The University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine has programs to bring more student diversity, including one for Indigenous admissions and one for social accountability, as in those with lower incomes. Dean of the College, Dr. Preston Smith, says 10 per cent of the MD degree seats are reserved for Indigenous students. The College of Medicine has made an effort to hire more Indigenous faculty members and also now has a Chair in Indigenous Health Research. The U of S already has the second highest number of graduates of Indigenous doctors in the country, next to the University of Manitoba.
The diversity and social accountability admissions program is about bringing more students in where funding is a challenge. Dr. Smith says across North America, the diversity of physicians has improved with more women and ethnic backgrounds represented, but the number of lower income students has declined, so this program is to alleviate that. The first students accepted through this program begin this fall with 6 spots allocated for this program each year.