TORONTO BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK

Dr. Crystal Clark is an internationally recognized psychiatrist in women’s mental health. She is the Canada Research Chair in Reproductive Mental Health, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and Associate Head of Research at Women’s College Hospital. Dr. Clark specializes in mood and anxiety disorders specifically across the reproductive life span (from menstruation to peri and post menopause). Her research aims to address gaps in psychiatric health care through development of identification and prevention strategies for marginalized populations in psychiatry including visible minorities and those with severe mental illness. 

Tanya Hayles is a keynote speaker and strategist who helps people navigate career,

organizational, and identity transitions. Working with teams, entrepreneurs, and

professionals on how to build their next playbook, focused on translating skills and

confidence across roles, industries, life and career pivots. With 20 years of event planning experience, Tanya launched the ioe agency, an event strategy firm supporting global brands, entrepreneurs, and culture-makers create events that are profitable, purposeful, and stress-free.

Lhamo Dolkar is a nurse practitioner (NP) at Lakeridge Health GAIN clinic, ensuring that our seniors are able to live in their own homes safely and independently. Dolkar is a second career nurse and brings her international health-care experience into her Canadian nursing career. She has worked across various sectors, such as multidisciplinary clinics, group homes as youth counselor, acute care, nursing home, public health, and community health care. Dolkar is well aware of the global and local sociopolitical issues as well as the social determinants that impact health. Her passion for improving health for all, community development and advocacy has motivated her to always remain engaged and current.

Measha Brueggergosman-Lee’s engaging personality, exceptional musicianship and powerful voice continue to take her to the major orchestras and concert halls of every continent. In 2024, she became the first black recipient and youngest recipient ever of The Lifetime Achievement Award for Classical Music from the Governor General of Canada. Her recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, PENTATONE, Naxos and Leaf Music have won several awards including several Junos and a Grammy nomination. Measha has survived morbid obesity, divorce, the loss of two babies, two emergency open-heart surgeries and a hip replacement and credits her faith in Jesus for inspiring her to see the joy in all areas of her life.

Emily Mills is the award-winning founder of How She Hustles – one of Canada’s trusted brands to engage diverse women entrepreneurs and leaders. She’s an in-demand public speaker, marketing consultant, digital influencer and event producer. A former journalist, her mission has always been to connect Black and racialized women and amplify their stories. For 15 years, she has hosted sold-out networking events and produced buzzworthy digital content through her company. How She Hustles’ notable projects include HERstory in Black with CBC and the Startup & Slay entrepreneur series with CIBC, Shopify and Rogers Sports & Media.

Jordyn is a birthworker, new mother, and community organizer committed to strengthening systems of care for families. As the founder of the Community Doulas Project, she centers community-led care that uplifts Black birthworkers, Black families, and the villages that sustain them. She believes doulas play a vital role in improving maternal health experiences and reducing racialized disparities, and is committed to scaling community-rooted solutions to make

this vision real.

Jahiem Henry graduated from the Midwifery Education Program at Toronto Midwifery

University in 2025. He completed clinical placements in GTA, and is practicing in the

Hamilton area. Before becoming a midwife, Jahiem developed a strong interest in healthcare and community support, which drew him to a career in midwifery. He is passionate about continuity of care and the relationships built through supporting clients and their families throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. Jahiem values collaboration and strives to provide compassionate, evidence-informed, and inclusive care to every family he supports.

Dr. Everton Gooden began his tenure as President and CEO of North York General Hospital (NYGH) on December 1, 2023. Everton has held a variety of leadership roles, including serving as Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee, President of the Medical Staff Association, Division

Chief of Head and Neck Surgery, Governor of the North York General Hospital Foundation Board of Governors and Chair of its Governance and Inclusion Committee. Everton is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass is the president of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada, the inaugural and Past President of Black Physicians of Canada, and Chair of the Governance Committee of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. A Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and the UK, Modupe completed her OB-GYN training in the UK and Canada. Modupe has made many media appearances including a CBC documentary series For the Culture with Amanda

Parris exploring Black maternal deaths.

Nam Kiwanuka is an award-winning journalist and is the host and senior producer of TVO’s bold new project, (MIS)Treated, a podcast on women's health. She hosted The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka, The Agenda in the Summer and was the co-host of The Agenda with Steve Paikin. She also contributes to columns for TVO.org. Originally from Uganda, Nam spent her early years in a refugee camp in Kenya before settling in London, Ontario. She's lived and worked in the UK, the USA and Sierra Leone. Her remarkable career in journalism includes roles as the first Black woman in Canada to host a magazine sports show with NBAXL and CFL Crunch on Sportsnet; as a VJ/Videographer at MuchMusic and writing a column for the BBC’s Focus on Africa.

Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman (she/her) is the President of the Ontario Medical Association and a practicing allergist and clinical immunologist in the Greater Toronto Area. She serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor of the School of Medicine at the Toronto Metropolitan University, and an adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor in Pediatrics at McMaster University.

Dr. Abdurrahman earned her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Toronto and completed her pediatrics residency and subspecialty training in Allergy and Clinical Immunology at McMaster University. She also holds a Master’s degree in Statistics with a specialization in Biostatistics.