MEET THE COCREATH TEAM
DIRECTOR
Investigators and Collaborators
- — Dr. Ruby Edet (MBBS)
- — Dr. Bagnini Kohoun (Ph.D.)
- — Dr. Charles Dabone (Ph.D.)
- — Dr. Ikenna Mbagwu (MBBS, MSc)
- — Dr. Egbe B. Etowa (Ph.D.)
- — Dr. Michelle Lalonde (Ph.D.)
- — Dr. Lovelyn Ubangha (MBBS)
- — Dr. Doris Kakuru (Ph.D., MPhil, B.A)
- — Oluwakemi Ariyo (BSc, MSc, MHI)
- — Dr. Sanni Yaya (MSc, Ph.D.)
Research staff
Trainees
- — Bishwajit Ghose Ph.D.
- — Sheryl Beauchamp MSc, RN, Ph.D.(c)
- — Mwali-Nachishali Muray RN, BScN, MBA, Ph.D.
- — Hilary Nare Ph.D.(c)
- — Amy Johnston Ph.D.
- — Janet Kemei Ph.D.
- — Manal Abed Elkhalik Abdallah Fseifed Ph.D.
- — Asawalam Akuchi Ph.D.
- — Andrea Willett Ph.D.(c)
- — Zahra Jama MScN
- — Maame Akyaa Duah DNSc., MScN
- — Tega Ekewenu BScN
- — Aurelie Ntumba BScN
- — Laika Intungane BScN
Alumni
- — Getachew Abrha BSc, MPH, Ph.D. affiliate
- — Itunu Taiwo (B.Pharm, MSc)
- — Sarah Aly Undergraduate
- — Manal Abdallah Ph.D.(c)
- — Zahra Jama MScN
- — Maame Akyaa Duah MScN
- — Tolulope Kolawole MScN
- — Ndolo Njie-Mokoya MScN
- — Ihechi Dinneh BHSc
- — Edidiong Ekanem BHSc
- — Aurelie Ntumba BScN
- — Laika Intungane BScN
- — Itoro Ekanem BA
- — Melissa Kingwaya BHSc
- — Tatenda Masama BScN
- — Sarah Layng BScN
- — Clemence Onglo Zogo BHSc
- — Natania Abebe BScN
- — Royce Kathlain Jean-Louis BHSc
- — Aster Marasa BScN
- — Alyssa Samantha Nikolla BHSc
- — Maya Ayik BHSc
- — Ariyo Oluwakemi BSc, MSc, MHI
- — Shannan MacDonald MNSc, Ph.D.
- — Danielle Macdonald Ph.D.
- — Daniel Nagel Ph.D.
- — Zubeida Ramji Ph.D.
- — Ekaete Asuquo Ph.D.
Prof.Josephine Etowa, Ph.D. RN RM FWACN FAAN | Director
Josephine Etowa, PhD RN RM FWACN FAAN, is a Full Professor, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa and holder of the OHTN Chair in Black Women’s Health and HIV Prevention and Care.
Dr. Etowa is the Director and Lead Investigator of Collaborative Critical Research for Equity and
Transformation in Health (CO-CREATH) Lab. She is a transformational leader in health equity, antiracism, and community empowerment research within Canada and internationally, and her research and mentoring have led to real-world change at the practice, program, and policy level. Her programs of research include many nationally- and internationally funded studies on African, the Caribbean, and Black (ACB) health, health equity, perinatal health, COVID-19 pandemic, HIV/AIDS, nurses’ work life, and community health nursing.
INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Dr. Charles Dabone (Ph.D.) | INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Dr. Charles Dabone (Ph.D.) is a nutritionist and an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa within the Faculty of Health Sciences (School of Nutrition Sciences and Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences). He also acts as a consultant in international nutrition. His research focuses on the double burden of malnutrition with a particular focus on eating habits/behaviors and their determinants.
Other research interests of his include African Caribbean Study (AC Study) Surveillance and Food Security. He has served as an investigator in many of CO-CREATH Lab’s projects such as AVA Project, APCI, Strengthening Disaggregated Sociodemographic Data Related to COVID-19, Monitoring Trends in the Prevalence of HIV, Associated Behavioral, Socio-Demographic and Systemic Factors, and Health Care Utilization among First and second generation African and Caribbean People who reside in Toronto and Ottawa.
