Meet the PESJO Team

Headshot of Dr. Pamela Chu, wearing a plum-coloured sweater against a tan background

Dr. Pamela Chu (she/her)

Associate Dean, Precision Equity & Social Justice Office

The Precision Equity and Social Justice Office (PESJO) works under the leadership of Dr. Pamela Chu. She has served as Associate Dean, Professionalism, Equity and Diversity since 2019, when she was recruited by, served under, and was privileged to be mentored by, then Vice Dean, Dr. Glenda MacQueen. Dr. Chu began her role months before the murder of George Floyd and the beginning of the COVID pandemic and is passionate in her belief that without an equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture in medicine and medical science, there can be no healthy future for communities and the people living in them.  

She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology with a cross-appointment in the Department of Oncology, in the section of Gynaecologic Oncology. While leading the Precision Equity and Social Justice Office, Pam has championed the School’s mandate of creating a safe and just culture through work in 3 key pillars of EDIA – Literacy, Pathways, and Data & Processes.

Portrait of Mairi Babey

Mairi Babey (she/her)

PESJO Program Coordinator

Working in the area of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility is a dream come true for Mairi, providing her an opportunity to influence systemic change and to make a difference in the lives of others. She took a meandering path to end up in PESJO, including employment as a naturalist, manager of not-for-profit organization, and project coordinator with UCalgary. 

In her spare time, Mairi enjoys birdwatching, gardening, reading, curling and petting her cats. 

portrait of Gauri Taneja

Gauri Taneja (she/her)

EDI Specialist, Education

Having been raised in a family of educators and entrepreneurs, Gauri developed a passion for dismantling systems and improving processes in educational settings quite early. Her calling for social justice work finally sculpted into a profession during her time at the University of British Columbia where she worked on strategic planning, EDI education, and wellness.

Through her role, Gauri:

  • Develops, implements, and delivers CSM-wide EDI literacy programming
  • Collaborates with EDI and Education Leads within CSM and beyond to support our EDI mission, vision, and values
  • Integrates EDI best practices into curriculum design/curricula; teaching, selection and assessment activities; and learning and teaching environments across CSM

When she is not thinking about EDI, Gauri plays the piano, chess, or explores nature and food.

portrait of Arden chan

Arden Chan (they/them)

EDI Specialist, Policy & Communication

Arden is a registered social worker by education and training. Their professional experience has been spent in the realms of sexual and reproductive health, gender and sexual diversity, advocacy, and youth education. They were led to their previous and present roles by their deep passion for community-building, anti-oppression, harm-reduction, and social change. 

Outside of work, Arden is a classical pianist and cellist, a voracious reader and writer, and tries their best to keep up from the back row of dance classes. They will speak to you as enthusiastically about social justice topics as they will about linguistics, heterotopia, and small-town Alberta road trips. 

red orange fractals

Justine Dogbe (she/her)

Support To Entry Program (STEP) Coordinator

Justine Dogbe is a dynamic professional with almost 14 years of experience in post secondary education and community engagement. Since being a formal student and completing her degree in Sociology, Psychology and French, she has held a variety of career roles including Continuing Education Instructor, Leadership Education Specialist, Career Mentorship Coordinator and International Program Director. Each of these has demonstrated her ability to invigorate learners and community members to dive deep into leadership development and acquire skills that support their career paths all while making meaningful connections and impact. 

Justine's recent accomplishments include her successfully advocating for approximately $1 million in Government funding for the institution-wide mentoring program for first year students that she designed from the ground up which encompassed over 3000 participants during the pandemic over a three year period. She revitalized a career based mentorship initiative for equity-deserving individuals pursuing the business industry. She currently works with a program for marginalized students on the path to medical school as well as entrepreneurs in early to midstage of their ventures seeking mentorship. She was recognized for these efforts as an Inclusion Diversity Equity Award (I.D.E.A) Leader, Mental Health Advocate, Sexual Violence Support Guide. As a lifelong learner, she continues to expand her knowledge and skill set to make impactful contributions in her community and beyond.