The Dalhousie School of Social Work Diversity and Equity Diversity and Equity Committee (DEC) Conversation Series
 

School of Social Work, Dalhousie University COMMEMORATES AFRICAN HERITAGE MONTH

Thursday, February 26, 2026 | 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM (Atlantic Time)
 

PANEL DISCUSSION ON:
AFRICAN-CENTRED APPROACHES TO BLACK HEALTH

Prof. Chimezie Anyakora is a pharmaceutical chemist and public health expert with extensive experience strengthening medicine quality and health systems across Africa. He holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and taught at the University of Lagos Faculty of Pharmacy for over a decade. Prof. Anyakora has worked on public health initiatives across multiple African countries and brings deep expertise in implementation, regulation, and health system strengthening, with particular insight into the Nigerian health context.
Topic: Public health in Africa: time for Africa to move to the driver’s seat

Dr. Tolu Sajobi is a Professor and Head of the Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary. He is the Director of the Person-Centered Methods & Analytics Research Group through which he leads a methods research program that focuses on measurement and analysis of behavioral/patient-reported outcomes, design and analysis of clinical trials, and predictive analytics. He has co-authored more than 220 peer-reviewed publications and received > $50 million in research funding to support health outcomes research in Canada and internationally. Dr Sajobi provides research leadership and data advisory services for various research groups in academia and industry organizations.
Topic: Reclaiming Black health: empowering Black patients to thrive in the Canadian healthcare system

Dr. Gloria Aidoo-Frimpong is an Assistant Professor of Public Health and an immigrant health researcher whose work centres on African-centred and community-driven approaches to health equity. Her research focuses on HIV prevention among youth and women in Ghana and African immigrant communities in the United States. She leads participatory projects that draw on African knowledge systems, storytelling, and collective decision-making to co-create culturally grounded health strategies. Dr. Aidoo-Frimpong is committed to bridging research, community wisdom, and action to advance Black health across the continent and the diaspora.
Topic: African-centred ways of knowing in Black health research

Devon Bundy was raised in Halifax’s North End in the community of Mulgrave Park, with roots in Cherry Brook, Nova Scotia. He is a graduate of NSCC, Cape Breton University, Dalhousie University, and the University of Victoria. Devon serves as Chair of the Board for the Mulgrave Park Caring and Learning Centre and as Secretary of the Association of Black Social Workers. Previously, he worked with the Nova Scotia Health Authority as a Health Services Manager overseeing the Nova Scotia Brotherhood and Sisterhood. He works with the Nova Scotia government as a Regional Hub Manager in the Disability Support Program.
Topic: Black men’s health outside clinical spaces: lessons from community-based engagement

Moderator:
Dr. Terrence O. Lewis is an Associate Professor at the Dalhousie University School of Social Work and the Associate Dean of Equity and Inclusion for the Faculty of Health

VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS WEBINAR

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EVERYONE IS WELCOME. REGISTER ON TEAMS TO ATTEND
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Contact: Ifeyinwa Mbakogu, Chair of the Diversity and Equity Committee (DEC) sswdec@dal.ca
NOTE: The Diversity and Equity Committee (DEC) Events are not recorded to offer safe spaces for presenters and audiences to engage in critical discussions