In this HC Link webinar, Dr. Samir Sinha, Ratna Omidvar and Cathy Hecimovich discuss the findings of this report, why diverse leadership is important, and what institutions can do to diversify their leadership teams.
A Snapshot of Diverse Leadership in the Health Care Sector
This research, the eighth report in our DiverseCity Counts series, is conducted by Dr. Samir Sinha of Mount Sinai Hospital and the University Health Network Hospitals. It examines diversity on boards and in senior management of health care institutions in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Specifically, we look at local health integration networks (LHINs), hospitals, and community care access centres (CCACs).
While past reports have focused on visible minorities, this edition broadens the scope of diversity to include sex/gender identity, visible minorities, disability, and sexual orientation.
The research found:
- Women are well represented in leadership positions – Women make up the majority (61%) of senior management positions, and 40% of governance board members. No gender alternates (transgender, transsexual, intersex) were reported in senior management teams or on boards of any of the institutions surveyed.
- Visible minorities are under-represented, but this varies widely between institutions – Only 16% of those in senior management positions and 14% of board members were reported to be visible minorities. Four in ten institutions reported no visible minorities in senior management positions, as did nearly one-fifth of boards.
- Few people with a disability are in leadership positions – Across the health care sector, in senior management and on boards, only 1% of leaders were reported to be people living with a disability.
- Few lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer (LGBQ) individuals are in leadership positions, with a few exceptions – About 3-4% of leaders were reported to be LGBQ individuals, though this includes a few institutions that reported many individuals, and a majority of institutions that reported none.
The report includes practical recommendations for health care institutions that want to diversify their leadership.
Read the full report, A Snapshot of Diverse Leadership in the Health Care Sector (PDF), or download the summary of the research (PDF).
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