PPE for All: Inclusive and Safe Personal Protective Equipment for Research Spaces
The Healthy Research Teams & Labs Initiative has awarded Haidy Giratallah, Saba Khan, Chetana Kulkarni, and Ahlia Khan-Trottier (pictured left to right) a $5,000 grant to “PPE for All: Inclusive and Safe Personal Protective Equipment for Research Spaces.”
The project seeks to advance inclusion and belonging in health science research environments through sourcing and pilot testing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is geared towards diverse needs. The project aims to address fit, function, and identity compatibility for religious headwear, disability-related needs, and maternity and broader sizing across a range of PPE categories.
Led byHaidy Giratallah, a post-doctoral fellow inPharmacology and Toxicology, the project is a collaboration between faculty, staff and learners inBiochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, theOffice of Inclusion and Diversity,the Office of Research & Health Science Education (RHSE),and theOffice of Learner Affairs.This project is kindly supported by Dr. Lisa Richardson, Vice-Dean, Strategy and Governance, Temerty Faculty of Medicine; Dr. Justine Nodwell, Vice-Dean, Research & Health Science Education, Temerty Faculty of Medicine; the EHS office; and the MedStore. The team acknowledges Dr. Rebecca Laposa for the original inception of this project.
“This initiative is an exciting and practical way to centre inclusion in laboratory experiences here at the University of Toronto. Everyone deserves to be safe in a lab. I encourage learners to visit Medstore and try out the variety of PPE options that this project will be sourcing.” says Dr. Rebecca Laposa, EDIIA lead, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.
