Dr. Nakia Lee-Foon is the inaugural Health Equity Lead at the Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, and a recipient of the City of Mississauga Black Excellence Award in Health Services. She holds a PhD in Social and Behavioural Health Sciences from the University of Toronto and an MHSc from Ontario Tech University. Dr. Lee-Foon is the Chair of Planned Parenthood Toronto Community Health Centre board of directors, served on the College of Electors at the University of Toronto, and is a past Vice President of the Black Health Alliance. Her award-winning, community-informed research explores the state of health equity in healthcare systems, sexual and reproductive health inequities, and breast and cervical cancer underscreening and screening awareness projects made for and by Black populations and other equity-deserving groups in Ontario. She has over 15 years of research and teaching experience in public health at the undergraduate, graduate, and community levels.

Chidiebere Ibe, BSc, MBChB (c), is a TEDx speaker and Nigerian Forbes-featured medical illustrator. He is the Founder of Championing Change Africa and ProjectKreate, and a member of Wikimedia Medicine (Wikipedia Foundation). He serves as Creative Director at YCAANS and as Creative Director and Chief Medical Illustrator of the Journal of Global Neurosurgery. He is a Medical Illustrator at the International Centre for Genetic Diseases, Harvard Medical School. He is globally acclaimed for creating the Black fetus illustration, and is training to become an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist.

Alicia St. Hill is the Executive Director of Ontario's Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN), including Prenatal Screening Ontario at CHEO. Her career spans health policy, care delivery management, quality improvement, and performance measurement in both Washington, DC, and Ottawa. She is committed to building a collaborative learning health system that supports wellbeing throughout pregnancy and childhood. Alicia champions technology and innovation to transform how health information is collected, analyzed, and shared to improve outcomes. Alicia champions technology and innovation to transform how health information is collected, analyzed, and shared to improve outcomes. She holds degrees from Queen's University and the University of Ottawa, with postgraduate training in health services research and information systems. Outside of work, she enjoys life in Ottawa with her three energetic children.

'Remi Ejiwunmi is the Vice President of the Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children at Trillium Health Partners (THP). 'Remi has been a visionary leader in the field of midwifery through her three decades of service. She joined THP in 1996, becoming Head Midwife in 2001 and the inaugural Division Head of Midwifery in 2013, and played an instrumental role in advancing quality at THP through the development of the Perinatal Quality, Safety and Risk Council. Her influence extends beyond THP through leadership roles at the Association of Ontario Midwives, HIROC, PCMCH, and BORN. She has a deep commitment to equity, inclusion, and anti-racism and works to help shape policies to improve reproductive health and reduce health care inequities including within the Black community. 'Remi holds a Master of Science in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety from the University of Toronto, and is an Adjunct Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and an Adjunct Scientist at McMaster University Midwifery Research Centre.

Stacia Stewart is the Director of Research, Policy and Communications at Social Planning Toronto, where she advances equity and social justice through policy research, community engagement, and advocacy. A strategic and visionary leader with over 30 years of experience, she has led interdisciplinary initiatives across health, education, and social services at local, provincial, and national levels, and is a published researcher and sought-after speaker across Canada and internationally. Her work spans maternal and child health, reproductive justice, gender-based violence prevention, newcomer settlement, and LGBTQ+ inclusion, grounded in community-led and culturally responsive approaches. She has led innovative projects including a multi-year infant food security study in partnership with the University of Toronto and the development of Canada's first free breast pump and infant feeding program centering Black and low-income racialized families. A trained doula and long-time birth companion, Stacia brings both professional expertise and deep community-rooted commitment to advancing racialized maternal health and collective care.

Jordyn Ledgister is a birthworker, new mother, and community organizer committed to strengthening systems of care for families. As the founder of the Community Doulas Project, she centers community-led care that uplifts Black birthworkers, Black families, and the villages that sustain them. She believes doulas play a vital role in improving maternal health experiences and reducing racialized disparities, and is committed to scaling community-rooted solutions to make this vision real.