Dr. Bagnini Kohoun (PhD) | INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Dr. Bagnini Kohoun (PhD) is a policy analyst for the Government of Canada. With 3 master’s degree to his name, (Political Science, French & TESOL and in Philosophy and Ethics, he is currently the President for the Canadians of African Descent Health Organization (CADHO).
His areas of expertise include HIV, Immigration, ACB Health, Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR), Stigma, and discrimination. Having done his postdoctoral fellowship studies under the supervision of Professor Josephine Etowa, Loyer-DaSilva Research Chair in Public Health Nursing, he has served as a community collaborator in some projects carried out in CO-CREATH Lab which include the AVA Project and the OHTN HIV Project.
Dr. Egbe B. Etowa (Ph.D.) | INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Dr. Egbe B. Etowa (Ph.D.) is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology, University of Windsor, Ontario. He was also a postdoctoral research fellow at the School of Nursing, Egbe’s fellowship is under a multisite CIHR/OHTN grant-oriented research program entitled ‘weSpeak: Reducing HIV vulnerabilities and promoting resilience among African, Caribbean, and Black self-identified heterosexual men in Ontario.” Dr. Etowa is proficient in a quantitative approach to research including data management and analysis, literature reviews, and manuscript writing. Egbe’s application of quantitative methods to study social determinants of health originates from his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics. He has contributed to several projects in CO-CREATH such as the weSpeak Project, APCI, AVA, and the HIV project.
Dr. Ruby Edet (MBBS) | INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Dr. Ruby Edet (MBBS) obtained her medical degree from the University of Jos, Nigeria. In Canada, she is a public health specialist and works as a Manager of the Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression & Systems Change at the Somerset West Community Health Centre in Ottawa. She has extensive experience in public health programs including pediatrics, adolescent, young people and adults on HIV/TB care and treatment programs, viral hepatitis, gender-based violence, health care for the girl child, and orphans and vulnerable children. She has been involved in several CO-CREATH projects including AVA Project (Community Collaborator), and the APCI Project.
Dr. Doris Kakuru (Ph.D., MPhil, B.A) | INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Dr. Doris Kakuru (Ph.D., MPhil, B.A) is an associate professor at the School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria, and an adjunct research professor at Carleton University’s Institute of African Studies. She is an interdisciplinary social scientist and a CODESRIA Laureate in Child and Youth Studies (2015). Her research interests include HIV, Infant feeding, ACB health, and CBPR.
Her contribution to the CO-CREATH Lab includes Psychosocial experiences of HIV Positive Women of African Descent in the Cultural Context of Infant Feeding: A 3-Country Comparative Analysis.
Dr. Michelle Lalonde (Ph.D.) | INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Dr. Michelle Lalonde (Ph.D.) is an associate professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Ottawa. Michelle completed her doctoral work at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. Michelle’s program of research is focused on the main theme of Readiness & Transition to Nursing Practice with the theme of la Francophonie integrated throughout. Dr. Lalonde is the lead for the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Research on Health and Nursing’s (CRHN) research hub on Francophonie and health, as well as an Editor for the Canadian Journal of Emergency Nursing. She is particularly interested in the experience of francophones in minority situations. Her area of expertise includes emergency/trauma and general surgery.
Dr. Ikenna Mbagwu (MBBS, MSc) | INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Dr. Ikenna Mbagwu (MBBS, MSc) has a bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery from the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka with an MSc in Epidemiology and Statistics from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
In 2019, He was responsible for coordinating and implementing various health/research projects among population groups including the African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) population. His public health interests are focused on using an intersection of public health, information technology (IT), and community engagement to implement health programs in populations. He also coordinated some of CO-CREATH Lab’s projects such as the weSpeak project, Strengthening Disaggregated Sociodemographic Data Related to COVID-19. His areas of expertise include Epidemiology of Infectious and chronic diseases, Public Health, HIV, and ACB men’s health. He currently works as a Knowledge Exchange Specialist at the Ottawa Public Health.
