Ours to Tell

The University of Calgary | HBI · Department of Psychiatry
MB.BS, DCP, M.Sc, MRCPsych(UK), FRCPC, KSC

Sipiwe worked in HIV and sexual health awareness specifically with African, Caribbean and Black communities for the past 11 years.

Sipiwe has vast experience working with marginalized communities and immigrant population.

The focus was raising awareness in this population and tackling stigma which continues to be a problem in HIV education with ACB population.

Sipiwe was co-chair of CHABAC (Canadian HIV/AIDS Black, African Caribbean) a national network of people responding to HIV and AIDS in that community.

Sipiwe has retired from SafeLink Alberta where she was coordinator of Drumbeat the African Communities Program.

Professor Bukola Salami is the Director of Intersections of Gender Signature Area at the Office of Vice President Research and a Professor at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. Her research program focuses on policies and practices shaping migrants' health as well as Black people’s health. She founded and leads an African Child and Youth Migration Network, a network of 42 scholars from 4 continents. In 2020, she founded the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program at the University of Alberta. She is a member of the Public Health Agency of Canada Working Group on the Mental Health of Black Canadians, an advisory committee on Bell ets Talk Funding, a Board member of Black Opportunities Fund, a Board member of the Canadian Nurses Association, an advisory board member of the CIHR Institute for Human Development, Child and Youth Health, Editor for the Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, Associate Editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) and on the Editorial Board of Nursing Inquiry and Qualitative Health Research Journal.

In 1995, she lost her mom to breast cancer, a difficult journey for her and the family. In 2016, her husband, Bayo Oladele, was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, cancer of the plasma cells. She dropped everything to help her husband through the healing process. In 2017, they co-authored a book titled SECOND CHANCE: Surviving the Battles of Cancer and registered the Oladele Foundation with her husband and their son.

Cancer is regarded as a taboo in many African communities, and sharing her lived experience as a caregiver, encouraged others to speak up and ask for help. In 2017, along with her husband started helping and assisting other cancer survivors by registering The Oladele Foundation, and in 2018, her husband and a Breast Cancer survivor co-founded the African Cancer Support Group.

Yinka Oladele is an entrepreneur, being the first African woman to join the UPS Store franchise network in Canada and has continued to mentor other startups and existing entrepreneurs. She has received several business and community awards within the African and Business communities. She recently featured in a magazine, TV and digital story series on “Caregiver in the Wild.” She has a Master of Education (M.Ed.) and is nearing the completion of a Master of Counselling Psychology (MACP) to help with their mental health and psychological situations in the community.

Today, Yinka Oladele will share her caregiving journey and how she uses her lived experience to help cancer survivors, patients and caregivers in the Black community. She is married and blessed with a son and grandchildren

Dr. Régine Uwibereyeho King is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary. King has a Ph.D. in Social Work and a Master’s in Counselling Psychology and Community Development (M.Ed.) from the University of Toronto. Her research interests include racial justice, cross-cultural mental health, social processes of healing, forgiveness and reconciliation, and Indigenous knowledge. Her research agenda is guided by anti-colonial, antiracist perspectives, and Black feminism. King is a community-based researcher who has published in the areas of truth and reconciliation, intergroup dialogue, healing approaches to collective trauma, anti-Black racism, refugee mental health, transnational social work, and critical pedagogies. King is a knowledgeable translator through public speaking. She is a member of various academic committees and community advocacy groups including the anti-Black racism Task Force.  

Ganiyat is an advocate passionate about eliminating systemic barriers marginalized communities face. These interests are reflective of the @IAmXMovement, a social community founded by Ganiyat that seeks to raise awareness of the injustices faced by Black, Indigenous and Racialized individuals, as well as provide a safe space to share their experiences. She also co-founded and serves as the Co-Executive Officer of the Black Inclusion Association. This novel non-profit aims to achieve equity and social justice for Black Albertans. She currently serves as one of the Campus Food Bank Coordinators at the University of Calgary. Ganiyat is completing a BA in Honours Political Science and a BA in International Relations with an Embedded Certificate in Pluralism and Global Citizenship.

Thomas Tri (He/Him) is passionate about issues affecting immigrants and refugees. He serves as the Head of Operations at Equalearn Foundation, a youth-led non-profit providing free tutoring services to underprivileged and immigrant families. He serves as one of the Campus Food Bank Coordinators at the University of Calgary. He sits on the Student Union’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Taskforce, aiming to achieve food security on campus. He is currently in his third year at the University of Calgary studying social work with double minors in global development studies and gender and sexuality studies and an embedded certificate in global citizenship and pluralism.

Jaya Dixit (she/her) is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor in the Office of Research Services. Her everyday professional practice draws on lived experiences as a racialized woman of South Asian heritage, a background in Sociology and Political Science, and a deep understanding of diverse student experiences in the research ecosystem. She advises researchers and teams in the design of effective, full-spectrum EDI action plans for tri-council funding proposals and works on a cross-unit team that supports the genuine, robust implementation of our institutional Canada Research Chairs EDI Action Plan. Jaya is also co-chair of the UCalgary Dimensions’ Racialized and Visible Minority Persons Equitable Pathways Working Group, and a member of the Intersectionality and Language of EDI Working Groups.

William Yimbo is a Senior Advisor, EDI Literacy, Education, and Training in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. He holds a BA in Political Science and Economics from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, a graduate diploma in International Relations from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands, an MA in Public Affairs, and a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of Minnesota, USA.

