Developing a careful and care-full pedagogy to promote inclusion, critical thinking, and belonging

Increasing inclusion and belonging is at the heart of my work. I apply an intersectional lens in my teaching and research to explore how knowledge and power interact to produce and maintain inequalities and exclusions in health and education settings. I encourage students to critically consider how their own biases and attitudes impact their personal and professional relationships. As well as helping deliver inclusive and equitable patient treatment, these critical and reflective skills can increase students’ resilience to cope with studies and employment. I use coproduction to include students and communities in developing and evaluating my materials and approach. This has resulted in positive feedback from students, strong relationships with communities, and in students developing professional identities that align with their personal sense of purpose.