People Directory

Our team is the heartbeat of our collaborative efforts, comprising diverse experts from various fields. Each member brings unique skills and perspectives, uniting to drive innovation and impact in the health sector. Together, we are more than just a team; we are a community committed to transforming healthcare across Africa.

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People Directory

Photo of Osaretin Obano

Executive Director, African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Photo of Sandra Owusu

, MSc

Project Assistant & Executive Assistant

Africa Secretariat

Photo of David Palmer

Vice President, Advancement

University of Toronto

Photo of Jamila Parker-Ismail

Program Coordinator, African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Photo of Rhoda Akuol Philip

, MPP, BCom

Research Officer/Regional Lead, Programs

Office of the Vice-President International, University of Toronto

Photo of Gideon Hosu Porbley

, PhD

Lecturer, Humanities & Social Sciences Department - Ashesi University; MELA Lead

Ashesi University

Photo of Jamie Rodas

, MPH

Administrator at the Department of Family and Community Medicine

University of Toronto

Photo of Marci Rose

, MScOT, OT Reg. (Ont.)

TAAAC Toronto Director University of Toronto

Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration, University of Toronto

Photo of Roselyn Sackitey-Matey

Program Coordinator - Ashesi Health & Care Initiative

Ashesi University

Photo of Akmal Samsor

, MPH, MBBS

Senior Research Officer/MELA Lead Office of the Vice-President International

Office of the Vice-President International, University of Toronto

Profile
Osaretin Obana

Osaretin Obano

Executive Director, African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Osaretin Obano is a dedicated innovator and ecosystem builder passionate about transforming healthcare entrepreneurship in Africa. As Executive Director at the African Impact Initiative, University of Toronto, he plays a pivotal role within the Africa Health Collaborative, where he focuses on turning visionary ideas into tangible, life-changing healthcare ventures.

With a strong background in technology, business development, and startup investing, he applies a practical, results-driven approach to supporting early-stage health innovators. His work involves nurturing high-potential healthcare startups, fostering strategic partnerships, and providing the tools and guidance needed to scale impactful solutions across the continent.

Through the Africa Health Collaborative, he bridges the gap between entrepreneurial ambition and real-world implementation, helping to build sustainable ventures that address critical healthcare challenges. His efforts are centered on creating lasting impact by empowering entrepreneurs who are poised to redefine health outcomes in African communities.

Email Address
osaretin@africanimpactinitiative.com
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

Sandra Owusu, MSc

Project Assistant & Executive Assistant

Africa Secretariat

Sandra Owusu serves as a Project Assistant with the Africa Health Collaborative, where she supports finance and administrative operations and provides strategic support as Executive Assistant to Dr. Penina Lam, Head of the AHC Secretariat.

Based in Accra, Sandra plays a pivotal role in streamlining processes and ensuring operational efficiency across the organization.

Prior to joining the Collaborative, she worked as a Programs Associate on Ghana Trade and Investment Activity, a USAID-funded initiative, where she supported C-suite executives and gained hands-on experience in grant management and compliance. Her expertise lies in optimizing workflows, enhancing organizational effectiveness, and driving impactful development programs.

Sandra holds an MSc in Development Finance. She is deeply passionate about project and program management, with a strong commitment to designing and implementing effective systems that foster real and sustainable development.

Email Address
sandra.owusu@utotonto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Program
Africa Secretariat
Profile

David Palmer

Vice President, Advancement

University of Toronto

Since 2007, David has served as Vice-President, Advancement for the University of Toronto.  Under David’s leadership, U of T launched Boundless which concluded in 2018 as the largest campaign in Canadian history with $2.64 billion raised.   

David is a Senior Fellow of Massey College, a Council for Advancement and Support of Education Laureate and former trustee, an executive committee member of the National Council of Foundation Executives, and a director of the Earth Rangers Foundation. He earned his Master of Fine Arts in musicology from Princeton University and began his career as a Lecturer in the Faculty of Music at Western University, his undergraduate alma mater.

From 1999 to 2007, David served as President and Executive Director of the Royal Ontario Museum Board of Governors. From 1993 to 1999, David led a ground-breaking campaign for the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University, ushering in a new era in professional-faculty fundraising in Canada.

David was recognized in 2011 with the Outstanding Fundraising Professional Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In 2016 he was recognized with the Outstanding Achievement Award by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education.

Email Address
davidnpalmer@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Pillars
Health Ecosystems
Health Employment
Health Entrepreneurship
Governance
Executive Steering Committee
Profile

Jamila Parker-Ismail

Program Coordinator, African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

In her role as Program Coordinator, Jamila assumes a pivotal role, diligently overseeing, co-managing, and orchestrating the implementation of business development initiatives at The African Impact Initiative.

