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 Jennifer Wilson

, MD

Lecturer at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto

University of Toronto

Photo of Susan Cleary

, PhD

Head of Department and Professor of Health Economics in the School of Public Health

University of Cape Town

Photo of William (Bill) McConkey

, PhD

Academic Director, New Venture Program, and Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

University of Toronto Scarborough, African Impact Challenge, The BRIDGE

Photo of Damen Haile Mariam

, MD, PhD

Professor, School of Public Health

Addis Ababa University

Photo of Micah Matiang’i

, PhD

Dean, School of Medical Sciences; Senior Lecturer, Nursing and Midwifery Sciences

Amref International University

Photo of Kofi Akohene Mensah

, MSc, PhD

Proessor, Health policy, Management and Economics

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Photo of Joel Tuwey

, PhD

Professor, School of Business

Moi University

Photo of Tracey Naledi

, MD, PhD

Assoc Professor, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences

University of Cape Town

Photo of Paul Santerre

, PhD

Professor & Baxter Chair in Health Technology & Commercialization (UHN) Director of the Health Innovation Hub

University of Toronto

Photo of Ann Armstrong

, PhD

Director, ICUBE

University of Toronto Mississauga, ICUBE

Profile

Jennifer Wilson, MD

Lecturer at the Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto

University of Toronto

Dr. Jennifer Wilson, MD CCFP(EM), FCFP, DIM&PH, MPH FCM-AS (in progress) is a comprehensive family physician who practices emergency medicine in Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada.

She is a Lecturer at the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) at the University of Toronto, mentoring medical students and residents in her community practice. Dr. Wilson is the Director of International Partnerships at the Leyaata Hospital in Savannah Region, Ghana, West Africa where she has been involved in teaching, training, and capacity building since 2007. In 2023 Dr. Wilson was honoured to accept the position as Faculty Lead for the academic collaboration between the DFCM and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) under the umbrella of the African Higher Education Collaborative (AHEC). In Spring 2024, Dr. Wilson will complete a Master of Public Health Family and Community Medicine (Advance Standing) with a Collaborative Specialization in Global Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Upasted-image.jpegniversity of Toronto.

Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Canada
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Susan Cleary, PhD

Head of Department and Professor of Health Economics in the School of Public Health

University of Cape Town

Susan Cleary is Head of Department and Professor of Health Economics in the School of Public Health at the University of Cape Town.

She joined the School in 2001, becoming the director of the Health Economics Unit (2007-2012), Associate Professor in 2011, Head of School in 2022, and Professor of Health Economics in 2023. She holds a Masters’ in Economics (2001) and a PhD in Public Health specializing in Health Economics (2007), assessing equity and efficiency in HIV-treatment in South Africa. Her work focuses on research, capacity development and policy engagement within the areas of economic evaluation, health care priority setting and universal health coverage. She is interested in considerations of both distributive and procedural justice in health and health care. For the former, areas of interest include cost-effectiveness, affordability and financial risk protection to households from alternative interventions. For the latter, areas of interest include the governance of health technology assessment and related priority setting processes. She plays a key role in teaching health economics at the postgraduate diploma, masters’ and doctoral levels.

Email Address
susan.cleary@uct.ac.za
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
South Africa
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

William (Bill) McConkey, PhD

Academic Director, New Venture Program, and Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

University of Toronto Scarborough

UTSC grad Professor Bill McConkey spent two decades in the early-stage venture world before returning to the University of Toronto, Scarborough to join the Department of Management, teaching courses in Operations, Product Management and Entrepreneurship.

Bill has supported countless students as they launched new ventures, whether in the classroom, through co-curricular initiatives or co-op terms. Bill is involved in several student organizations, including MCC The Management Consulting Club, LIVE Competition and the department’s new Sales club. Bill is Academic Director of the campus’s New Venture Program, and sits on the Board of Advisors and Board of Directors of a number of Canadian companies.

