Sandra Lindsay was the first American to be immunized against COVID-19 outside of a clinical trial. Since then, she has served as a panelist and speaker on numerous national and international platforms addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, public health, vaccine hesitancy and the importance of getting vaccinated. She has also served as keynote speaker at commencement ceremonies and other settings.

In July 2021, President Joseph Biden awarded Dr. Lindsay at the White House with Outstanding American by Choice recognition for her achievements and contributions as an immigrant. Dr. Lindsay also served as the Grand Marshal in New York’s Hometown Heroes Parade in Manhattan, representing the healthcare workers who served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Lindsay was a 2021 Caribbean Heritage Organization Robert Nesta Marley Humanitarian Award Honoree and received her Alma Mater’s (Glenmuir High School) Spirit Award for her exemplifying the true spirit of excellence and the school’s motto.

Dr. Lindsay has more than 26 years of nursing experience. She joined Northwell Health's Lenox Hill Hospital in 1994 as an oncology nurse. Three years later, Dr. Lindsay pursued her dream: becoming a critical care nurse. She worked as a clinical nurse in various critical care units before serving in entry level and advanced leadership roles. She served as the nurse manager for the adult medical intensive care unit at Lenox Hill Hospital for more than seven years; and then assumed the critical care director role at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in 2016 to present.

Dr. Lindsay's graduated from Borough of Manhattan Community College in 1993 as the valedictorian of her nursing program. She earned a baccalaureate degree in nursing from St. Josephs College, a master’s degree in nursing from Herbert Lehman College, and a master’s in business administration from Hofstra University. In May 2021, Dr. Lindsay completed a doctorate of health sciences with a concentration in global health and organizational behavior and leadership from A. T. Still University.

Raised in Jamaica by their grandparents, Dr. Lindsay and her siblings moved to the United States in 1986. When Dr. Lindsay is not pursuing her studies or working, she enjoys adventurous traveling, visiting Jamaica, reading leadership books and articles, mentoring, and gardening.

Dr. Bourne Auguste is a Nephrologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and an Assistant Professor in Department of Medicine with the job description of Clinician in Quality and Innovation at the University of Toronto. Dr. Auguste obtained a BSc. (Hon) from Carleton University, an MD from McMaster University and completed his internal medicine and nephrology residencies at the University of Toronto.

He completed advanced training with a clinical fellowship in home dialysis at the University Health Network and a Master of Science in System Leadership and Innovation from the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. He also obtained a Certificate in Quality Improvement Patient Safety (CQuIPS) from the Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (C-QuIPS). Dr. Auguste's main areas of interests within the quality improvement domain focus on patient safety and equity.

He is working on developing innovative tools to meet the needs of a diverse patient population with CKD, particularly amongst those with an interest in pursuing home-based dialysis therapies.

Dr. Nicole Kaniki is the inaugural Director of EDI in Research and Innovation at the Office of Vice-President, Research and Innovation where she supports EDI efforts across the institution in research practices.

Nicole is the former Special Advisor on Anti-racism to the President of Western University, and has over six years of experience in research administration and EDI roles. She holds a MSc Kinesiology, and a PhD Health and Rehabilitation Sciences from Western University.

More recently, she completed a MA Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies at Western doing research in Black Feminist Narratives in the Academy.

Dr. Kaniki has a passion for social justice and uses an anti-racism and decolonization framework in her EDI work.

Istvan Mucsi, MD, PhD is a clinician investigator, transplant nephrologist at the Ajmera Transplant Centre and Division of Nephrology at the University Health Network. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto.

His research group works in partnership with African, Caribbean and Black, Chinese and South Asian organizations and communities to understand and reduce barriers and inequities that patients from these communities face when they need care for advanced kidney failure, specifically kidney transplantation and live donor kidney transplant or dialysis. His projects also aim to improve understanding and managing kidney health in general for patients from diverse communities.

He is also leading research projects to measure physical and emotional symptoms (pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep problems) that are important determinants of quality of life of patients with kidney disease. His team is building an electronic toolkit for the measurement of these symptoms and an online resource hub for patients and families to support self-management of these symptoms.

He published more than 160 peer reviewed articles.

Chantal Phillips is a third-year medical student at the University of Toronto (U of T) with an interest in equity-based research that generates tangible, community-focused interventions. She is currently the project manager for the Price of a Dream, a group of staff and medical trainees focused on reducing financial barriers to medical school applications; from January to July 2021, she also worked as project manager of the Black COVID Resilience Health Promotion Project with Black Health Alliance.

Chantal was co-President of the Black Medical Students Association at U of T during the 2019-2020 school year and sat on the Partnership and Accountability Circle for the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit at the City of Toronto from September 2018 to February 2020.

She completed her bachelor's degree in Psychology and Medical Science at Western University in 2018.

Dr. Rashid has had the privilege of working with newly arrived refugees for nearly twenty years. He is the medical director of the Crossroads Clinic, a medical clinic that serves refugees arriving in Toronto. He also co-founded the Canadian Doctors for Refugee Care, an organization founded to advocate for refugees to access health insurance and was on the steering committee of the CCIRH, a group that developed evidence-based guidelines for the assessment of newly arrived immigrants and refugees.

He is a co-founder of the Christie Refugee Health Clinic, a health clinic located in a refugee shelter. He is on staff at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Joanne graduated from McMaster University with a double major in Biology & Psychology (H.BSc, 2007). Soon after, she completed a two year intensive Masters program in Physical Therapy from the University of Toronto (M.Sc PT, 2010).

Joanne is a Registered Pelvic Floor Physiotherapist and the Co-Founder and Co-Owner of WombCare Clinic; a reproductive health organization centering Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) women with pelvic health issues such as Uterine Fibroids and Endometriosis. She has a passion for treating symptoms of these conditions in addition to pregnancy and postpartum care.

One of her goals in life is to create positive, direct, and generational impact by empowering women to have a healthy relationship with their pelvic and reproductive health.

As an empathetic healthcare provider, Joanne observed the significant discrepancy in how healthcare is experienced amongst communities. Intending to make a change she also Co-Founded Open Dialogue Canada, a non-profit organization for Healthcare Providers committed to improving the quality of care experienced by BIPOC communities.

Joanne values compassion and cultural humility and believes that community is key in the comprehensive understanding and management of an individual’s health. She aims to create change and galvanize others to support dignity and equity for all individuals.

Amoy Jacques successfully completed a Master of Public Health and graduated Summa Cum Laude at the University of Montana on May 12, 2018. She has a sincere passion to improve the health, wellness and policies that support and protect women (particularly those of African descent) during their reproductive years.

She was fortunate to gain exceptional experience at two graduate internships in Los Angeles, California. She worked as a public health intern with the Association of Wholistic and Maternal Newborn Health (AWMNH). Together with the executive director, they planned, implemented and evaluated the 2015 Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) conference to improve community-based doula care and midwifery services for minority group women. As a graduate student at the Pasadena Public Health department, she worked with the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health director to develop evaluation tools for the Black Infant Health Program to improve its effectiveness for future expectant black mothers.

Additionally, she has been invited as a guest speaker at local Afro-Caribbean events on various topics such as fibroid management, and restoration of physical, mental and spiritual well-being.
Amoy currently works as a Registered Kinesiologist for over 13 years with Altum Health – University Health Network on the planning, implementation and evaluation of chronic disability management programs for injured workers.

She is also the Founder/CEO of WombCare – a reproductive health and wellness agency seeking to conduct research with health agencies across Canada and create equitable programs, and policies for women, particularly those from marginalized communities.