Tracey Hillier

Biography

Executive Dean and Director of the Alberta Institute, an international medical school collaboration between the University of Alberta and Wenzhou Medical University in China. Building on prior medical education leadership as Associate Dean MD Program and Associate Dean Curriculum at the University of Alberta and my training as both a Family Physician and Radiologist. Focused on excellence in clinical medicine, curriculum development, social accountability, community service, and the need for health systems thinking to educate patient-centered physicians, which communities and health teams need.

I belong to the Mi'kmaq Qalipu First Nation. I am Co-Director of the Situated Knowledges: Indigenous Peoples and Places for the University of Alberta, a member of the Vice-Provost Indigenous Programming and Research Advisory Council, the Indigenous Research Strategy Task Force, the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry EDI and Indigenous Initiatives Multi-Institute Committee and the Steering Committee for Indigenous Initiatives and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Clinical Trials. Prior service on the University of Alberta Vice-President Research and Innovation Advisory Committee and the Intellectual Property & Commercialization Policy and Process Review Committee. I am a member of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada and the National Consortium for Indigenous Medical Education Assessment Committee.

I am also a member of the CIHR Accelerating Clinical Trials Consortium including the Indigenous Subcommittee and the ACT training committee. I serve on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Emergency Trauma and Acute Care Radiology Society and am Vice-Chair for the Canadian Association of Radiologists Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging at the University of Alberta. I completed a BSc in Nursing (1990) an MD degree (1997) and a residency in family medicine (1999) at McMaster University. I practiced community family medicine in St Albert, Alberta; at the Canadian Forces Base in Edmonton and in rural communities in Saskatchewan. I later completed a residency in radiology and diagnostic imaging at the University of Alberta and a fellowship in emergency trauma radiology at the University of British Columbia (2011). I have a Master’s in Education (Health Sciences Education) from the University of Alberta (2016).

I am passionate about social accountability and improving health care for diverse and marginalized populations. My research and scholarly interests include curriculum development using a decolonizing and anti-oppressive approach and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. I have led extensive MD Program curricular renewal with increased focus on primary care, generalism, the social determinants of health, health systems science, community engagement, cultural safety and the significant health disparities that exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. I brought an Indigenous Elder onto the MD program leadership team as an integrated member and advisor to the team and as a full-time support for learners. I have been actively involved in promoting student and community-led curricular change and have a long-standing interest in improving the mental health and wellbeing of learners and communities.

I believe that medicine is a service profession and that as a profession, we will have the best patient outcomes when we better reflect the populations that we serve. To that end, I have led a review of medical school admissions for the University of Alberta with the goal to identify and remove barriers to increasing diversity in the medical student population. I am particularly interested in supporting diverse learners in their medical education journey. As a result of my commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and equity, I was selected as a recipient of a University of Alberta Equity, Diversity and Inclusion award in 2016.