Equity, diversity, and inclusion have been identified as key criteria for innovation and development in any society. These 3 terms are very much interrelated, and their application fosters ingenuity, fearless creativity, and ideas for innovation, all of which require a wide variety of perspectives and experiences. In this panel discussion, you will interact with professionals in the field to learn about their experiences, as well as have the opportunity to discuss and learn about how you can get involved with addressing the EDI issues in your professional and community activities. This panel discussion includes a presentation by Dr. Faisa Khosa, MD, on the importance of mentoring and coaching, a presentation by Dr. Agnes d’Entremont, P.Eng., on the importance of educating engineering students on EDI, and a presentation by Ms. Sally Mitry, P.Eng., on her experience of EDI as an internationally-trained engineer in Canada. After the presentations, a Question/Answer session provides an opportunity for the audience to express their views on EDI and to receive answers to their questions from the speakers.
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia
Dr. Agnes d’Entremont is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UBC. Her work focuses on student learning and curriculum development in mechanical engineering and her teaching-related interests include active learning, open educational resources (OER), and open pedagogy. She also focuses on student mental wellbeing and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) issues in engineering education and the broader engineering profession.
Associate Professor in Radiology, Vancouver General Hospital, University of British Columbia
Dr. Faisal Khosa is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology at Vancouver General Hospital, University of British Columbia. He is also the Head of Grants and International Collaboration at the UBC Emergency & Trauma Radiology program. He is an internationally renowned speaker with over 222 publications. As an expert on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), his work has received multiple awards including the May Cohen Equity, Diversity and Gender Award of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada and the Global Humanitarian Award from the American College of Radiology.
Sr. Structural/Civil Engineer, OHS Practice and Engineering Support, WorkSafeBC
Sally Mitry graduated from Cairo University in Egypt with a B.Sc. in Structural and Civil Engineering and M.Eng. in Construction Management. She then emigrated to Canada in 1998 and started her career as a structural/civil engineer after receiving her professional engineer designation from Engineers and Geoscientists BC. She has broad work experience in structural engineering, code consulting, and project management. Sally believes engineering is a responsibility and is an advocate for changes to improve the workplace health and safety in BC. Furthermore, she strives to make construction sites a safe place for workers by working to improve the OHS Regulation, investigating construction incidents, and by supporting Safety Officers at WorkSafeBC to ensure compliance to the Regulation and implementation of safe work practices throughout the province.
Sara Jamali is a civil engineering recent graduate. In 2018, she registered as a student with Engineers and Geoscientists BC and started her volunteering activity at the Richmond/Delta Branch. She coordinated one of the Branch events on “Diversity and Inclusion in Engineering” in 2018. Sara aspires to alleviate discriminatory obstacles through education.
