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Charli Mackay wouldn't have pictured a career for herself in medical imaging – that is until a unique program at the ��Ů��Ƶ brought the idea into sharper focus.

The Grade 10 student was one of several students, including her sister, who took part in the  (ZNBGK) program at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. 

Also known as “Building the Fire, Walking with Medicine,” the program runs for one week each summer in collaboration with  at Women’s College Hospital.

“ZNBGK really opened my eyes to pursuing a career in the medical sciences,” says Mackay. “It was exciting to see just how broad the field is. There are so many more options available than I had realized.

“I’m really drawn to research and imaging.”

Launched as a pilot in 2021, ZNBGK aims to increase Indigenous participation in health-care professions. It provides students in Grades 9 and 10 with culturally appropriate programming that includes land-based learning experiences, opportunities to build relationships with mentors and one another, and exposure to Indigenous leadership, knowledges, governance systems and healing practices.

This year, Temerty Medicine’s office of Indigenous health and office of access and outreach leveraged relationships between the organizations to provide participants with more varied clinical experiences and programming.

“The proportion of Indigenous faculty members is small, so it’s critical to think and collaborate across institutions,” says Ryan Giroux, a pediatrician at St. Michael’s hospital, Unity Health Toronto, and the Inner City Health Associates, who is also Indigenous health lead for postgraduate medical education at Temerty Medicine.

“If this program only operated within a single organization, that [means] we would risk not being able to provide the community what they need.”

This year’s session included: a lab tour at the MaRS Discovery District; drop-in chats with Women’s College Hospital CEO Heather McPherson, Temerty Medicine Assistant Professors Dana Ross and Jason Pennington, as well as current Indigenous medical students; an image-based journaling workshop with postdoctoral researcher Lisa Boivin; and a holistic healing session with Assistant Professor Chase McMurren. 

Students also took part in simulation activities at Unity Health Toronto’s . 

“Simulation in health care is often thought of as a way to teach someone how to do a task, but it offers far more than that,” says Doug Campbell, an associate professor of pediatrics at Temerty Medicine who co-led the simulation session with Giroux. “We’ve always kept in mind that we can advocate and share educational experiences with the community.”

After a short lecture about the work pediatricians or neonatologists do, students had the opportunity to don gloves and gowns and see what it’s like to insert an umbilical vein catheter and ventilate – and possibly intubate – a mannequin of a newborn.

“I believe we have an obligation to open doors to historically marginalized communities. As we open our eyes to what's happened in the past, we also need to think about how we interact day-to-day with people in the future, says Campbell, who is also director of the Allan Waters Patient Simulation Centre at Unity Health. “Our duty to care needs to continually evolve. We have an obligation to move forward on the path of reconciliation.” 

Students also toured First Nations House, visited the Earth Sciences courtyard, learned about the supports and resources available to Indigenous learners and took part in drumming, songs and smudging.

The program was led by Ganawishkadawe Elder-in-Residence Kawennanoron Cindy White, who offered traditional teachings and spiritual guidance throughout the week. 

Mackay says she was particularly inspired by White, who described some of her own struggles after college and how she became more involved with traditional teachings and became an Elder.

“She really emphasized that better is always possible.”