Our Objectives.
Investigate
To investigate the impact of COVID-19 on African/Black individuals and communities, front line health care workers, and essential service workers, and other systemic barriers to effective prevention, treatment and management of COVID-19 in the African/Black population.
Identify
To identify intervention strategies to respond effectively to the impact of COVID-19 on African/Black individuals, communities, front line health service workers, and essential service workers in Canada and transnationally.
Create
To create knowledge translation and exchange opportunities to enhance government, institutional, community and individual responses to the impact of COVID-19 on African/Black individuals, communities, front line health care workers, and essential service workers in Canada and transnationally.
Support
To support community participation and accountability through the creation of advisory committees both nationally and transnationally.
Meet the Team
Our interdisciplinary research team is made up of experienced senior and emerging researchers in the areas of health promotion, education, disability studies, health policy and administration, sociology, political sciences, psychology, social work, law, history, business administration, quantitative/qualitative research methodologies, women and gender studies, medicine, and community health, among others.

Dr. Roberta Timothy
Principal Investigator
Dr. Roberta Timothy is an Assistant professor in the Teaching Stream at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She has over 30 years experience working in community health. She brings an intersectional, critical race framework to her research. Dr. Timothy is intrinsically linked to Black transnational (global) communities as she prioritizes a critical pan-African feminist health framework in all her research, teaching, and community endeavours. Resistance education, a creative methodology developed and practiced by Dr. Timothy, ensures that all her research is led by and for Black communities from an empowerment-centred, emancipatory framework. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Timothy recently co-organized the first Canada-wide forum discussing COVID-19 impact on African/Black communities in Canada. Her insights in relation to the need for COVID-19 research and programs with African/Black communities in Canada and globally has been broadcasted across Canada on TV and in newspapers. Check out robertatimothy.com for more information on her work.

