91ÑÇÉ«

Aeda Salim is a global health scholar-practitioner whose work bridges academic research with the systems needed to translate evidence into real-world impact. Born in Canada and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, her Caribbean roots ground her in a deep attunement to decolonial health systems and equity-centered practice in Global Health.

Aeda is a PhD student in Global Health at 91ÑÇÉ«, with an MSc in Global Health from McMaster University. Her doctoral research examines how regional institutions, including the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), can strengthen integrated care for public health emergency preparedness and response. She is Project Manager and Research Coordinator for the Regional Health Governance Study Research Program at TMU, and Founder and Managing Director of Amanah Research Management Systems.

A published researcher across health equity, governance, and law, Aeda holds a PMP designation and student leadership awards from McMaster and the University of Toronto.

Babatunde Odugbemi is a PhD student in Global Health and a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar at 91ÑÇÉ«. He is committed to advancing research that aims to enhance the global response to antimicrobial resistance using a One Health lens, with the guidance and mentorship of Professor Mary E. Wiktorowicz.

Babatunde earned his MBBS degree from the University of Lagos, followed by a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Sheffield, and a Master of Science degree in Aging and Health from Queen’s University. His professional background encompasses working as a physician and strengthening the capacity of the health workforce as a public health expert in Nigeria. He has actively participated in collaborative research addressing infectious diseases and fortifying health system capacities.

Chelsea Williams Cleary is a PhD student in Global Health, supervised by Dr. Kerry Scott. Her doctoral research examines how children and youth engage in climate governance processes before, during, and after participation, and how these experiences shape their wellbeing, agency, and influence policy outcomes. Her work interrogates tokenistic practices and power dynamics within these spaces, aiming to advance more equitable and meaningful child participation in climate decision-making.

Her research interests include child participation, climate change, health policy, and rights-based approaches to governance. Methodologically, her work combines a scoping review, qualitative interviews, ethnographic research, and case studies using participatory approaches to analyze power and inclusion in governance.

Chelsea holds an MPH from the University of Waterloo and a BScN from Western University, with professional experience as a registered nurse in both hospital and public health settings. She currently works as a Research Associate at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health in Germany, contributing to international collaborations on planetary child health.

Danielle Denwood is a 1st year PhD student in 91ÑÇɫ’s Global Health Program. Under the supervision of Dr. Michaela Hynie, her research explores the health impacts of climate change adaptation, with a focus on the gendered dynamics of displacement and dispossession.

Trained as a midwife, Danielle holds an MSc in Global Health from McMaster University. She brings an interdisciplinary perspective shaped by experience in clinical, academic, and multilateral settings across Canada, India, Jamaica, and East Africa. Her previous work includes collaborations with McMaster’s Global Health Program, the Aga Khan University’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, East Africa, and the AKU–UNESCO Chair on Youth Leadership in Science, Health, Gender, and Education.

Her research interests include maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate change, and planetary health. She is committed to advancing equity-driven, community-based, and socially responsive research that bridges academia, policy, and practice.

Deborah Agyapong (she/her) is a first-year PhD student in Global Health at 91ÑÇÉ« under the supervision of Dr. Godfred Boateng. She is affiliated with Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research as a graduate student scholar, and the Global and Environmental Health (GEH) Lab as a research associate. Her research lies at the intersection of geospatial science, machine learning, climate change, and health equity. Her doctoral research explores the use of GeoAI and machine learning to predict climate-related disease risks, early implementation measures and identify health-system response gaps in sub Saharan Africa.

Deborah holds an MSc in Geoinformation Science and a BA in Geography with a minor in Sociology from the University of Ghana. Her professional and research experience spans GIS, remote sensing, spatial analysis, machine learning, and climate-health research. At the Ghana Statistical Service, she served as a Geographic Information System Officer and held technical and leadership roles, including Regional Census Trainer and GIS Lead for GIS Team Monitoring.

Deborah currently holds the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards - Doctoral (Tri-Council), supporting her doctoral research.