As a Senior Advisor, Dr. Yimbo develops and delivers equity, diversity, and inclusion workshops to staff, faculty, and students across the university. He previously worked as a diversity advisor in immigration and settlement services. In this role, he delivered diversity education and advocated for equity and inclusivity in government services for Canada’s newcomer communities.

Dr. Yimbo has an extensive career background and experience in public and foreign policy administration in Kenya, Africa.

Michael Barrett is a Registered Psychologist and a Doctoral candidate in Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta. Mike has more than 20 years of experience in the field of adolescent and adult mental health, and has been a member of the Sinneave organization since 2012. Mike brings extensive knowledge in mental health, stress, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, self-confidence, and transition planning to his role working with individuals on the Autism Spectrum. He enjoys working to teach social, relationship, and life skills to support clients in becoming more independent, self-sufficient, gainfully employed and physically active.

Ryan Elkanah is a lifelong learner and an autistic self-advocate. He’s someone who’s eager to have dialogue and seeks to change the culture. Ryan has spent a decade working with street entrenched youth and sees himself to be an advocate of the misunderstood, alienated, and forsaken of the world.

Ava Onwudegwu grew up on the beautiful Island of Jamaica before migrating to Canada at 18. Ava is currently the Patient Care Manager for the Critical Care Unit at Lakeridge Health (Ajax, ON). She has also held various positions at Unity Health Toronto, from staff nurse on the Resource Team and in the intensive care Unit (ICU), as well as eCare Support, Professional Practice Leader for Nursing Practice and Education, Manager of Nursing Practice and Education, Clinical Educator – Nursing and Assistant Patient Care Manager. She also had the opportunity to work in academia as a Clinical Instructor and Clinical Advisor. Ava is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto. In all her leadership experiences, Ava experienced that she was always the only Black person on the team; she didn’t see Black representation or mentors. As the Academic Coordinator at CBNA, Ava is motivated by the desire to empower and build another generation of leaders who will forge the way for generations to come. She is passionate about seeing Black nurses and Black nursing students reach their highest potential. Black nurses must all leave a legacy!  Ava also gives back to communities on a larger scale, doing humanitarian work in Israel, the Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, and other areas within Canada.

Ovie Onagbeboma is nationally recognized as a nurse and business leader. She is pursuing her master’s in business administration, is Lean Six belt certified and is a clinical nurse manager. Ovie is a sought-after consultant to many national organizations. She is an advisor to the Canadian Nursing Association and the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing and is a stakeholder with Canadian Health Workforce Network. A transformative leader who identified a serious problem in healthcare and acted quickly to form a national organization and initiative to address this problem. She recognized that existing nursing associations work primarily to advance the collective interests of the nursing profession as a whole – an important mission. They do not, however, effectively help individual nurses maximize their personal and career potential – and none of the legacy nursing associations fully understand or adequately meet the unique needs of Canada’s Black Nurses. So, she conceived an organization that would fulfill those unmet needs – the Canadian Black Nurses Alliance (CBNA). Under Ovie’s leadership and in a short period of time, CBNA has become a phenomenal national organization that is life-changing for many Black Nurses. Already, the CBNA has grown to include students and practicing members in multiple provinces as CBNA chapters across the country and has become the most influential voice for Black Nurses across the nation. Ovie sees the future of nursing through an African proverb Ubuntu and embodies the understanding that “I am because we are” as a motivation to strive for a society where all can grow and flourish. Ovie has broken the glass ceiling to inspire the next generation.

forthcoming

My education and expertise are interdisciplinary. I hold a certificate in Emergency Telecommunications from Humber College, a Social Service Worker Diploma from Sheridan College, a Child and Youth Worker trade registrant, an Honours Bachelor of Social Work from York University, a Master in Social Work from the University of Windsor, and a Masters in Economic Development and Innovation from the University of Waterloo and many other certifications and training.

As a college and university professor for 10 + years, I am skilled in facilitation, adult learning strategies, curriculum development and design. I have taught in programs such as social work, massage therapy, and fire and emergency services. I have also engaged in research with varying interests, including mental health and acute care, domestic violence, the experiences of Black women in academia, community and economic development

I am a certified trainer in SafeTalk and am passionate about preparing others to understand how to support and intervene with those who exhibit signs of suicide.  

My work is diverse and spans across disciplines; as such, my workshops and training are engaging, energetic and educational. I have worked with corporate clients in equity, diversity and inclusion, and healthy workplaces.

Susannah is the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Counsel at the Law Society of Alberta.

As a former family law litigator and mediator, Susannah is an attentive, compassionate and strong advocate.

Outside of the office, Susannah sits on several Canadian Bar Association committees including serving as the past co-chair of both the Law Day Committee and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion committee. She is a former award-winning volunteer for Calgary Legal Guidance and she currently volunteers with the Association of Women Lawyers and the Black Law Students’ Association (BLSA) Mentorship Program at the University of Calgary. Susannah is also a member of the Black Student Equitable Admissions Process (BSEAP) Sub-Committee at the University of Calgary where Black students applying to the University’s Law School have an opportunity to submit a personal essay about their lived experience in addition to participating in the merit-based application process. Susannah is passionate about Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism work and has appeared on various TV news channels and on local Calgary radio stations to discuss racism, policing and access to justice initiatives.

Originally from the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Susannah proudly celebrates her Caribbean heritage by volunteering with various Calgary Caribbean Associations and by participating in Caribbean carnivals all over the world each year. Susannah also identifies as a life-long student of the Spanish language, remaining in constant need of practice.