In November, Women’s College Hospital hosted the Black Women’s Healthcare Summit. This transformative, sold-out event explored how systemic inequities create significant barriers to care for Black women and featured panel discussions focused on dermatological and cardiovascular health. As the Presenting Equity Sponsor, Scotiabank’s commitment is making advances in health equity at Women’s College Hospital – and its community. By hosting these summits, we can continue to push for equity, access and representation in healthcare, ensuring that the unique needs of Black women are met and their voices are heard.
The Skin We’re In
Women's College Hospital tackles health disparities for Black women and communities
Dr. Tosin Osuntokun with patient in Cardiology
Allyship in Action
To support learning in allyship and foster a sense of belonging in healthcare settings, the Office of Equity at Women’s College Hospital (WCH) has introduced its Allyship Toolkit.
This comprehensive resource equips healthcare professionals with the knowledge and practical tools to practice allyship with both patients and colleagues, emphasizing key principles such as inclusivity, cultural safety and cultural humility. It covers everything from foundational concepts to actionable strategies and offers guidance on integrating allyship into health research and community engagement efforts.
“We collaborated with over 20 diverse thought leaders from the WCH community, and with a focus on relevance and usability, we used real-world examples and scenarios from WCH to make the toolkit a practical resource that everyone can apply in their daily practice,” says Sangeetha Navaratnam, director of Health Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism at WCH. “Whether you're working with equity deserving communities as a care provider, planning events, conducting research or leading focus groups, the toolkit provides essential tools and insights to make a meaningful impact.”
While the toolkit has a particular focus on functions within WCH, it was created with all health settings in mind.
“Whether at Women’s or beyond, by committing to active allyship, healthcare professionals can contribute to systemic change, improve health outcomes for equity deserving groups and create a more equitable and inclusive healthcare system for all,” says Navaratnam.
Donors Make the Difference
For Christal Malcolm, alopecia has been a long and often painful journey.
"I used to feel invisible in the doctor's office," she says, recalling the frustration of being dismissed by healthcare professionals who didn’t know how to address her unique experience as a Black woman living with central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA), a form of hair loss that disproportionately affects Black women. "I realized early on how important self-advocacy is – that’s when I started to feel heard, empowered and finally in control of my health."
Malcolm’s story is not an isolated one. Many Black women are too often ignored, misdiagnosed or misunderstood in health settings. Seeking help for dermatological concerns often feels like navigating a system that was never designed with them in mind.
"The nuances of treating deeper skin tones have been historically left out of dermatology training," says Dr. Marissa Joseph, medical director of WCH’s Ricky Kanee Schachter Dermatology Centre. "That gap in training means that many Black women are not getting the care they need or deserve."
Dr. Joseph’s clinic, one of the largest and most diverse academic dermatology centres in Canada, is breaking new ground by offering culturally safe care that considers how conditions like alopecia, eczema and psoriasis present differently on deeper skin tones. As a result, Black women are finding the support and treatment they have long needed.
Dr. Marissa Joseph speaking at the Black Women's Healthcare Summit
In cardiology, the disparities are equally glaring. Black women in Canada experience significantly higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure compared to their white counterparts, placing them at an elevated risk for heart disease – one of the leading causes of death for Black women. Even more troubling, Black women are three times more likely to die from high blood pressure-related conditions, such as preeclampsia, during pregnancy.
"We are facing an epidemic," says Dr. Tosin Osuntokun, a cardiologist at WCH, who is leading efforts to tackle these alarming disparities. "The statistics are not just numbers – they represent real lives, real women and real families affected by a system that has not been designed with their needs in mind."
At WCH, Dr. Osuntokun and her colleagues are actively addressing these gaps through education, early intervention and culturally competent care that prioritizes the specific needs of Black women. It’s a holistic approach that focuses not only on treatment but also on prevention, aiming to reduce the overwhelming burden of heart disease in this population.
"We need to listen to Black women, understand their unique health risks, and provide tailored care that speaks to their lived experience," Dr. Osuntokun emphasizes.
Dr. Joseph agrees that this work is far from done.
“We have to acknowledge that our healthcare system has been designed to serve predominantly white patients,” she says. “Unless we change the way we train healthcare professionals to manage skin disease in deeper skin tones, we will continue to see Black patients, especially women, being left behind.”