Fabbiha is a first-year PhD student in the Global Health program at 91ÑÇÉ«, specializing in parental vaccine hesitancy in Nigeria. Under the supervision of Prof. Oghenowede Eyawo, her research examines the structural and socio-ecological determinants influencing parents’ decisions about HPV vaccination for their daughters. Through a mixed-methods approach, she seeks to uncover how social norms, healthcare access, and policy environments shape vaccine acceptance and public trust in health interventions.

Fabbiha holds a Master’s degree in Kinesiology and Health Science from 91ÑÇÉ« and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from Bangladesh. Her academic and professional journey reflects a deep commitment to improving health outcomes through research, innovation, and community engagement. Drawing on her clinical background and her growing expertise in global health, she integrates medical knowledge with data-driven insights to inform strategies that address vaccine hesitancy in diverse cultural contexts.

Beyond her research, Fabbiha is passionate about bridging global health research and practice to promote equitable access to healthcare. She aspires to contribute to the development of culturally responsive public health frameworks that empower families, strengthen health systems, and advance global vaccination efforts toward a healthier and more informed world.

Fitsum Woldeyohannes is a public health and policy researcher with experience in health financing and health economics projects across sub-Saharan Africa and Canada. His work focuses on economic evaluations, strategic health purchasing, and maternal and child health research. He has been involved in projects supporting governments and international organizations in strengthening health financing reforms, generating applied evidence to advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and improving decision-making through economic analysis and modelling.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Aksum University in Ethiopia, and a Master of Public Health degree jointly from Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium) and Universidad de Oviedo (Spain). His current research, supervised by Prof. Mathieu Poirier examines equity considerations in health financing reforms in sub-Saharan African countries.

Habibetu Sharon Suleman is a PhD student in Global Health at 91ÑÇÉ«, supervised by Dr. Boateng. Habibetu holds a Master’s in Child and Youth Care from Toronto Metropolitan University and a BA (Honours) in Sociology and Health and Society from 91ÑÇÉ«.

Habibetu brings professional, community-based, and advocacy experience focused on health equity, disability, gender, violence, community health, and the social determinants of health. Her doctoral research examines ADHD among school-age children in sub-Saharan Africa, with attention to global health systems, equity, and the lived experiences of vulnerable populations.

Habibetu's work is guided by a commitment to improving health outcomes for marginalized and underserved communities, particularly children, people with disabilities, and populations facing social and structural barriers to care.

Through her PhD research, Habibetu aims to inform policy and practice to promote inclusive, accessible, and equitable health systems. She is particularly interested in interdisciplinary approaches that integrate public health, social justice, global health governance, and community engagement.

Joanne Ong is a second-year PhD student in Global Health at 91ÑÇÉ«, where she is both a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar and an Elia Scholar. Supervised by Dr. Cary Wu, Associate Professor and 91ÑÇÉ« Research Chair in the Political Sociology of Health, her research examines how women’s political empowerment shapes health equity, focusing on the political determinants of the gender health gap across countries. She holds an MA in Sociology from 91ÑÇÉ«, and her methodological interests include quantitative social statistics and survey data analysis as well as community-based participatory research. As part of her doctoral work, Joanne collaborates with the Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia and the Rural Doctors Network on research exploring trust and social accountability in health partnerships. She is interested in advancing understanding of how political institutions, policy contexts, and collective agency influences the social distribution of health and the pursuit of health equity within and across societies.

Kathirvel Soundappan, MBBS, MD (Community Medicine) is an Associate Professor at the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh, India. He is an alumnus of the WHO Structured Operational Research Training Initiative (SORT IT) and IARC Summer School on Cancer Epidemiology. He mentored multiple Operational/ Implementation research from South Asia and Africa. He provided clinical services and conducted community-based research among vulnerable and marginalized populations in India. He is a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar (2024-25). His area of PhD research (Supervisor-Professor Mary E Wiktorowicz): Influence of Interdisciplinary area-related policy/regulatory frameworks on Antimicrobial Resistance (Special emphasis on Antifungal resistance).

Lathika is a PhD student in the Global Health program at 91ÑÇÉ«, specializing in gender and smokeless tobacco use in South Asia. Her research, supervised by Prof. Steven Hoffman and Prof. Mathieu Poirier, explores the sociocultural factors behind gender differences in smokeless tobacco consumption across 11 South Asian countries, utilizing quantitative methods. Lathika is also the Director of Operations at the Global Strategy Lab, where she plays a pivotal role in overseeing the lab's daily operations and strategic goals.

She holds a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of Saskatchewan, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto. Passionate about health and the well being of all, Lathika extends her expertise and dedication beyond her role at GSL by serving as a Board of Director for the Human Rights Internet, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to human rights information and resources relevant to Canada.

Michael Davies-Venn is a policy analyst and communication professional. He holds MPP, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany, MA, University of Sheffield, UK. He was awarded BSc (Hons).

With assumptions on changes to global climate impacts on human health, Davies-Venn focus on infectious and arboviruses disease etiology and epidemiology and global environmental governance. His interests include understanding links between disease phenomena emerging from environmental transformations induced by climate change – such as extreme drought and floods – and risks to population health. His study on global environmental politics introduces sociopolitical determinants of health on global environmental governing on Planetary Health including, health inequities, disease burden and population patterns and environmental causal factors in developing regions.

Using diverse methodologies, including systems thinking, research results contribute to identifying recommendations for transnational adaption policies for disease prevention, health system infrastructure, reducing global public health inequities and risks through vector control and prevention.

He is recipient of numerous awards from North American and European institutions, was recently Junior Fellow in Ethics of the Anthropocene, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands, and member of the Earth System Governance network. Previously he was adjunct communication professor, consultant with the United Nations and communication director with a Canadian provincial political party.

Nadia Dahir (she/her) is a PhD student in Global Health at 91ÑÇÉ«. Her research focus lie at the intersection of global health policy, governance, development, and political science.

She holds a Master’s degree in International Development, jointly awarded by the Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

Her doctoral research examines health-system reconstruction and governance in post-conflict settings, using Somalia as a case study. Drawing on perspectives from global health governance and political economy, she explores how diverse state and non-state actors engage in shaping health policy and health systems, with broader interests in aid, African sovereignty, postcolonial development, and health governance in Sub-Saharan Africa.

She is supervised by Dr. Claudia Chaufan and is a recipient of the 91ÑÇÉ« Graduate Fellowship.

Naeema Hassan is a PhD Candidate in Global Health at 91ÑÇÉ« and a Dahdaleh Global Health Graduate Scholar, supervised by Dr. Tarra Penney. She holds a Master of Public Administration from Queen's University and has worked in management consulting, policy analysis, and innovation. Her research examines global health research partnerships and how institutions such as funders, journals, and universities practice equity. Drawing on systems methods and institutional theory, her work explores how these institutions can collectively advance policies and practices grounded in equity and authentic allyship.

Olena is a PhD student at the School of Global Health, 91ÑÇÉ«, under the supervision of Professor Benedict Weobong. Her research focuses on brain health, neurodiversity, mental health, and substance as part of Healthcare Systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

She holds both Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Information Technology, with a specialization in data analytics and information privacy. A Certified Project Manager, Olena brings extensive industry experience in leading and delivering complex, high-impact projects, offering technical expertise across the full spectrum of Business Intelligence and Data Analytics solutions.

Drawing on her technical background and passion for brain and mental health, her current research bridges these domains to design scalable, equitable, cost-effective, and culturally responsive healthcare solutions in West Africa.

Orit Awoke is currently a second year PhD student in the Global Health program at 91ÑÇÉ«. Under the supervision of Dr. Amrita Daftary, Orit’s research explores Ethiopian youth views and experiences related to sexual health and wellbeing to promote sexual empowerment and sexual safety and inform STBBI/HIV prevention services in Canada. By using community-based participatory research methods, and an intersectionality theoretical framework, Orit hopes to connect to the unique and diverse identities and experiences of Ethiopian Canadian youth and help identify opportunities to combat STBBI risks and promote sexual safety.

Orit holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto, completing a double major in Molecular Biology, Immunology and Disease, and French, and a minor in Psychology. She also completed a master’s degree in Global Health Systems from Western University. Soon after her completing her master’s degree, she began her tenure at Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre, where she continues to be the Program Lead for the National HIV Prevention Strategy for African, Caribbean, and Black people in Canada, which strengthened her interest in sexual health-related work. Orit has been recognized with several academic and leadership awards, including an Entrance Scholarship and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship in 2024, and the Skinner Agents of Change Leadership Award in 2025.

Pranav Bhushan (he/him) is a PhD student in Global Health at 91ÑÇÉ«, supervised by Dr. Kerry Scott. He holds a Master of Science in Public Health (MPH) from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK.

His doctoral research focuses on understanding how health system structures, urban governance, and community engagement shape inequities in maternal, newborn, and child healthcare access and care-seeking pathways among marginalized urban populations in India. His broader interests include implementation science, health systems thinking, and translating research into actionable policies and practices to advance equitable and responsive health systems.

Pranav brings extensive experience in public health, spanning health systems strengthening, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), primary healthcare, and urban health in low- and middle-income countries. Currently he is also associated as a Public Health Specialist at the Institute for Global Public Health (IGPH), University of Manitoba and has worked extensively with governments and development partners across India and other countries, leading health systems assessments, implementation research, and evidence-informed initiatives to strengthen healthcare delivery for underserved populations.

Rupsha is a Doctoral Student at the School of Global Health at 91ÑÇÉ« and a Graduate Scholar at the Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research where her work focuses on Human-Centered Design to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia in global communities. Her Master of Design thesis focused on building supportive technologies in augmented reality to help people living with dementia with their daily rituals. She received a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for this work. Rupsha has worked for a diverse array of clients in government, healthcare, non-profit, and clean beauty space, including the Detox Market, Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region, and the Ontario Public Health Association. With an interdisciplinary approach and an empathetic mindset, she develops meaningful solutions and strives to shape a better future through design education, research, and practice.

Siyuan (Sabrina) Gao is a PhD student in Global Health at 91ÑÇÉ«, co-supervised by Dr. Benedict Weobong and Dr. Christo El Morr. She is a scholarship recipient of Connected Minds.

Her doctoral research focuses on how incidental exposure to algorithmically recommended content about identity, culture, and emotion relates to whether and how second-generation Chinese-Canadian youth come to understand their own psychosocial distress, disclose it within their families (as reported by youth), and pursue mental health help-seeking.

She holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy with a certification in Health Administration and Policy (GPHAP) from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Public Relations from Syracuse University. She brings an interdisciplinary perspective shaped by strategic communication, data analysis, and health policy across China, the United States, and Canada. She is committed to translating complex information into actionable insights and compelling narratives.

Yvette is a PhD student in Global Health at 91ÑÇÉ«. Her research will assess the intersectional association between socioeconomic factors and Tuberculosis treatment outcomes among people living with HIV in Rwanda. Yvette is a medical doctor by background, with a master's in sciences in Global Health Delivery, Gender and Sexual Reproductive Health track from the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda thanks to the Paul Farmer Scholarship Fund, and a master's in Public Health from the University of Warwick , in the United Kingdom thanks to Chevening scholarship. Her previous work involved clinical work in Rwanda and served Rwanda Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance in areas of women cancer screening. Her prior research experience includes a research that explored socio-ecological factors that contribute to intimate partner violence among people living with HIV in Kayonza district, Rwanda, and another done with Partners In Health which assessed the effect of nurturing care intervention provided by expert mothers on maternal depression and parenting confidence in rural Rwanda. Yvette is strongly committed to becoming an academician and a researcher in the future.