Dr. Notisha Massaquoi has a Ph.D. in Social Justice Education and a Master’s in Social Work, Research and Policy from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Western University. Dr. Massaquoi is an Assistant Professor in Health Education Promotion with the Department of Health and Society and holds cross-appointment with the Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. She is a community-based researcher who utilizes mixed methods to research anti-Black racism and highlight the experiences of Black communities navigating institutional structures and systems in Canada, with a primary focus on the social determinants of health and health disparities. She also serves as a Board trustee for The Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR). Dr. Massaquoi’s research focuses on equity in health systems and anti-oppression practices within organizational settings. She is a subject matter expert in Health Equity, Anti-Oppression, Anti-Black Racism, and Race-Based Data Collection implementation. Dr. Massaquoi has consulted globally for UNAIDS, WHO, and the United Nations Social Development Council on racism and its impact on health outcomes and workforces. Dr. Massaquoi will contribute over three decades of experience in community-based research and expertise in health equity and Race-Based Data Collection implementation to this project.

Liben Gebremikael has a Master’s in Economics from Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya in Jabalpur, India, and a Master’s in Migration, Mental health and Social Care from the University of Kent in England. Liben Gebremikael is the first Executive Director of TAIBU Community Health Centre, a community-driven organization serving the Greater Toronto Area’s Black-identifying communities by providing access to primary care, health promotion and disease prevention programs in a culturally affirming environment. He has worked as a Social Worker, Child & Family Therapist, Project Coordinator and Therapeutic Group Facilitator. He has over 25 years of experience in the primary healthcare sector, social services, mental health and community capacity building. Liben Gebremikael will contribute his expertise in racially specific health promotion and disease prevention programs to this project.

Dr. Obidimma Ezezika has a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Georgia in the USA, a Master’s of Environmental Management from Yale University in the USA and an Advanced Diploma in Risk Assessment and Biosafety from the Marche Polytechnic University in Italy. As the Principal Investigator of an implementation science research lab at the University of Toronto. Dr. Obidimma Ezezika is an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Society and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He is also the founding director and principal investigator of the Global Health & Innovation Lab: An Implementation Science research and education initiative on the systematic uptake of evidence-based interventions into routine practice in global health. Using implementation science research to scale evidence-based interventions to health needs locally and globally, Dr. Ezezika’s work with the Global Health & Innovation Lab has helped promote evidence-based interventions in marginalized communities of low and middle-income countries. Dr. Obidimma Ezezika will bring extensive research experience and expertise using implementation science research theories and frameworks to this project.

Hope Ramsay has a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of the West Indies in Mona. She is Executive Director of Moyo Health and Community Services, previously known as the Peel HIC/AIDS network, which aims to provide health promotion, education, social and support services for people living with, affected by, and at systemic risk of HIV. As the Manager of Communications and Member Development for the Ontario AIDS Network (OAN), Hope Ramsay was responsible for the overall management of the province-wide member services, coordination of training programs and ongoing communication with members. She was also the Program Director for the Black Coalition for AIDS prevention in Toronto, where she provided counselling support, organized outreach, prevention, harm reduction and settlement services. As Manager of Education and Training for the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN), Hope Ramsay planned and executed training events for healthcare providers, coordinated meetings and activities for HIV outpatient clinics and planned events to increase the networking among these healthcare providers. Hope Ramsay will bring her program management and evaluation expertise and her experience in community research and public health to this project.

Dr. Lawrence Mbuagbaw has a medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (FMBS) at the University of Yaoundé in Cameroon, a Ph.D. in Health Research Methodology from McMaster University and a Master’s in Public Health from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Dr. Lawrence Mbuagbaw is Co-Director of the Cochrane Cameroon, which aims to expand the production of high-quality, francophone African-relevant reviews, particularly in HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to support policy development and practice in Cameroon. He is also an editor for the Cochrane infectious disease group and director of the Biostatistics Unit at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, where he provides methodological and statistical support to other researchers. He is also an Associate Professor, Methods Scientist and Clinical Epidemiologist in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact at McMaster University. As one of the Ontario HIV Treatment Network’s (OHTN) Emerging Scientists in HIV Care Cascade Research and has completed an overview of systematic reviews on strategies to improve the care cascade among key populations in high income countries, he is currently completing a mixed methods study on how to optimize the HIV care cascade in Ontario and hosts a database of HIV clinical trials. He is also a PI on the A/C Study which explores the vulnerability of Black people in Toronto and Ottawa to HIV. Dr. Mbuagbaw will contribute his expertise in epidemiology, clinical research methodology and knowledge translation to this project.