EMPOWERED BLACK PEOPLE ACHIEVING THEIR FULL POTENTIAL

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.

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 that 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 Colour. She’s a visiting researcher at Toronto Metropolitan University, with interests in the impacts of anti-Black racism in Canadian workplaces and predictive models for preventing diabetes. Also an adjunct faculty at the University of Toronto’s master’s in health informatics (MHI) program, Dora enjoys mentoring students on projects. Outside of work, Dora loves spending time with her son and two daughters, watching a good game of basketball, sampling food, jazz or film festivals and taking long walks outdoors. She finds nurturing the newly founded Believe Act Live Manifest Inc. (BALM) very fulfilling.

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.