Gabrielle Griffith (they/them) is a full-spectrum doula, perinatal mental health advocate, and Research Associate with the Institute for Better Health at Trillium Health Partners. Their work centers Black, queer, and trans communities navigating pregnancy, birth, abortion, and early parenting, with a focus on advancing equity within health systems. Gabrielle's expertise spans community-based research, data-informed advocacy, and knowledge mobilization, including leading projects on cannabis use in perinatal health and promoting trauma-informed, harm reduction approaches. They are actively involved in mentoring doulas and collaborating with community and institutional partners to bridge lived experience with formal healthcare data systems. Gabrielle's work highlights the critical role of doulas in shaping policy, strengthening data practices, and improving maternal health outcomes.

Dr. Priscilla Boakye is deeply committed to advancing equity and promoting optimal perinatal health outcomes for Black women. Her program of research is grounded in health equity, social justice, and community empowerment. She approaches research as a tool not only for generating and disseminating knowledge, but for translating knowledge into meaningful action and community-centered interventions to promote health and well-being. She meaningfully engages people with lived experience, community partners, researchers, interest holders, and decision-makers to co-design interventions. Dr. Boakye recently founded the Black Women RISE Lab at TMU to generate culturally grounded and equity-oriented knowledge to transform perinatal health research, practice, and policy.

Dr. Giulia Muraca is a perinatal epidemiologist whose research focuses on improving maternal health and safety through population-based data and health system research. She examines severe maternal morbidity, obstetric interventions, and inequities in pregnancy outcomes, with the goal of informing clinical care, policy, and maternal health surveillance. Dr. Muraca leads the Perinatal Epidemiology Research Lab (PERL) and is the Principal Investigator of CanHEAL, the Canadian Network for Health Equity using Advanced Data Linkage, a multidisciplinary initiative advancing equity in maternal and perinatal care through research, training, and community partnerships.

Nicole Yada is the Director of the VITAL Platform at GEMINI. Prior to joining the GEMINI team, Nicole was the inaugural Program Director for the Accelerating Clinical Trials Consortium and oversaw business development for ICES. She holds a master's degree in health informatics from McMaster University and is completing her PhD in Health Services Research at the University of Toronto. Ms. Yada trained as a graphic designer in Tokyo, Japan and has a background in marketing and research journalism.

Dr. Jocelynn Cook graduated with a PhD in Reproductive Physiology from the Medical University of South Carolina and also obtained an MBA from the University of Saskatchewan, specializing in Economics and Health Policy. Her research career has focused on issues related to maternal-fetal medicine, specifically substance use during pregnancy, preterm birth, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), Assisted Human Reproduction, and Maternal Mortality. Dr. Cook spent almost 10 years in the Canadian federal public service, holding senior and executive leadership positions at Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. She joined the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada as its first Chief Scientific Officer in 2014, overseeing evidence-based information, public health and surveillance, research and knowledge translation, Clinical Practice Guidelines, and academic programs. She has been an Adjunct Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Ottawa since 2002 and is a sought-after speaker internationally.

Dr. Modupe Tunde-Byass is the President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada and the inaugural Past President of Black Physicians of Canada. She is Chair of the Governance Committee of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Co-Chair of the Maternal Newborn Outcome Committee at BORN Ontario, and co-founder of Women Health Education Made Simple (WHEMS), an online educational resource for women. A Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and the UK, she received special interest training in Maternal and Fetal Medicine at King's College London, and has been an active staff at North York General Hospital since 2004 and an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Her work addresses equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-Black racism as reflected in maternal mortality, morbidity, and birthing experiences in the Black population. She is co-author of "Achieving Equity in Reproductive Care and Birth Outcomes for Black People" (CMAJ 2024) and has made numerous media appearances including the CBC documentary series For the Culture with Amanda Parris. A recipient of multiple awards including the 2026 100ABCWomen Award, the SOGC Mentorship Award, and the University of Toronto Social Responsibility Award, she has been recognized as one of Toronto's Top Doctors for three consecutive years.

Dr. Sheryl Spithoff is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, a Clinician Scientist at Women's College Hospital, and the founder and director of the Health Tech and Society Lab. Her work examines issues at the intersection of new technologies, commercial interests, and health care systems. She holds grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to examine the commercialization of primary care health data and pharmaceutical industry surveillance marketing through clinical decision support and electronic health record systems.