Oluwakemi Ariyo (BSc, MSc, MHI) | INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Oluwakemi Ariyo (BSc, MSc, MHI) worked as a Research Assistant on the CRAIF study. Her expertise in statistics, research methodology, and health data analytics has been invaluable in contributing to research and supporting evidence-informed practices for the African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) community. She’s a member of the Canadians of African Descent Health
Organization (CADHO). She currently works as a Senior Data Analyst at Better Outcome Registry and Network (BORN) Ontario, where she facilitates quality care for families to improve health outcomes across the province.
Dr. Lovelyn Ubangha (MBBS) | INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Dr. Lovelyn Ubangha (MBBS) obtained her medical degree from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria in 2017.
Prior to joining the team at CO-CREATH Lab, she worked as a general practitioner in Lagos, Nigeria, attending to the varied health needs of her community. Her areas of interest include preventative health, reproductive health, and mental health. She has been involved in a couple of CO-CREATH Lab projects such as The impact of postpartum mental health support programs on women, their families, and communities, in collaboration with Mothercraft of Ottawa and Optimizing HIV and Health services for Canadians of African Descent (CAD) women: A multisectoral approach and innovative approach to capacity building. Her areas of expertise are Women’s Health, Adolescent, and reproductive health. She’s currently enrolled in a Medical School.
Dr. Sanni Yaya (MSc, Ph.D.) | INVESTIGATORS AND COLLABORATORS
Dr. Sanni Yaya (MSc, Ph.D.) is Full Professor in the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa and holds the Senghor Research Chair in Health and Development. Prior to assuming the position of Vice-President International and Francophonie, he was Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford and was appointed Honorary Professorial
Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health, Imperial College London. Professor Yaya has also held visiting appointments at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and New York University.
RESEARCH STAFF
Susan Roelofs (MA) | RESEARCH STAFF
Susan Roelofs (MA) is a Senior Research Associate at CO-CREATH Lab. Passionate about supporting participatory community health,
health equity, and global health research, she has over 20 years of experience with research and evaluation projects in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and China. Research areas include HIV, nurses’ involvement in health policy, maternal and child health, and knowledge mobilization.
In addition to over 15 publications, she was assistant editor and contributing author to the book “Developing a program of research: An essential process for a successful research career”.
Sylvia Sangwa (MBBS) | RESEARCH STAFF
Dr. Sylvia Sangwa is the Research Coordinator of the AVA Project (Optimizing Vaccine Acceptance and Uptake in the African, Caribbean and Black Communities in Ottawa). She obtained her medical degree (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery MBBS) from the School of Medicine, University of Botswana in 2018. She worked as a medical doctor (general practitioner) in Botswana where she gained extensive knowledge on HIV/AIDS treatment through “Knowledge, Innovation and Training Shall Overcome AIDS (KITSO) Training. Here, she gained passion for equitable healthcare in the community and advocated against HIV-related stigma for People Living with HIV/AIDS in Gaborone, Botswana.
She worked in clinical research during her time at the University of Botswana and was inspired in the utilization of using research in combating systemic barriers in healthcare through policy making.
Dr. Sangwa uses her clinical knowledge, research skills and great passion in improving healthcare access for immigrants and racialized communities to contribute towards the CO-CREATH mission, to advance health equity and transform community engagement through research.
Sandrine Mugabekazi (B.A.) | RESEARCH STAFF
Ayokunle Ogunleye (B.A) | RESEARCH STAFF
Ayokunle Ogunleye (B.A) is the National Project Coordinator of the APCI Study. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Prince Edward Island where he majored in Psychology with minors in Anthropology and English Literature.
Prior to serving in his current position as National Project Coordinator, Ayokunle was the Research and Planning Intern at Farmers Helping Farmers, an international non-profit based in Prince Edward Island. Ayokunle is passionate about his community, and he shows this by volunteering in local organizations that support the Black community and other marginalized groups in Prince Edward Island.
TRAINEES
Bishwajit Ghose Ph.D. | TRAINEES
Academic Program: Post-doctoral student at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa
CO-CREATH Project: APCI, weSpeak, AVA, HIV, CAPP project
Sheryl Beauchamp MSc, RN, Ph.D.(c) | TRAINEES
Academic Program: Doctoral student in Nursing, University of Ottawa
CO-CREATH Project: AVA Project, CAPP Project Phase 1.0 Systematic Review
Mwali-Nachishali Muray RN, BScN, MBA, Ph.D. | TRAINEES
Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa
Mentoring area: University Teaching and research in the Canadians of African Descent (CAD) community
Hilary Nare Ph.D.(c) | TRAINEES
Academic Program: Doctoral student in Sociology, Rhodes University, South Africa.
