians-in-training going into high schools to discuss their journey into medicine, providing inspiration and practical advice to potential future doctors.

“It shows that it’s possible to become a Black physician, it’s not outside the scope of reality,” says Dr. El-Hadi.

Black Patients More Successful with Black Physicians

According to Dr. El-Hadi, increasing the number of Black Physicians would not only be beneficial for the Physicians, but for Black patients as well. She cites a study published in the US that found better outcomes for Black patients who have Black Physicians.3

“They’re more likely to be believed and advocated for,” says Dr. El-Hadi. “This can result in earlier diagnosis of cancer and other conditions, which increases levels of survival.”

One hurdle facing advocates of reform in Canada is a lack of race-based data in the country. Dr. El-Hadi points to a case where a colleague of hers was attempting to compile data on Black medical school graduates.

“They literally had to look at every graduation picture and count the number of Black-presenting graduates,” she explains. “Without race-based data collection, it’s hard for us to approach policymakers and say that there is an injustice taking place.”

Positive Steps Being Taken in BC Medical System

Dr. El-Hadi grew up in Saskatchewan and received her medical training in Alberta before moving to British Columbia. She says that her experience in BC as a Black person navigating the health care system has been better than she encountered elsewhere.

“It’s not all butterflies and rainbows here,” she says. “Just because I haven’t experienced anti-Black racism in BC doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist, but I like to give credit where credit is due.”

She credits the improving situation to the tireless advocacy of others.

“I think it’s because of the work that Indigenous People have done in this province for cultural safety and cultural awareness,” she says.

Black Physicians of Canada Inaugural Conference a Success

The non-profit organization came into fruition less than four years ago, but has already seen significant growth and uptake. Among the milestones was a successful national conference held in Toronto in October in 2023.

Dr. El-Hadi reports a strong turnout, with more than 250 conference attendees and 400 social event attendees.

“We’d like to expand the number of initiatives we undertake, while also deepening them,” she says. “We intend to hold more conferences, more virtual events, and see greater attendance.”

How Can People Help Black Physicians and Black Patients?

How can Physicians and citizens of every race advocate for an improved system?

“The Black population in BC is growing and we should be pursuing justice and knowledge,” says Dr. El-Hadi.

She points to a specific page on Black Physicians of Canada’s website that instructs allyship as a good place to start.

She also points to a lack of funding and support.

“Most things in the Black space are volunteer-run and there’s not a lot of revenue,” says Dr. El-Hadi. “If it hadn’t been for outside sponsorship, we wouldn’t have been able to hold our conference, despite significant conference and membership fees.”

While many of the policies hindering Black Physicians have been changed, Dr. El-Hadi believes that many people’s attitudes have not kept pace.

“There are quite a few barriers, but I would like to reiterate that a lack of Black people meeting the medical school application criteria is not one of them,” she says.

She’s hopeful that the efforts of groups like hers will lead to more equitable results in the future.

Cited Sources

1 Queen’s Gazette. “Plinth Honours Black Medical Students.” Queen’s Gazette, September 13, 2023. https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/queen-s-unveils-plinth-honouring-black-medical-students.

2 Direct communication with Dr. Hadal El-Hadi

3 John E. Snyder, MD. “Black Primary Care Physician Representation and US Population Life Expectancy.” JAMA Network Open, April 14, 2023. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2803898?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=041423.