About

As part of its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) program, the Canadian Institute of Statistical Sciences (CANSSI) regularly organizes EDI workshops and training sessions for the statistical sciences community, often in partnership with Academic Impressions. We invite you to join us for this two-hour online workshop led by Sana Loue of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Learning Objective Participants will learn techniques and strategies to increase their own cultural humility and how to apply these techniques and strategies to mitigate the ways that bias shows up in day to day interactions. Program We all have biases that show up in our interactions and perceptions of others. But these biases can be problematic when they are used unconsciously or consciously to judge, misinterpret, or limit our interactions with others. How often do you pause and reflect on your social interactions and ask yourself “What did I assume about this person that was not accurate”? By reflecting and holding ourselves accountable for how biases show up in our interactions, we not only encourage our own personal growth, but we also create opportunity to fully understand another person’s lived experience. During the first half of this workshop, you will understand the root cause of your biases and develop a practice that helps mitigate bias in your interactions with others. We’ll use the time in the second half to learn and practice techniques that you can incorporate into your daily routine to help you become a more culturally conscious and sensitive individual. Simply put, you’ll learn how to integrate the often competing responses from your head and heart. These techniques will help you become more aware of your own biases and how they get triggered in your interactions with others, maintain better self control in the moment when your biases are triggered, and cultivate more meaningful growth in yourself as well as in your relationships with others. Section 1: Understanding Bias & Cultural Humility First, our instructor will help you understand personal bias including how you develop and sustain your biases over time. Next, you will learn the definition of cultural humility and apply this framework to explore your own biases through two exercises. Section 2: Identifying Barriers to Developing Cultural Humility We will discuss and identify possible barriers that prevent you from applying cultural humility in your interactions with others, including: Recognizing your personal triggers Forgiving yourself and others for missteps Believing that you or others can change Section 3: Applying Cultural Humility Our instructor will guide you through a facilitated exercise that will help you foster cultural humility in your daily routine to identify, analyze, challenge, and mitigate your personal biases. Section 4: Techniques to Increase Cultural Humility You’ll be introduced to each of the following techniques: journaling, body scans, accountability partners, and mindfulness meditation. You’ll have the opportunity to apply them to a case study and discuss how they can be used to help you reflect and modulate your thoughts and behaviors. Workshop Faculty Sana Loue, J.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S.S.A., M.A., LISW, CST-T, AVT Professor in the Department of Bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Dr. Loue holds secondary appointments in Psychiatry and Global Health at the School of Medicine and in Social Work at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at CWRU. She served as the medical school’s inaugural Vice Dean for Faculty Development and Diversity from 2012–2020. Dr. Loue has been trained in law (JD), epidemiology (PhD), medical anthropology (PhD), social work (MSSA), secondary education (MA), public health (MPH) and theology (MA) and is ordained as an interfaith minister through the New Seminary in New York and as a Modern Rabbi, through Rabbinical Seminary International, also in New York. Her empirical research has focused on HIV risk and prevention, severe mental illness, family violence, and research ethics.