Dr. Joseph takes on this work specifically through her position as a clinician-teacher in U of T’s Department of Medicine, focusing on teaching students about deeper skin types in dermatology. As a founding member of the Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario, she adopts the association’s mission of mentorship, helping to increase the presence of minority students in medicine, science and technology.
“The onus cannot just be on Black physicians to treat Black patients,” she says. “Doctors of all backgrounds need to learn how to diagnose and treat different types of diseases that present in Black communities, and that begins with curriculum reform, and setting our future physicians up for success.”
For Christal, educating patients through her work as a hair-loss mentor is equally important for Black health equity. "We must create spaces where Black women can learn about their health, ask questions and find support," she says. “Black women must be equipped with the knowledge and resources to navigate a system that has historically failed to meet their needs.”
Knowledge is Power
On a cool evening in November, a steady stream of Black women and community members escaped the unseasonal rain as they entered the Toronto Reference Library. Tight-knit groups of friends and colleagues laughed and caught up as they waited for the evening’s event to begin.
Hosted by Women’s College Hospital, more than 400 community members were gathered for the fourth annual Black Women’s Healthcare Summit – an intimate evening of education, action and allyship.
With a spotlight on skin, hair and heart health, the summit addressed some of the healthcare challenges that members of the Black community, particularly women, experience due to the intersectionality of race, gender and health.
Dr. Joseph, Dr. Osuntokun and Christal Malcolm were among the panelists sharing their experiences and expertise – from tips around screening and prevention to advocacy and empowerment.
For Christal, the summit represented more than just an opportunity to speak – it was a chance to empower other Black women and attendees who may feel the same sense of isolation she once did.
"I want women to know they are not alone in their healthcare journey," she says. "I want them to feel seen and to know that they can advocate for themselves. Their health matters, and it’s time our healthcare system recognizes that."
A Plan Forward
As Women’s College Hospital continues to lead the way in advancing healthcare for Black women, it is clear: change is not just a possibility – it is imperative.
In 2025, the hospital introduced its inaugural Black Health Plan. Anchored in WCH’s hospital strategy, Healthcare Revolutionized 2030, the Black Health Plan includes bold initiatives and builds upon the work that is already under way across the hospital.
WCH’s Black Health Plan responds to calls to action for health service organizations to work collaboratively with Black communities to address health disparities and aims to intentionally address inequities at the intersection of health, gender and race, with a focus on healthy Black people, families and communities.
By addressing the systemic gaps in Black community health, WCH is laying the foundation for a more inclusive, equitable healthcare system that recognizes, respects and meets the needs of Black women.
And for Christal Malcolm, this transformation is personal. "I want every woman who has felt invisible in healthcare to know that they matter. Their health matters. And together, we can change the narrative.”
Allyship in Action
To support learning in allyship and foster a sense of belonging in healthcare settings, the Office of Equity at Women’s College Hospital (WCH) has introduced its Allyship Toolkit.
This comprehensive resource equips healthcare professionals with the knowledge and practical tools to practice allyship with both patients and colleagues, emphasizing key principles such as inclusivity, cultural safety and cultural humility. It covers everything from foundational concepts to actionable strategies and offers guidance on integrating allyship into health research and community engagement efforts.
“We collaborated with over 20 diverse thought leaders from the WCH community, and with a focus on relevance and usability, we used real-world examples and scenarios from WCH to make the toolkit a practical resource that everyone can apply in their daily practice,” says Sangeetha Navaratnam, director of Health Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism at WCH. “Whether you're working with equity deserving communities as a care provider, planning events, conducting research or leading focus groups, the toolkit provides essential tools and insights to make a meaningful impact.”
While the toolkit has a particular focus on functions within WCH, it was created with all health settings in mind.
“Whether at Women’s or beyond, by committing to active allyship, healthcare professionals can contribute to systemic change, improve health outcomes for equity deserving groups and create a more equitable and inclusive healthcare system for all,” says Navaratnam.
Donors Make the Difference
In November, Women’s College Hospital hosted the Black Women’s Healthcare Summit. This transformative, sold-out event explored how systemic inequities create significant barriers to care for Black women and featured panel discussions focused on dermatological and cardiovascular health. As the Presenting Equity Sponsor, Scotiabank’s commitment is making advances in health equity at Women’s College Hospital – and its community. By hosting these summits, we can continue to push for equity, access and representation in healthcare, ensuring that the unique needs of Black women are met and their voices are heard.