Mentoring area: Integration into Canadian research environment with a focus on doing research in research in the Canadians of African Descent community
Amy Johnston Ph.D. | TRAINEES
Academic Program: Doctoral student in Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa
Mentoring area: Project implementation through the Canadian Public Health Association Mentorship Initiative.
CO-CREATH Project: Mothercraft manuscript development
Janet Kemei Ph.D. | TRAINEES
Academic Program: Doctoral student
Academic Project: Postpartum Care in Kenya
Manal Abed Elkhalik Abdallah Fseifed Ph.D. | TRAINEES
Academic program: Intimate Partner Violence among Middle Eastern Women in Ottawa
Academic project: Doctoral student at the University of Ottawa
Asawalam Akuchi Ph.D. | TRAINEES
Academic program: Doctoral student in Public Health, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Academic project: Effect of family stress on the mental health of women in River’s state University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Andrea Willett Ph.D.(c) | TRAINEES
Academic program: Doctoral Student, University of Ottawa,
Academic Project: Obstetric Violence During Childbirth.
Zahra Jama MScN | TRAINEES
Academic Program: Master of Science in Nursing, University of Ottawa
Academic Project: Community health care for postpartum support: A case study of Mothercraft Ottawa.
Maame Akyaa Duah DNSc., MScN | TRAINEES
Academic Program: Master of Science in Nursing, University of Ottawa
Academic Project: Understanding Baccalaureate Nursing Students’ Perceptions of a Career in Community Health Nursing
Tega Ekewenu BScN | TRAINEES
Academic Program: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, University of Ottawa:
CO-CREATH Project worked on: CAPP Project Phase 1.0
Aurelie Ntumba BScN | TRAINEES
Academic program: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa
Laika Intungane BScN | TRAINEES
Academic program: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa
ALUMNI
Getachew Abrha BSc, MPH, Ph.D. affiliate | ALUMNI
Itunu Taiwo (B.Pharm, MSc) | ALUMNI
Itunu Taiwo (B.Pharm, MSc) currently works as a Research Administrative Assistant in the School of Nursing, University of Ottawa.
Prior to joining the team at the Critical Research for Equity and Transformation in Health (CO-CREATH) Lab, she worked as a Clinical Pharmacist in Nigeria, providing pharmaceutical care to patients. Her contribution to the CO-CREATH Lab include the AVA Project, CAPP Project, APCI, and the HIV Project. Areas of research interests include Preventative health, Digital Health (optimizing technology to provide better healthcare services), Health Policy & Health Promotion.
Sarah Aly Undergraduate | ALUMNI
Manal Abdallah Ph.D.(c) | ALUMNI
Zahra Jama MScN | ALUMNI
Maame Akyaa Duah MScN | ALUMNI
Tolulope Kolawole MScN | ALUMNI
Ndolo Njie-Mokoya MScN | ALUMNI
Ihechi Dinneh BHSc | ALUMNI
Edidiong Ekanem BHSc | ALUMNI
Aurelie Ntumba BScN | ALUMNI
Laika Intungane BScN | ALUMNI
Itoro Ekanem BA | ALUMNI
Melissa Kingwaya BHSc | ALUMNI
Tatenda Masama BScN | ALUMNI
Sarah Layng BScN | ALUMNI
Clemence Onglo Zogo BHSc | ALUMNI
Natania Abebe BScN | ALUMNI
Royce Kathlain Jean-Louis BHSc | ALUMNI
Aster Marasa BScN | ALUMNI
Alyssa Samantha Nikolla BHSc | ALUMNI
Maya Ayik BHSc | ALUMNI
Ariyo Oluwakemi BSc, MSc, MHI | ALUMNI
Shannan MacDonald MNSc, Ph.D. | ALUMNI
Danielle Macdonald Ph.D. | ALUMNI
Daniel Nagel Ph.D. | ALUMNI
Zubeida Ramji Ph.D. | ALUMNI