Our services
These services are aimed at any person or organization working in health and social services.
- Provide information on the concepts of equity, diversity and inclusion, and sex and gender analysis.
- Provide information on best practices for integrating EDI and sex and gender analysis into your project or organization
- Recommend relevant EDI tools
- Provide online resources
- Provide coaching support according to the availability of resource persons
Its mission is to:
- support (inform, exchange, recommend) Unit members in taking into account issues related to EDI and analyses concerning sex and gender determinants in the various projects within the Unit;
- train and advise the Scientific Committee and SSA-RUISSS teams as required;
- collaborate with other SRAP entities.
The sub-committee is co-chaired by Professor Sara Ahmed (McGill University) and Professor Amédé Gogovor (Université Laval).
Members of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Sex, Gender sub-committee of the SSA Unit
- Sara Ahmed, researcher
- Samira Amil, patient partner
- Amédé Gogovor, researcher
- Robert-Paul Juster, researcher
- Oscar Labra, researcher,
- Anaïs Lacasse, researcher
- Bilkis Vissandjée, researcher
An approach sensitive to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) aims to raise awareness of the complexity of the intersecting dynamics of determinants rooted in a historical, social, economic and cultural context, which manifest themselves in the construction of multiple identities, in all their diversity.
Sex and gender-based analysis, combined with EDI considerations, is “an analytical process used to assess the potential impact of government and research initiatives on different groups of women, men, girls, boys and people of diverse gender identities” (CIHR).
Sensitivity to EDI and GBA is thus dependent on the adoption of concrete strategies for knowledge generation and the development of innovative interventions that address clinical, population, organizational and structural challenges, with and for the populations concerned.
Source: A guide to Applying an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Approach with Sensitivity
Key questions on sex and gender
When we talk about sex, we are generally referring to biological sex, defined by physiological characteristics such as chromosomes, hormones, gene expression and the reproductive system. This generally corresponds to the sex assigned at birth, which can be found on official documents. However, some people are born with physical characteristics that do not fit a binary definition of sex (female or male) or have variations in their sexual development, particularly at puberty. These individuals, who are referred to as intersex or developmentally disabled, are generally assigned a binary sex at birth, particularly in countries or regions that do not allow for the assignment of a non-binary sex at birth (Canada is one such country). In research, sex assigned at birth is most often included, as it is easier to measure because of its binary quality.

Gender is a socio-cultural construct that is composed of several dimensions, such as gender identity, gender relations, gender roles, institutionalized gender, etc. It may or may not correspond to the sex (assigned at birth or biologically) of the individual. It may or may not correspond to the sex (assigned at birth or biological) of the individual. Gender is beginning to be measured more frequently in studies, but the diversity of methods used and the evolution of definitions make its interpretation difficult. It is essential to move away from stereotypical characteristics associated with binary genders (femininity and masculinity) in order to measure the experience and perception of individuals without tainting the results with spatial and temporal bias.

A growing corpus of literature that has evaluated both concepts highlights the fact that gender is as relevant or more relevant to measure in research than sex assigned at birth (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2022). The fact that we rarely have access to the true biological sex of study participants makes the use of sex assigned at birth common practice. This may not be representative of participants’ biological sex, which is still medically sensitive, or of their life experience. Measuring gender allows for the identification of patterns that are not present when measuring sex at birth alone and provides a deeper, more realistic dimension to the results. A joint measurement of sex and gender is therefore ideal.
Two tools are proposed by our team: one corresponds to a self-reported measure of perceived gender to be integrated before data collection, while the other corresponds to a method for creating a composite gender index after data collection when only sex assigned at birth has been measured. The proposed tools are presented in two different papers:
- How do we indirectly measure gender in human research? Presentation of a guide for creating a composite gender index
- Measuring gender in human research, a new adapted questionnaire


Web accessibility
The Unité de Soutien SSA Québec wants its website to be accessible to people with disabilities and physical restrictions. Given this concern, it has designed its site to comply with many Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). For more information
Guide to inclusive and epicene writing (in french)
This guide is intended to help us be an inclusive organization and to optimize our communications. It is intended to be practical and easy to use, and is intended for use by the entire community of the Unité de soutien SSA Québec. The adoption of this guide is part of the desire to ensure equal representation of people in the discourse of patient-oriented research (POR) in french in Quebec. We encourage you to send your questions and comments by email to ssaquebec@usherbrooke.ca.
News
See allA longitudinal project investigates the biological, psychological, and social signatures of patients visiting the emergency of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal
Microsite on patient partnership in research: interactive tour, resources and testimonials
Working in partnership in health and social services: a team testifies to its success
Research grant applications: Sensitive Approach to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Research
Deliverables and tools
See allA longitudinal project investigates the biological, psychological, and social signatures of patients visiting the emergency of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal
Microsite on patient partnership in research: interactive tour, resources and testimonials
Working in partnership in health and social services: a team testifies to its success
Research grant applications: Sensitive Approach to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Research
Publications
See allA longitudinal project investigates the biological, psychological, and social signatures of patients visiting the emergency of the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal
Unité de soutien SRAP du Québec has published its 2014–2021 activity report for the community
Proper usage of sex and gender in studies of shared decision-making intervention: an assessment by Dr. Lionel Adisso and the Unité de soutien SRAP du Québec
Our postdoctoral fellow Amédé Gogovor and his colleagues publish an analysis on the challenges and solutions of integrating sex and gender considerations in knowledge translation
Videos
See allWorking in partnership in health and social services: a team testifies to its success
Find out what's a learning health system in 60 seconds
Webinar on ENGAGE: a project to involve low-literacy patients in research
Themes
See allDecision-making
Québec's health system
Service request
When you apply for support from the Unité de soutien SSA Québec, you are taking part in the emergence of a learning health system (LHS). We offer three types of support: training, consultation and tools.
Team
Amédé Gogovor
Equity, diversity, inclusion, sex and gender sub-committee
Oscar Labra
Equity, diversity, inclusion, sex and gender sub-committee
Samira Amil
Patient Partner Comanagement of the Université Laval SSA-RUISSS team and the Partnership branch of the Université Laval SSA-RUISSS team, Patient co-promotion of the project ”Improving the trajectory of seniors in the transition from home to residential care” of the PATIenTS program and Equity, diversity, inclusion, sex and gender sub-committee
Anaïs Lacasse
Scientific Management of the TorSaDE research community / Population data and Equity, diversity, inclusion, sex and gender sub-committee
Find out more about our Data to knowledge methodology expertise
Find out more about the TorSaDE research community and the TorSaDE population data cohort
Bilkis Vissandjee
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Robert-Paul Juster
Sex and Gender Analysis
Tracie A Barnett
Scientific Comanagement of the Data to knowledge axis and scientific Representation of the Partnership branch of the McGill SSA-RUISSS team
Find out more about our complementary expertise
Find out more about our Patient-Public-Organizational Partnership expertise
Sonia Lussier
Patient partner Comanagement of the axis Data to knowledge and of the partnership branch of the McGill SSA-RUISSS team as well as patient co-promotion project ”Care trajectory related to respiratory infections” of the PATIenTS program
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