Dr. Jessica Dunkley

Dr. Jessica Dunkley

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Vancouver, British Columbia

Senior Dermatology Resident | Family Physician | Public Health Speaker

Dr. Jessica Dunkley is a deaf Canadian dermatology resident and family physician, who became the first deaf Métis doctor in Canada after completing her medical degree at the University of Ottawa in 2010. She is currently completing her residency in dermatology at the University of British Columbia. Dunkley has made it her mission to connect the deaf community with the medical community, hosting American Sign Language medical terminology workshops for interpreters and health workshops for the deaf community. She has faced challenges due to her hearing loss, but her determination and hard work have allowed her to achieve her dreams of becoming a physician.

DR. JESSICA DUNKLEY BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Jessica Dunkley is a Canadian dermatology resident and family physician who is considered to be one of the first deaf doctors in the country. Dunkley completed her medical degree at the University of Ottawa in 2010, where she became the first deaf Métis doctor in Canada. Dr. Jessica Dunkley is currently completing her residency in dermatology at the University of British Columbia. As one of Canada’s first deaf physicians, Dunkley has made it her mission to connect the deaf community with the medical community, hosting American Sign Language medical terminology workshops for interpreters and health workshops for the deaf community. Before her medical education, Dunkley also volunteered as a physiotherapist for international events including the Deaflympics and the World Ice Hockey Championships for the Deaf.

Throughout her career, Dr. Jessica Dunkley has been dedicated to connecting with her Métis roots and has worked with Aboriginal groups across the country. She was inducted into the National Aboriginal Health Organization’s Role Model Program in 2007.

Dunkley’s journey to becoming a dermatology resident was not easy. Her first residency match sent her to the University of British Columbia’s dermatology program, one of the most competitive positions in the country. Although Dr. Jessica Dunkley is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and Quebec Sign Language and can speak English, interpreters played a key role in her ability to participate in class. As a resident, Dr. Jessica Dunkley is considered both a student and an employee of Alberta Health Services, and the responsibility to provide her with an interpreter is shared.

Dunkley’s clinical ability was called into question due to her hearing loss, but she demonstrated that interpretation in the clinic is only required in special circumstances, and her previous experiences as a physical therapist and medical student show that Dr. Jessica Dunkley can function safely in the clinical environment. She also illustrated that patient flow would not be affected because ASL interpretation happens in real-time, and interpreters are held to the same confidentiality agreement as physicians. Her specialized stethoscope, which plugs directly into her hearing aid, allows her to assess heart and breathing sounds as easily as a physician without hearing loss. Dunkley’s outstanding academic record as a medical student emphasized that she is knowledgeable about medicine.

Dunkley’s determination and hard work have allowed her to achieve her dreams of becoming a physician, despite the many obstacles she faced along the way. Dr. Jessica Dunkley has proven that her deafness is not a hindrance to her ability to practice medicine and has worked to raise awareness about the importance of accommodating deaf individuals in the medical community. Outside of medicine, Dr. Jessica Dunkley enjoys connecting with her Métis roots and has worked to support Aboriginal groups across the country.

Videos

Podcasts

Coming Soon!

Dr. Jessica Dunkley Topic Presentations

intersectionality in the workplace: strategies for promoting diversity and inclusion

  • Virtual PresentationKeynote PresentationWorkshop SessionHalf Day TrainingFull Day Training
  • Dr. Jessica Dunkley shares her experience and expertise on intersectionality in the workplace. As a Métis, a woman, and a deaf physician, she understands the importance of recognizing and valuing individuals with multiple identities and experiences. Through her talk, she will explore how intersectionality can be used to identify and address barriers to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

    She will discuss proven strategies for promoting intersectionality in recruitment, retention, and professional development, including mentorship programs and employee resource groups. Dr. Dunkley will also provide examples and insights on building a culture of belonging where individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences can thrive. Her goal is to inspire organizations to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and create a workplace where all individuals can feel valued and supported, regardless of their identity or background.

access able workplaces: strategies for building an inclusive environment for individuals with disabilities

celebrating differences in the workplace: building a culture of diversity and inclusion

intersectionality in leadership: strategies for inclusive and effective leadership

culture safe care: promoting culturally responsive healthcare

patient-focused care: strategies for delivering high-quality, compassionate healthcare

combatting ableism in healthcare and medical education

reducing disparities in healthcare for disabled individuals

diversity as a strategy: building a competitive advantage through inclusion

the abled experience: understanding privilege and promoting inclusion

intersectionality in healthcare: promoting equitable and culturally responsive care

building inclusive and accessible learning environments: strategies for promoting intersectionality and inclusion in education

Testimonials

Thank you so much, Dr. Jessica Dunkley, for being with us today. It was great listening to you. As a person who complains about little things, I couldn’t agree more on ‘The only disability in life is bad attitude’.  Since i joined our Ability ERG, listening to our speakers’ stories did make me see thing differently. Once again, thank you so much for sharing your story today. I know you had couple of slides left, and I apologize for interrupting you. I really wish we had more time so we would have listened to your full speech.  I hope we can keep in touch and work more in the future.

