About Us
The Black and Racial Equity (BARE) Research Program was established by Professor Oluwabukola (Bukola) Salami, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Black and Racialized Peoples’ Health at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, with a cross-appointment to the Faculty of Nursing. Our program advances health equity for Black, migrant, and racialized communities in Canada and globally by generating evidence, informing policy and practice, and building the next generation of health equity scholars.
Our Research
Our research addresses racial inequities in health and social service access, experiences, and outcomes. The program is organized across three interconnected streams: Child, Youth and Community Health, which includes the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program, an Afrocentric mentorship initiative that has served hundreds of high school and undergraduate students across Alberta for more than seven years; Health Systems and Cancer, which examines how Black and racialized peoples experience health systems and works to improve cancer prevention, early detection, and care; and Precision Nutrition, which explores how nutrition science can better serve diverse populations.
We are particularly interested in how the intersections of gender, race, class, nationality, and immigration status shape the health of Black, migrant, and racialized communities in Canada — and in translating this knowledge into concrete implications for policy and practice.
Our Approach
Our work is largely situated within the critical social paradigm and grounded in community. We practise community-based participatory research, working alongside community organizations, families, and young people as partners in every stage of the research process — from setting priorities to sharing findings. Our theoretical foundations draw on critical race theory, intersectionality, transnationalism, transnational feminism, postcolonial feminist perspectives, and decolonial African knowledge systems.
We employ a wide range of methodologies, including qualitative and critical ethnographic approaches, case study methodology, participatory action research, quantitative analysis of large population datasets, meta-synthesis, and scoping reviews. Because the issues we study — migration, racism, and health — are complex and multidimensional, we work in interdisciplinary and interprofessional teams spanning medicine, nursing, social work, public health, education, and the social sciences.
Our Reach
The program’s work is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Alberta Innovates, and the Canadian Cancer Society. Professor Salami has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, and the program’s collaborative network spans more than 35 countries, including the African Child and Youth Migration Network of scholars across Africa and the diaspora, and an institutional partnership with the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Beyond research, our program is committed to mentorship and capacity building. Students and trainees — from high school youth to postdoctoral scholars — are integral members of our team, and their contributions shape everything we do, including this knowledge hub.
Learn more about the BARE Research Program at the University of Calgary.
