BALM’s Board Members

Dora Mugambi, MBA. CRP

Dora was born in Nakuru town in Kenya’s rift valley but grew up in Nairobi. Influenced by her father’s love for education and social justice, she resolved to remain a continuous learner, able to connect with diverse people by building a sensitivity to their unique needs.

As BALM’s founding President, Dora focuses on bringing BALM’s vision to life. She networks extensively and leverages partnerships with key stakeholders to enable BALM’s teams to make an impact. A biochemist with an MBA, most of her career, spanning 3 continents in life science companies including Pfizer, AstraZeneca and J & J, has been spent managing business strategies for medical products. Dora presently consults for organizations who need to launch clinical research informatics programs, medical products or health technologies. She’s an advocate for health equity and patient safety; and serves on Trillium Health Partners’ Research Ethics Board and DEI subcommittee, as well as Rare Disease Diversity Coalition’s (RDDC) advisory boards. She believes in empowering patients by simplifying medical jargon and reducing racial biases among healthcare providers interacting with equity seeking People of Color.

Antoinette Mugisha

Antoinette was born in Bujumbura, Burundi where her parents lived as immigrants from Rwanda. She schooled in Burundi , in precarious war conditions. Her dream remained to become a Medical Doctor. She participated in different youth groups focusing on empowering girls and boosting their confidence. She also ran programs to educate youth in business creation. Once in Canada, Antoinette trained in women’s studies and environmental sciences. After which she worked in different financial institutions in account Receivables/Payables.
She was chosen to be a women’s leader in her community church and together they created a non-profit organization that helps orphans and widows.

Antoinette’s own life experiences have made her very sensitive to other people’s suffering, especially when navigating the workplace and interacting with community members who are themselves going through stressful experiences. She empathizes with members of the Black community where communicating one’s thoughts may not always be valued.

Antoinette is blessed to be the mother of four girls, who have enabled her to master juggling the pressures between work and raising them. Her goal is to focus on family cohesion, education and creating a better future for her children and as well as for other people.

Oliver Emre Aygun, BsPT, MRSc., EMHI (Board Secretary, BALM)

Oliver Emre Aygun is an accomplished health informatics professional with a comprehensive background in patient care improvement initiatives in Nova Scotia. He holds an Executive Master’s in Health Informatics and a Research Master’s in Rehabilitation Science.

In his current role, as BALM’s Board Secretary, Oliver provides insightful guidance on organizational operations, governance and coordinates volunteer activities.

Leveraging his expertise in policy development, and the advancement of technological applications in healthcare systems, Oliver ‘s commitment to make a difference shines through at BALM, whose vision is a world free of anti-Black racism .

His volunteer endeavors reflect a profound commitment to enhancing inclusivity and supporting programs that elevate Black communities of youth, the elderly and newcomers , through programs in research, education, and entrepreneurship. These seamlessly align with his commitment to his role as BALM’s Board Secretary.