She brings years of experience to the realm of Program Incubation, where her primary focus lies in nurturing Entrepreneurial Development. Jamila’s profession is underscored by her exceptional organizational acumen, a knack for fostering team synergy and networks. Her portfolio extends across multiple African countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Lesotho, Kenya, and Nigeria.

Email Address
jamila@africanimpactinitiative.com
Profile Type
Staff
Country
South Africa
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

Rhoda Akuol Philip, MPP, BCom

Research Officer/Regional Lead, Programs

Office of the Vice-President International

Rhoda Akuol currently serves as the Lead Research Officer and Regional Programs for the Africa Health Collaborative at the University of Toronto.

Previously, she served as the Africa Regional Lead Research Officer and was the central liaison for the Health Entrepreneurship (HENT) Pillar. She remains a key representative for the collaborative within the broader African health-tech ecosystem, recently supporting high-level initiatives such as the Health Innovation Festival.

Rhoda Akuol has previously held various research, entrepreneurship, and business analyst roles within different work environments and cultures, including at start-up companies, non-profit organizations, and academic departments. She is passionate about community advocacy and sits on various advisory boards, including the Pan-Canadian Voice for Women’s Housing (PCVWH).

Rhoda Akuol received the African Scholars’ Social Innovation Award 2021, and the EYOB G. NAIZGHI Female Refugee Leadership Award 2019.

Email Address
rhoda.philip@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Profile

Gideon Hosu Porbley, PhD

Lecturer, Humanities & Social Sciences Department - Ashesi University; MELA Lead

Ashesi University

Dr. Gideon Hosu Porbley is a lecturer at the Humanities & Social Sciences Department, Ashesi University and the MELA Lead

Profile Types
Faculty
Staff
Country
Ghana
Profile

Jamie Rodas, MPH

Administrator at the Department of Family and Community Medicine

University of Toronto

Jamie Rodas, MPH, is an administrator at the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM), University of Toronto, where she has worked for 9 years. She holds a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health.

Jamie has over a decade of experience in project coordination, project management and advocacy in the fields of global health, health equity, and healthcare system strengthening. She has supported and fostered active collaborations with multiple stakeholders internationally and locally in Canada.

Jamie is the DFCM point person for the Africa Higher Education Collaboration and Project Coordinator for the DFCM. She supports the integration of all DFCM activities with the AHEC and long-term collaboration with the AHEC.

Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Marci Rose, MScOT, OT Reg. (Ont.)

TAAAC Toronto Director University of Toronto

Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration

Marci Rose completed a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy at The Ohio State University and her master’s at the University of Toronto. She began her OT career at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in 1990 where she worked for 15 years.

In 2002, she became the OT in Chief, and then assumed a variety of different management positions at The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.  In 2005, Marci became the Administrative Director for the Department of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital, a role she held until 2012.  In 2012, she started the Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre where she worked as the Administrative Director until formally joining TAAAC.

Her professional passion is for global health work in Ethiopia.  She has been an active participant in TAAAC since 2010, first as the TAAAC-OT co-lead, then as the Program Manager and now as the Toronto Director for TAAAC. She has been to Ethiopia on many occasions including as a consultant in the Biaber Project, a 3-year Grand Challenge Canada grant. Marci is a Lecturer in the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto and is the Ethiopian Lead for the International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation at UofT.

Email Address
marci.rose@uhn.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration
Profile

Roselyn Sackitey-Matey

Program Coordinator - Ashesi Health & Care Initiative

Ashesi University

Roselyn Sackitey is the Program Coordinator – Ashesi Health & Care Initiative at Ashesi University, Ghana.

Profile Type
Staff
Country
Ghana
Profile

Akmal Samsor, MPH, MBBS

Senior Research Officer/MELA Lead Office of the Vice-President International

Office of the Vice-President International

Akmal Samsor is a public health professional, researcher, and MELA specialist with more than 20 years of experience using evidence to strengthen programs, inform policy, and support healthier communities in fragile and conflict-affected settings.

He is a Senior Research Officer at the Office of the Vice-President, International (OVPI), University of Toronto, and serves as the MELA Lead for the Africa Health Collaborative (AHC), where he supports monitoring, evaluation, learning, and adaptation efforts to strengthen primary healthcare systems across Africa. His work spans infectious diseases, maternal and child health, gender-based violence, WASH, and capacity building, developed through collaboration with governments, NGOs, and UN agencies. Akmal is passionate about turning data into practical insight, helping partners learn, adapt, and build more equitable and responsive health systems.

Email Address
akmal.samsor@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada