Our Mission
The BMSAC is a collaborative network of Black medical students across Canada. Our mission is to secure equitable representation of Black students in Canadian medical schools and to advocate for more inclusive medical training that equips all learners to better serve the healthcare needs of underserved Black communities across Canada.
Our Core Values
Community
- We are dedicated to fostering a collaborative pan-Canadian community in which Black medical students continue to thrive and achieve their personal and professional goals.
Critical Advocacy
- We are dedicated to continued advocacy for the needs of Black learners in medicine. Our approach to advocacy is one that acknowledges the centrality and intersectionality of race and racism in medicine and challenges the dominant ideologies in medical education through experiential, historical, and interdisciplinary knowledge. We acknowledge that the barriers that Black learners face may be compounded by other identities including but not limited to Indigeneity, queerness, gender diversity/ identity, and class. This approach to advocacy is rooted in the tenets of Critical Race Theory as explained by Delgado and Stefancic.
Justice
- We acknowledge that the current Canadian logics of diversity and inclusion are insufficient to redress the historical exclusion of Black people from medicine and its resultant harms. We are committed to an iterative approach to equity in all we do with justice for Black learners as the ultimate goal.
Innovation
- Our existence in medical spaces is an act of revolution and we are committed to creating new ways of thinking and doing that replace the dominant narrative with a long overdue and more nuanced focus on Black experience in medicine.
60
Years of
Foundation
4000
+Active
Members
Our Organization
Governance Structure here
Executive Council: The BMSAC Executive Council is composed of the Chair, Director of Finance and Internal Affairs, Directors of Communications (2), Director of Advocacy and Representation, and the Regional Directors (4). Executive Council members are elected during the Annual General Meeting in March, with a one-year term.
- Committees: There are currently 7 committees within the BMSAC: Governance, Annual General Meeting, Advocacy, Communications, Wellness, Education, and Research. These committees are led by various members of the Executive Council. General members can apply for committees.
By-Laws here
- The BMSAC Bylaws outline the structure of the organization and guide the operations of the BMSAC
Strategic Plan 2025-2029
ENGLISH – here
FRENCH – here
- Following the success of our inaugural strategic plan (2021-2023), the 2024-2025 Executive Council engaged in a second strategic planning dialogue in 2024. The discussion built upon the existing values in the previous strategic plan, while also assessing the evolving needs of Black medical students across Canada. The 2025-2029 strategic plan was developed with two key principles in mind: strategic consistency and tactical flexibility. Although our four core principles outlined in the plan will remain consistent, their objectives have been designed to be adaptable, such that the Executive Council can assess progress and assess as needed.
- Questions about the updated Strategic Plan can be directed to the Chair (chair@bmsac.ca).
Inaugural AGM Report here
- On March 1, 2020, Black medical students from all 17 Canadian schools came together for the first time. The Black Medical Students’ Association of Canada was founded by Dr. Helen Telekmariam and Dr. Yohanna Asghedom.