Bridging science and inclusion

Across Canadian universities, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is recognized as essential to research excellence. Yet inclusion is often treated as an add-on to research methods rather than as a methodology that shapes how research questions are asked, how partnerships are formed, and how knowledge is produced. The Integral Mentorship for Inclusive Science (MISI) Summer School was developed from a different premise: inclusive research produces better research — research that is more accountable to the communities it serves.

Last August twenty graduate trainees participated in Bridging Science and Inclusion, an intensive four-day program organized by the MISI team at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC). The participants included 14 racialized trainees who received the Institute’s EDI Academic Excellence Awards and six recipients of the MISI Inclusive Science prizes — four women graduate students and two Indigenous undergraduate trainees, the latter of whom participated in a 12-week paid internship. Beyond financial support, the summer school offered structured training on inclusive research practices, positioning EDI as an approach to do research.

A central objective of the program was to build a learning cohort reflecting diverse lived experiences, including Indigenous perspectives, often underrepresented in health research training. Recruitment therefore extended beyond traditional academic channels. Partnerships with Indigenous student associations, academic programs, internship platforms, social networks and community organizations were necessary to communicate the opportunity and establish trust. An important lesson is that inclusive recruitment rarely results from open calls alone. The meaningful participation of members of equity-seeking groups requires sustained and persistent efforts through the communication channels and spaces these groups commonly use. 

The summer school approached inclusion as a pedagogical practice. Learning was grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems and facilitated through participatory dialogues, reflections and co-construction activities. Indigenous leaders, researchers and community partners led sessions addressing reciprocal research relationships and the ethical responsibilities of researchers working with communities.

Sessions led by the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay and McGill University Indigenous researcher Alex McComber emphasized the importance of research conducted in partnership with communities, where priorities, data and outcomes are shared rather than extracted. Conversations with Elder Otsi’tsaken:ra (Charlie) Patton challenged trainees to reconsider the role of researchers as allies and reinforced the principle that research must be conducted “with people, not for them.”  

These activities recalled the Two-Eyed Seeing approach, which brings together Western scientific methods and Indigenous ways of knowing without positioning one as superior to the other. From an inclusive pedagogic perspective, these sessions exemplified the importance of working with external partners who can introduce perspectives and histories that academic environments alone cannot provide. Furthermore, a visit to the McCord Museum’s exhibition Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience, introduced trainees to the contextual realities of contemporary Canadian Indigenous people, demonstrating how cultural institutions can support learning about inclusion beyond the classroom.

A key pedagogical strategy required participants to apply inclusive research principles directly to their own projects. Working in small groups, trainees revisited their methodologies through the lenses of intersectionality, community engagement and cultural safety. Rather than attempting to redesign entire projects, participants identified practical adaptations to the communities (patients, knowledge users, inhabitants of the territories studied, etc.) influenced by their work. Some revised informed consent processes to improve accessibility and transparency, while others developed knowledge mobilization strategies intended for community members rather than academic audiences. These exercises helped students distinguish between inclusive intentions and inclusive practices. One main takeaway is that experiential learning helps students understand how inclusion translates into concrete methodological choices influencing knowledge produced and amplifying its impact. 

Trainee reflections revealed meaningful shifts in self-awareness and positionality. During final presentations, several participants explicitly acknowledged how their institutional roles or disciplinary assumptions shaped their interactions with communities. As one participant anonymously reflected, “the program deepened my understanding of intersectionality and Indigenous perspectives in a way that goes beyond a land acknowledgment, giving me the confidence to lead with empathy and ensure the projects we are conducting are culturally sensitive, respectful and lead with people in mind.” 

For institutions, the MISI Summer School demonstrates that inclusive science training is not simply about diversifying participation, but about transforming how and with whom scientific knowledge is produced and shared. Inclusive training requires partnerships with community and cultural organizations, structured opportunities for reflection on the role of research and the researcher’s position, and learning activities that connect inclusion directly to research practice.

By embedding Indigenous knowledge systems and community-oriented ethics into research training, the program encouraged trainees to view inclusion not as an institutional requirement but as an ethical responsibility. In doing so, it offered one example of how universities can prepare emerging researchers to conduct science that is rigorous, accountable, and responsive to the communities it aims to serve. 

The Mentorship for Inclusive Science project — including the summer school and student awards and internships — was made possible through funding provided by the Nova Science Program of Quebec’s Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy.