Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
ABOUT US
WE ARE BMHCC
The Black Maternal Health Collective Canada (BMHCC) was founded in 2024 to support the development of the first-ever Toronto Black Maternal Health Week, officially recognized by the City of Toronto for April 11-17, 2025.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to establish a week of impactful activities that attract participants from across Canada.
BMHCC ADVISORY COMMITTEE 2026
JENELLE AMBROSE DASH (Chair)
Jenelle Ambrose Dash is a late term loss, preeclampsia survivor who is advocating for changes to maternal healthcare in Canada. She currently serves on the board of Preeclampsia Foundation Canada and is the past president of the Black Female Lawyers Network. Jenelle has practiced law for 12 years on Bay Street and in-house.
JENNIFER DOCKERY
Jennifer is a Registered Nurse and an accomplished healthcare leader with over 25 years’ of diverse experience in the sector including, Acute, Primary & Community Care, Long Term Care, municipal government, Women’s Health and capital development. Driven by a vision to transform the healthcare system to achieve the goal to ultimately remove barriers ensuring that the most marginalized have full access to high quality care and services she has implemented innovative Models of Care improving health Equity and access to Care. A strategic decisive executive health system leader with a solid reputation for delivering exemplary quality programs across the spectrum of care.
ADELE AMBROSE
Adele Ambrose currently serves on the Advisory committee for the Black Maternal Health Collective Canada. She is advocating for changes to maternal healthcare in Canada. Adele is a lawyer based in Toronto who has worked in financial services in the US and Canada.
JANELLE BENJAMIN
Janelle Benjamin is the Founder of All Things Equitable Inc., and Manager, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at North York General Hospital. A trained lawyer and Certified Global DEIB Benchmarks Practitioner, she brings nearly 20 years of experience helping organizations strengthen equity, accountability, and workplace culture across healthcare and public-sector systems. A former Investigator at the Ontario Human Rights Commission and Senior Policy Advisor to the Honourable Jean Augustine, P.C., C.M., Janelle is a LinkedIn Top Voice, one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch, and has been featured in Forbes, The Globe & Mail, and the Toronto Star.
EKUA ASABEA BLAIR
Ekua Asabea Blair is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Abiona Centre (formerly Massey Centre and Humewood House), a client-centered infant and early childhood mental health organization supporting pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children. She is also the President of the Ontario Association of Young Parent Agencies (OAYPA).
ELSIE AMOAKO
Founder/CEO of Mino Care and MinoFest: The Racialized Reproductive and Maternal Health conference, Elsie Amoako is an Ashoka Fellow and has worked in research for over 10 years. She began her journey during her graduate research which was the start of creating Mino Care.
LORI-ANN GREEN-WALKER
Lori-Ann Green-Walker, MPA, GCB.D is the Executive Director at Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre located in Toronto, Ontario. Lori-Ann has been a healthcare leader for over 20 years, with demonstrated senior leadership experience in acute care and team-based community care settings within the New York City Public Hospital System in the U.S. and community health care sector in Toronto, Ontario.
NATASHA SINGLETON-BASSARAGH
Natasha is a second generation Canadian of Afro-Caribbean ancestry and a Registered Midwife in Ontario. Her first degree is a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from York University, and later in life she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Midwifery from Toronto Metropolitan University. She is one of the co-founders of the IBPOC Peer Review and currently serve on the Board of Directors at the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM).
ALTHEA JONES
Althea Jones is a registered midwife with over 10 years of experience providing primary maternity and newborn care. For Althea, reproductive health is much more than a career, it’s a passion and a calling that she has dedicated herself to. In 2021, Althea launched Ancestral Hands Midwives, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to improve the outcomes and experiences of Black people during the perinatal period.
JULIE SOBOWALE
Julie Sobowale is a lawyer and an award-winning journalist experienced in working in the nonprofit sector. She completed her MBA and law degree at Dalhousie University in 2012. As a journalist, she specializes in writing and presenting about legal technology, innovation, regulation and access to justice.
INTERNS
ONAOPE EGBEDEYI
Onaope is a Western University graduate with a BA in Psychology and minor in Health Science. Since 2020, she has dedicated her time to bringing health equity to a diverse range of Black populations, and finding solutions to anti-Black racism in healthcare. Her research interests include socioeconomic factors that intersect with women’s health, misogynoir, and Black health equity.
KEZIA EBERLIN
Kezia, a graphic design student at Humber, is the founder of Kezia Designs Co., where she specializes in creating minimalist designs that make a bold impact for businesses. She is also passionate about raising awareness for mental health.