IDEA Committee

Chair:

Dr. Grace Ma

Members:

  • Dr. Christine Li, VIce-Chair
  • Dr. Nikita Arora
  • Dr. Kristin DeGirolamo
  • Dr. Apoorva Balakrishnan
  • Dr. Aruba Nurullah
  • Dr. Chantae Robinson
  • Dr. Colin Sue-Chue-Lam
  • Dr. Gurteshwar Rana
  • Dr. Yagan Pillay
  • Dr. Yunni Jeong

The purpose of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee is to uphold the CAGS Non-discrimination Statement and its commitment to representation across CAGS committees and programs. Acknowledging CAGS’ responsibility to listen and learn more about systemic inequalities, racism and bigotry, the IDEA Committee will help ensure nominations to leadership roles, the selection of our speakers and trainers and our efforts to attract new members will represent the diversity of the general surgery community, and that diverse voices among general surgeons in Canada are heard in CAGS’ decision-making processes.
Responsibilities of the Committee

The IDEA Committee is a Board Committee, with the Chair being a voting Board member. Committee members are EDI Advisors to the Board and key CAGS Committees to apply the lens of inclusion and respect, asking questions and noting ways that processes can be improved to ensure diversity and inclusion.

The committee meets a minimum of twice per year.

 

 

Recent projects

  • 2026 – Collaboration with Toronto Metropolitan University on inclusive sizing of surgical instruments and operating room equipment, leading to active discussions with major surgical vendors regarding better accommodation of the changing demographics and hand sizes of today’s surgical workforce
  • 2026 – Establishment of the CAGS UpSurge Student CSF Travel Bursary, improving equitable access for medical students to attend the Canadian Surgery Forum and participate in networking and educational opportunities.
  • 2025 – Development of the Indigenous Cultural Safety Working Group, supporting recruitment to the committee, providing IDEA representation at the quarterly meetings, and organizing Indigenous cultural safety education sessions for the CAGS Board and Resident Committee in 2025. Session at CSF 2026 to be confirmed.