CRIW Ignite! Award 2025
The Centre for Research on Inclusion at Work (CRIW) is pleased to officially announce the recipients of 2025’s CRIW Ignite! research grant. This annual competition is designed to advance workplace inclusion by supporting collaborative research projects that align with the Centre’s mission of producing and sharing scholarship on topics of relevance to equity, diversity and inclusion. This year, our grant provided $7,000 to a unique project, which examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can reduce inequities in Canada’s healthcare system. Congratulations Dr. Lindsay McShane and her research assistant Narmin Banu! Read below for more information about their project.
Leveraging AI to Bridge Gaps in Healthcare Equity
Principal Investigator: Dr. Lindsay McShane, Associate Professor, Sprott School of Business Research Assistant: Narmin Tartila Banu, Ph.D. Candidate, Sprott School of Business
This research examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can reduce inequities in Canada’s publicly funded yet uneven healthcare system, where access often depends on having a family doctor or the ability to pursue alternative options. It asks: How can AI improve access to healthcare providers? What drives public acceptance of AI-powered medical advice? Using interviews and experiments, the project investigates accountability as a key mechanism and human oversight as a moderating factor influencing trust and adherence. The findings aim to inform equitable and inclusive AI-based healthcare solutions and shape public understanding of fairness, innovation, and trust in digital health systems.
CRIW Ignite! is one of the vehicles through which CRIW aims to advance knowledge and drive change towards more inclusive workplaces that support greater participation of all peoples. For more information, visit CRIW’s web pages on Research Support and Resources and Grants.
CRIW’s research activities and knowledge-sharing efforts are possible, in part, through generous financial support from the RBC Foundation. This funding is providing opportunities for conducting and sharing innovative research on inclusion at work. CRIW is grateful for the RBC Foundation’s support in making its work possible.