Dr. Evelyn Kissi
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr. Evelyn Kissi completed her doctorate degree in Critical Disability Studies (CDS) at York University (2020) with focus on understanding disability through the conceptualization of ‘Indigenous African Personhood’. Her future research will focus on African Indigenous spirituality, disability, and education.
Mercedes Umana Garcia MEd, Ph.D. (c)
Volunteer
Mercedes has over 20 years of experience facilitating personal, community, and organizational development and healing processes locally and transnationally as an educator, therapist, researcher, and consultant. Mercedes areas of interest include Anti-Oppression Psychotherapy, community mental health, health psychology, trauma, post-traumatic growth, bereavement, HIV, and intersectional research methodologies and knowledge translation. Mercedes holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Psychology, and is currently a Doctoral student in the Counselling Psychology program at the University of Toronto. Mercedes is Co-Director of Continuing Healing Consultants. She is of Indigenous and African ancestry.
Falan Bennett H.B.Sc.
June-August 2020
MPH Candidate, Class of 2021
Social and Behavioural Health Sciences
Falan Bennett
June-August 2020
MPH Candidate, Class of 2021
Social and Behavioural Health Sciences
Dalla Lana School of Public Health | University of Toronto
Denessia Blake-Hepburn
MPH Candidate, Class of 2021
Social and Behavioural Health Sciences
Denessia Blake-Hepburn
MPH Candidate, Class of 2021
Social and Behavioural Health Sciences
Dalla Lana School of Public Health | University of Toronto
Muna Aden
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands CHC
Muna Aden
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands CHC
http://www.whiwh.com
Feben Aseffa RM, BHSc, MHM
Director, Healthcare Equity, Quality and Human Rights
Association of Ontario Midwives
Feben Aseffa
Director, Healthcare Equity, Quality and Human Rights
Association of Ontario Midwives
www.ontariomidwives.ca
https://www.linkedin.com/in/febenaseffa
feben.aseffa@aom.on.ca
Denessia Blake-Hepburn
MPH Candidate, Social and Behavioral Health Science
Student representation
Denessia Blake-Hepburn
MPH Candidate, Social and Behavioral Health Science
Student representation
Dr. Alana Butler
Assistant Professor,
Faculty of Education,
Queen’s University
Dr. Alana Butler
Assistant Professor,
Faculty of Education,
Queen’s University
https://educ.queensu.ca/alana-butler
Dr. Afua Cooper
Professor within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie University
Dr. Afua Cooper
Professor within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie University
Specializations: Canadian and Atlantic slavery; Abolition and Freedom; Legacies of slavery and Decolonization; Universities Studying Race and Slavery; Black Canadian history; African Diaspora Studies; Women and Gender. Co-ordinator of the Black and African Diaspora Studies Minor. https://afuacooper.com/ ; https://www.dal.ca/faculty/arts/sociology-social-anthropology/faculty-staff/our-faculty/afua-cooper.html ; Portia White Prize Winner (2020) https://www.dal.ca/news/2020/11/18/afua-cooper-wins-portia-white-prize.html
Keddone Dias BComm
MPPAL Executive Director,
LAMP Community Health Centre
Keddone Dias
MPPAL Executive Director,
LAMP Community Health Centre
www.LAMPCHC.org
Dr. Azza Eissa PhD., MD.
MD, PhD
Dr. Azza Eissa
MD, PhD. Clinician Scholar at the University of Toronto Department of Family & Community Medicine.
A Freelance Journalist/ CIH trainee at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health Global Journalism Program.
Manolli Ekra
Senior Coordinator,
Policy and Research / Coordonnatrice Principale, Politique et Recherche,
OCASI
Manolli Ekra
Senior Coordinator,
Policy and Research / Coordonnatrice Principale, Politique et Recherche,
OCASI
https://ocasi.org/
Esther Enyolu
Executive Director, WMRCC of Durham
Esther Enyolu
Executive Director, WMRCC of Durham
https://www.wmrcc.org
Dr. June Francis LLB; PhD
Co-Director -The Co-Laboratorio Project
Director Institute for Diaspora Research and Engagement
Dr. June Francis
Co-Director -The Co-Laboratorio Project
Director Institute for Diaspora Research and Engagement
Associate Professor, Beedie School of Business
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Dr., Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6
Twitter: Dr447
Raeanne Francis
Managing Director, BCRC.
Raeanne Francis
Managing Director, BCRC.
www.bcrcmontreal.com
Dr. George Frempong
Director of Research
Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI)
Dr. George Frempong
Director of Research
Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute (DBDLI)
http://dbdli.ca/our-organization/george-frempong/
george.frempong@dbdli.ca
Dr. Hellen Gateri
Assistant Professor,
School of Social Work
MacEwan University
Edmonton Alberta.
Dr. Hellen Gateri
Assistant Professor,
School of Social Work
MacEwan University
Edmonton Alberta.
Dr. Rachel Da Silveria Gorman
Graduate Program Director and Associate Professor
York University
315 Stong 165 Campus Walk
Dr. Rachel Da Silveria Gorman
Graduate Program Director and Associate Professor
York University
315 Stong 165 Campus Walk
Critical Disability Studies
Dance and curating archive
Lori-Ann Green-Walker
Executive Director,
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands CHC
Lori-Ann Green-Walker
Executive Director,
Women’s Health in Women’s Hands CHC
http://www.whiwh.com/
Kassandra Kernisan
Executive Director
DESTA Black Youth Network
Kassandra Kernisan
Executive Director
DESTA Black Youth Network
execdirector@destabyn.org
Office: 514-664-5042
1950 Rue Saint-Antoine O,
Montreal, Qc
H3J 1A5
http://www.destabyn.org
Dr. Amal Madibbo
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
University of Calgary
Calgary, Canada
Dr. Amal Madibbo
Associate Professor
Department of Sociology
University of Calgary
Calgary, Canada
Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh
Senior Knowledge Translation Specialist,
National Collaborating Centre for Déterminants of Health
Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh
Senior Knowledge Translation Specialist,
National Collaborating Centre for Déterminants of Health
www.nccdh.ca
Suzanne Obiorah RD., MBA.
Director, Primary Care & Regional Programs
Somerset West Community Health Centre (Ottawa)
Suzanne Obiorah
Director, Primary Care & Regional Programs
Somerset West Community Health Centre (Ottawa)
Dr. Fanta Ongoiba
Executive Director
Africans in Partnership Against AIDS (APAA)
Dr. Fanta Ongoiba
Executive Director
Africans in Partnership Against AIDS (APAA)
www.apaa.ca
Maureen Owino MES
Director Committee for Accessible Aids Treatment,
PhD Student, York University Faculty of Environment and Urban Change
Maureen Owino
Director Committee for Accessible Aids Treatment,
PhD Student, York University Faculty of Environment and Urban Change
www.hivimmigration.ca
Sylvia Parris-Drummonds
Chief Executive Director,
Delmore ‘Buddy” Daye Learning Institute (Nova Scotia)
Sylvia Parris-Drummonds
Chief Executive Director,
Delmore ‘Buddy” Daye Learning Institute (Nova Scotia)
www.dbdli.ca
Social media @dbdli @svparris
Dr. Rai Reece PhD.
Assistant Professor,
Department of Sociology
Ryerson University
Dr. Rai Reece
Assistant Professor,
Department of Sociology
Ryerson University
https://www.ryerson.ca/sociology/people/faculty/rai-reece/
https://www.twitter.com/rai_reece
Aseefa Sarang
Executive Director
Across Boundaries: An Ethnoracial Mental Health Centre
Aseefa Sarang
Executive Director
Across Boundaries: An Ethnoracial Mental Health Centre
www.acrossboundaries.ca
Verlia Stephens
Mentorship And Peer Leadership Coordinator
Supporting Our Youth
Verlia Stephens
Mentorship And Peer Leadership Coordinator
Supporting Our Youth
Pronouns: She/Her
T: 416.324.4100 x 3303
F: 416.324.4188
E: vstephens@sherbourne.on.ca
Sherbourne Health
333 Sherbourne St.
Toronto, ON M5A 2S5
sherbourne.on.ca

Our Partners & Funders
Institute for Pandemics
Dalla Lana School of Public Health
Balsam Foundation
Graphics
Maame Gyatseba Enyimayew (The Clix Studio), Niti Marcelle Mueth (Website | Instagram)
Photography
Photos by Prince Akachi, Fred Kearney, Jakayla Toney, and nappy on Unsplash.