“My late mentor Dr. Jack Tu had a long-standing interest in cardiovascular outcomes research with respect to ethnic background given that we live in such a diverse country,” he said. “We need to do more research so that we know what is happening, and so we can find the best ways to prevent disease and care for patients from different backgrounds.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Ko worked with a team to look at how COVID-19 affects people with different ethnic backgrounds.

But, he says, conducting this kind of work isn’t easy.

“It’s difficult to do because of the lack of data,” Dr. Ko says. “There’s no standardized way of collecting demographic data such as race and ethnic background, and that lack of information makes it really hard. Maybe this stems from fear of stigmatization. But more data is important so that we can find out what is happening and we can design ways to help.”

He says while many healthcare institutions have shied away from collecting demographic data in the past, it’s important that we find an appropriate way of asking for this information.

Dr. Ko says there are increasing conversations happening across Canada about how important this data is, and how to start to collecting and using it. Here in Toronto, Sunnybrook is working together with partners to ensure our efforts to collect and use demographic data are aligned across the system, and are designed to support action and accountability.

A pilot survey has launched on several units, wherein patients are asked to self-identify their ethnic background. Dr. Ko says it’s a step in the right direction.

“Without adequate data, we are just guessing around outcomes and needs,” Dr. Ko said.

With COVID-19, for example, it became clear quite quickly that some groups of people had poorer outcomes.

“Early in the pandemic, in long-term care homes, more Chinese seniors were impacted by COVID. In the community and workplaces, large numbers of South Asian men contracted the virus,” Dr. Ko explained. “This is really important information.”

“Toronto is so diverse, people come from many places and countries and we try to accept and celebrate each other’s differences. We know there are differences in health outcomes among people based on their ethnicity, but we lack the data to really understand why. By collecting that data and doing the research, we can then better determine ways to ensure everyone has access to the prevention programs, screening and care they need.”

Dr. Ko says Asian Heritage Month is a good time to reflect on this and to celebrate members of the Asian community who have made valuable contributions to the field of medicine.

“I have been afforded wonderful opportunities in Canada. I feel that it is important to have a chance to celebrate and value our diversity.”

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“I wanted to learn more and to help people,” she recalls.

She says they were greeted with a warm east coast welcome.

“I was at first afraid to answer the phone when it rang, worried about the language barrier,” Bing said, “but people were so friendly and made us feel so welcome. People smiled on the street; people invited us for Christmas.”

Bing is now a nurse practitioner in Sunnybrook’s Schulich Heart Program. Her experience, she says, has been very different to that of some Chinese people in Canada, particularly in recent years when reports indicate that incidence of anti-Asian racism has been on the rise.

“I have personally not experienced this and for that I am so grateful,” Bing said. “But we have all heard about these hate crimes, particularly against Chinese people. And these are often violent and partially motivated by COVID-19 pandemic and the fact the illness was first identified in China.”

After learning of the brutal killing of six Asian women in an Atlanta spa last March, Bing and her husband wondered how to speak to their three children about the issue of anti-Asian hate.

“Our children are Canadian. They were born here and have lived here their whole lives. But they too could be victims of anti-Asian racism. So, we spoke to them about how this is a risk for them because of their skin and their culture. And that we have to stand up together against this.”

The family decided they would go together to a Stop Anti-Asian Racism rally held last March in Nathan Phillips Square. They made signs, which they also shared with their neighbours, and made the trek downtown — where they were greeted with a sea of support.

Bing and her family at a Stop Anti-Asian Racism rally in Toronto in March 2021.

“It was a rainy day and hundreds of people came out. People from all backgrounds and cultures, all in support of Asian communities. It was a great reminder for us all that we are stronger together. We too have to stand up for other communities who suffer from racism and acts of hatred.”

Bing says Asian Heritage Month provides an opportunity to celebrate diversity and to learn and support each other— something she says she’s felt throughout her now 15-year career at Sunnybrook.

“I say now that Sunnybrook is my hometown. I have received wonderful support from my colleagues, mentors and educators from when I started here as a registered nurse and throughout my continued schooling to become a nurse practitioner,” Bing said. “I would also like to express my gratitude to my previous and current managers and director for all their support and guidance. Without it, I will not be able to achieve my goals and continue to improve.”

The post “We are stronger together:” A reflection on Asian Heritage Month appeared first on Your Health Matters.