#IamMGH Black Voices – Meet Dr. Leke Badmos

#IamMGH tells the stories of our people. In honour of Black History Month, we’re centring the voices and lived experiences of our Black staff and physicians throughout February. Meet Dr. Leke Badmos, Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH).

“I’ve always loved looking after people. As a child, I thought it would be a great idea to treat and take care of people for a living. When I attended medical school in London, U.K., I fell in love with obstetrics and gynecology because the joy of seeing babies born is so beautiful. The patients were always so grateful and happy. I found it so fulfilling to help these parents and families bring a newborn into the world and I connected with the work immediately. It’s one of my favourite parts of the job.

I decided to join MGH’s Inclusion Alliance because I’ve realized, in healthcare and elsewhere, people of colour are not always treated equally. This is something that I think we need to make everyone in society aware of so we can all play a role in trying to make things better. I want people to have a better understanding of the experiences of our patients and healthcare providers so we can treat people as fairly as possible, no matter their race or the colour of their skin. This will hopefully improve the experience of healthcare workers as well as patient care and satisfaction.

Growing up, I’ve had to develop tough skin in response to incidents of racism I’ve seen or experienced. I feel this has better prepared me as a person for my time in the healthcare system and at large. I’ve seen some aspiring physicians and colleagues have a hard time because perhaps they were not expecting these experiences of what I call ‘subtle racism’ and systemic microaggressions.

In 2001, this encouraged me and some of my colleagues to form an organization called CANPAD, the Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Dentists. This is a non-profit advocacy organization that promotes education and awareness and aims to contribute meaningfully to advance the health sector in Canada and Nigeria. The group now consists of over 200 MDs of Nigerian descent and I was an executive and on the board for many years. I am also a patron of the Olumo Progressive Association of Canada (OPAC), a non-profit that offers scholarships to underprivileged kids in Toronto.

In a perfect world, these inequities and ‘subtle racism’ would not be things health providers and patients have to prepare themselves for. But until then, it’s up to us to educate ourselves and others so we know what’s right and wrong. I believe that everyone should be treated fairly and with mutual respect. No one is asking for extra or special treatment but equity and fairness.”