Social Accountability Task Group Report
The Social Accountability Task Group (SATG) was formed in June 2021, at the request of the Dean, to develop recommendations for a social accountability framework. This framework was designed to enable the FoMD to meet its goal of directing education, research, and service activities towards addressing the priority health concerns of the communities it serves.
Between December 2021 and February 2022, the SATG convened 12 focus groups with external stakeholders to better understand how the FoMD can meet its social accountability mandate. Feedback was also sought from undergraduate students, graduate students, and postgraduate medical trainees. Based on this input a vision for social accountability, as well as a proposed framework, were then developed and refined with input from key internal stakeholders between April and May 2022.
The SATG recommended the following to support the activities required to operationalize the FoMD’s vision for social accountability:
- The development of a dedicated Social Accountability Unit to support and coordinate FoMD activities related to social accountability
- The identification of a Social Accountability Lead with senior decision making authority and membership in key decision making committees, with direct reporting to the Dean
- Access to dedicated administrative and project management support to ensure seamless collaboration with communities, all levels of government, those within the FoMD and the College of Health Sciences, and more broadly across the University of Alberta
- Given the need to integrate social accountability into all aspects of the FoMD’s work, a new or standalone structure is warranted
The SATG recognizes that authentic and ongoing community engagement, continuous refinement of the vision, and the development of meaningful relationships are paramount to becoming a more socially accountable institution. While there is much more engagement that needs to occur, the goal was to recommend a realistic initial framework that has the potential to grow and change alongside community-identified priorities.