Ketha Kanthasamy

Manulife

Articles & Media

Edmonton woman fights the odds to make history in Canada’s medical world

Global News

Dr. Jessica Dunkley has overcome incredible odds to become one of Canada’s first deaf doctors. It’s a career she first thought about when she was 10, but one that – back then – seemed unattainable. Born to deaf parents who hadn’t attended university, Dr. Jessica Dunkley didn’t even consider post secondary education as an option at first. As her interest in medicine grew, though, she decided to study physiotherapy. It was then that she learned about a special electronic stethoscope, one with a visual display.
View
Physicians with disabilities often undervalued

National Institutes of Health

Dr. Jessica Dunkley is currently completing her residency in dermatology at the University of British Columbia. Like most doctors-in-training in this country, she completed her undergraduate medical degree and hoped to pursue a specialty. Unlike most doctors in training, Dunkley’s path to her chosen profession also required going to the BC Human Rights Tribunal and the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
View
UAlberta welcomes first deaf medical resident

University of Alberta

As one of Canada's first deaf physicians, Dr. Jessica Dunkley takes a special interest in connecting the deaf community with the medical community. She hosts American Sign Language medical terminology workshops for interpreters, especially those who work in medical settings. She also hosts health workshops for the deaf community. Before her medical education, Dr. Jessica Dunkley also volunteered as a physiotherapist for international events including the Deaflympics and the World Ice Hockey Championships for the Deaf.
View
Deaf medical resident on path to becoming 'an amazing physician

Press Reader

Dr. Jessica Dunkley was born deaf into a deaf family in Toronto and raised in Vancouver. her interest in medicine began around 10 when she was given a plastic anatomy toy that she could take apart and reassemble.
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Books

Coming Soon!

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Dr. Jessica Dunkley is an expert professional key note speaker with a lot of experience speaking and delivering engaging talks to organizations and audiences in Canada. Each of Speaker Bureau Canada's talent have different ways to assess their fees, and Dr. Jessica Dunkley speaker fee ranges depending on the size of the audience, event format (in person or virtual), event location, and if the organization booking them is a non profit, association, government department/government agency or business/corporation. The speakers we work with are flexible with their fees, and it is important for us to learn more about your event before we approach them, as it is our role to work for you, and to help you find a speaker within budget. 

Please contact Speakers Bureau of Canada and provide us with your event details so that we can contact Dr. Jessica Dunkley to check availability or confirm the pricing and associated costs to hire a great speaker like Dr. Jessica Dunkley for your event. As Dr. Jessica Dunkley's agent and as a Canadian top speaker bureau and talent agency for speakers, we are able to propose each event opportunity from each host organization's behalf to try to help you get in touch with Dr. Jessica Dunkley and confirm them for your in person or online meeting/event. We can also provide and advise on the booking process and potentially negotiate their fee. Speakers Canada is a client focused speaker agency, and we work for you in finding good speakers for your team meetings and booking processes.

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When SBC receives a request to book Dr. Jessica Dunkley we provide you with their speaker fees, travel costs and check their schedules. We work closely with the host organization's event planning team and the speaker to handle the logistics and to relay or negotiate associated costs. Our talented team members then will work with our talent directly or their agent/manager/assistant to confirm the Canadian speaker fee and travel expenses, so that event planning teams can receive an official quote for the speaker appearing at the event. Speaker fees and travel costs vary per speaker and our role is to contact Dr. Jessica Dunkley about your event, after we have connected with the event organizers to learn all the event details and/or conference program. Each booking request is unique since session durations and audience sizes can vary which may affect the speaker's fees. If you are looking to hire Dr. Jessica Dunkley, we recommend filling out the booking request form so a booking agent from Speakers Bureau Canada can get in touch with our talent to help you coordinate with your team to engage the speaker for a successful event.