‘In Dialogue’ Episode 3: Toba Balogun

In episode three of “In Dialogue,” CPSO EDI Lead and Medical Advisor Dr. Saroo Sharda speaks to Toba Balogun, a medical student at the University of Toronto, about being a minority physician-in-training and learning during a pandemic, his volunteer work to aid community access to services, and the importance of allyship and cultural humility in health care.

Balogun worked extensively as a Research Assistant with the Black Health Alliance, a community-led registered charity that aims to improve the health and well-being of Black communities in Canada, working closely on the “COVID Resilience Project,” which focused on the increased rate of infection in Black communities in Toronto. He’s also the founder of “Purple Hands,” a student-run homeless advocacy group based at Western University.

Related eDialogue Articles

Bias:

• What Do Disability Biases Look Like in Practice?
• Examining the Root Causes of Ableism
• Weight Bias and its Clinical Consequences
• Treating Root Causes, Not Symptoms
• Implicit Bias in Health Care
• Black Patients Matter

Medical education:

• Medical Education and Training Expectations
• Responding to MCC Decision

CPSO Resources

• Medical Students
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Additional Resources

• Purple Hands
• Black Health Alliance

  • “The Perspectives on Health and Wellbeing Report in Black Communities in Toronto: Experiences through COVID-19” — Report by Black Health Alliance