Our Staff
Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh
Executive Director
Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh is the Executive Director of the Black Health Education Collaborative and an Assistant Professor in the Clinical Public Health Division at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
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Sume provides strategic consultations to organizations as principal of Another World Lab. She holds a Master of Health Sciences in Health Promotion and Global Health from the University of Toronto. Hailing from Cameroon, she is grateful to live, work and play in Turtle Island and is committed to working towards decolonial futures.
Rosie Mensah
Program Manager
Rosie is a Toronto-based Registered Dietitian and Food Justice Advocate.
Rosie obtained her Master of Public in Nutrition and Dietetics from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Her experience includes being a member of the FoodShare Toronto Board of Directors and serving on Canada’s first Food Policy Advisory Council.
In 2020, Rosie developed the CEDAR course and co-founded Dietitians for Food Justice. Rosie applies an intersectional lens to her work and advocates for, leads, and develops programs and services to address the health needs of racialized communities.
Raha Mahmoudi
Program & Project Coordinator
Raha Mahmoudi holds a Master of Public Health from McMaster University. Her research interests in the social determinants of health, health equity, and justice are informed by community work and research in child and youth mental health, food security, belonging, and culturally responsive healthcare.
She is driven to collaboratively transform health education, research, services, and systems in ways that advance Black flourishing and wellness.
Dr. Amisah Bakuri
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Amisah Bakuri (PhD) is a researcher with over ten years of experience in the field of migration, well-being, religion, sexuality and gender, the health of minority groups, Black and African diaspora.
Amisah has been involved in several roles as a researcher, lecturer, thesis supervisor and academic tutor at the University of Amsterdam, African Studies Center/Leiden University, Utrecht University and KNUST.
Amisah is currently focused on developing and implementing a community-driven approach to education and research on Black health and anti-Black racism in healthcare.
Shirley Hodder
Research Assistant
Shirley is a recent graduate of the Master's in Health Administration program within the Faculty of Health, at Dalhousie University. She hails from Gibson Woods, a historically Black Loyalist community in rural Nova Scotia.
Shirley's academic journey has fostered a deep-rooted passion for tackling systemic racism and breaking down barriers faced by marginalized communities, specifically, the African Nova Scotian and Deaf communities. Her ultimate goal is to work within academia, utilizing her skills and knowledge to effect positive change management in public health policy. With a resolute commitment to social justice and equity, Shirley is determined to become a catalyst for transformative change in the healthcare industry, advocating for the needs of the underrepresented and underserved communities.
Clémence Ongolo Zogo
Research Assistant
Clémence Ongolo Zogo is a third-year medical student at the University of Toronto.
She holds a MSc in Health Research Methodology from McMaster University and an Honours BHSc. from the University of Ottawa.
Her research interests include local evidence mapping, evidence synthesis, contextualised knowledge translation, health systems research and community-based participatory research with ethnic and linguistic minorities in Ontario.
Javiera-Violeta Durán Kairies
Research & Administrative Assistant
Javiera-Violeta is an undergraduate student of Latin American descent at the University of Toronto pursuing an Honours Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Toronto with majors in Biology and Medical Anthropology.​ She is an administrative and research assistant with the Black Health Education Collaborative.
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Her research interests include cultural safety and social determinants of health, She has worked on projects that aim to educate health professionals on decolonization and anti-racism to provide just and equitable healthcare services.
Martha Taylor
Research Assistant
Martha completed an Honours BA in Health Studies, German and Portuguese from the University of Toronto.
She is passionate about discussing the adverse outcomes of anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. In her free time, Martha loves watching anime, sneaker shopping, cooking and baking.
Zahra van Gaalen
Administrative Assistant
Zahra van Gaalen is a second-year Honors Health Sciences student at Carleton University. She is specializing in Global Health.
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Zahra has been a leader in the creation of the BIPOC Health Hub project (associated with the University of Toronto's Summer Mentorship Program) since 2022. She is passionate about health communications, and the ways digital media can be used to make health research more accessible to marginalized communities. Her research interests are in social determinants of health, and maternal health for Black and immigrant populations.
Robert Chin-See
Research Coordinator
Robert Chin-See is a first year Master’s student in Health Sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University under the supervision of Dr. Todd Coleman studying substance use and addiction. Robert is a research assistant in different population health projects and enjoys supporting research activities with actionable intent.
With a fervent commitment to improving the health of vulnerable populations, his interests span community-based participatory research and advanced epidemiological methods. Beyond academia, he finds solace in writing relating to science fiction, fantasy, and surrealism. He also is trying to learn a new language and is interested in travelling.
Janelle Olughor
Research Assistant
Janelle Olughor is a Nigerian-Canadian student enrolled at the University of Calgary, pursuing her degrees in Psychology and Sociology. She is deeply invested in the growing field of health policy, approaching it through a lens of equity, diversity, and innovation.
Janelle is motivated by a profound awareness of the challenging barriers to healthcare within her community and committed to narrowing the disparities in healthcare access and equity.
As a research assistant, she hopes to further develop experience within policy, activism, and leadership to ignite change in her global community. These values assemble to create harmony within herself, her story, and her future as a health policy researcher.
Aliyah Fraser
Research Assistant
Aliyah Fraser is a graduate of St. Francis Xavier University's Health Sciences program, currently pursuing a master's degree in applied health services research from Saint Mary’s University. Alongside academics, Aliyah excels on the women's basketball team and is a dedicated student-athlete.
Currently working as a Graduate Research Assistant at Dalhousie University, Aliyah is working on several impactful projects in relation to Black, Queer and Trans determinants of health.
In her free time, Aliyah enjoys spending time with family, cooking and working out.
With a blend of academic achievement, athletics and research experience, Aliyah strives to participate in meaningful research related to Black health.
Ashley Wilkinson
Research Assistant
Ashley Wilkinson is a Health Sciences PhD student at the University of Northern British
Columbia. She holds a Masters degree in Health Sciences with a specialization in Indigenous &
Northern Health from Lakehead University.
Her research is focused on community health and social issues for marginalized groups across diverse urban, and rural/remote geographies, and she is passionate about health equity, anti-racism, and the health of racialized communities.
In addition to her academic work, she actively volunteers with harm reduction and homeless-
serving organizations.
Cindy Lufuluabo
Research Assistant
Cindy is a Master’s student in Public Health at the University of Montreal, driven by a passion for addressing health disparities through an intersectional approach. Her research focuses on understanding the complex factors influencing suicidal behaviors in Black LGBTQ+ communities in Quebec. With a goal of promoting their well-being, she seeks to identify unique challenges, risk factors, and protective factors, while developing culturally sensitive suicide prevention strategies.
Her broad research interests encompass the social determinants of health, health equity, bioethics, and medical anthropology. She is particularly intrigued by medical anthropology as it allows for a deeper exploration of the cultural, social, and anthropological dimensions of health issues within Black communities. This orientation enables her to delve into beliefs, medical practices, healing rituals, and traditional medicines within this specific community context.