He and his wife Monica and their five children – and new puppy – live in Stouffville, Ontario.

Email Address
bill.mcconkey@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

Damen Haile Mariam, MD, PhD

Professor, School of Public Health

Addis Ababa University

Damen Haile Mariam, MD, MPH, PhD, is a Professor of Public Health and Health Economics at the School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

Professor Damen is registered as a Consultant Community Health Specialist with the Federal Ministry of Health (serving as member and consultant within various national and international professional committees). In addition, he is a fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences.  

He is currently serving as Dean of the School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University (since 2019); Regional Editor (Africa) for the South Eastern European Journal of Public Health (since 2014); and Member of Ambo University Board (since 2022).  He has also served as: President of the Ethiopian Public Health Association (2001-2005); Member of the Executive Board of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (2003-2006); and Editor-In-Chief of the Ethiopian Journal of Health Development (2009 – 2016).

Email Address
damen_h@hotmail.com
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Ethiopia
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Micah Matiang’i, PhD

Dean, School of Medical Sciences; Senior Lecturer, Nursing and Midwifery Sciences

Amref International University

Dr. Micah Matiang’i is a senior Lecturer at the Amref International University (AMIU) which only trains Human Resource for Health (HRH).

He currently  heads the Directorate of eLearning (ODeL) in the university. In addition to academic work, Micah does implement  Primary Health Care (PHC) centered projects more especially  in the area of  Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH). Micah is a commonwealth fellowship alumnus with interest in Health Systems Research (HSR)  and disruptive training technologies. Micah has an experience spanning over 18 years in training HRH. He has  background in BScN with a masters and doctorate in Public Health.

Email Address
micah.matiangi@amref.ac.ke
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Kenya
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Kofi Akohene Mensah, MSc, PhD

Proessor, Health policy, Management and Economics

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Dr. Kofi Akohene Mensah is an expert in Health Policy and Health Services Management.

His years of experience as a Senior lecturer at the Department of Health Policy, Management and Economics at the School of Public Health has contributed immensely to the successful training of hundreds of undergraduate and postgraduate students. Kofi has served as a Head for this Department and is currently the Head for the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety. Prior to joining the University as a lecturer, he was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Aniniwah Medical Centre, a 100-bed private hospital in Kumasi, Ghana

Dr. Akohene Mensah has exceptional coordination skills and has led the implementation of several impactful community-based interventions to improve health outcomes in underserved communities. He has collaborated with local and international organizations such Ghana AIDS Commission, USAIDS, DANIDA, UNICEF, CRS, Word Vision Ghana, etc. in HIV/AIDS, child survival, Nutrition, Health care Financing, Non-communicable diseases, etc. These research collaborations have culminated in national policies in maternal, neonatal, child health and health systems strengthening.

Kofi’s ambitious personality and wealth of experience in research and academia has largely been influenced by his education in different parts of the world in varying fields such as Nutrition, Public Health, Health Policy, Strategic Leadership, Health Technology, Health Systems Research and Strengthening.

Kofi is passionate about mentoring the next generation through capacity building. He is currently the Pillar Advisory Chair and the coordinator of the health employment pillar of the multi-million Mastercard Higher Education Health Collaborative, KNUST.

Email Address
akohenemensah@yahoo.com
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Ghana
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Joel Tuwey, PhD

Professor, School of Business

Moi University

Dr. Joel Tuwey earned his PhD in Finance from Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya.

He is a member of the Kenya Institute of Certified Public Accountants (ICPAK). He is an Accounting and Finance professional with substantial research and consulting expertise. Interests in research include corporate leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Currently involved in Higher Education Health Collaborative study aimed at improving healthcare in Africa. This is a joint grant project supported by the Mastercard Foundation that brings together around eight African partners with the University of Toronto as the lead. He is the Co-Chair of the Health Employment (HEMP) Pillar Advisory Committee.

Email Address
joeltuwey9@gmail.com
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Kenya
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Tracey Naledi, MD, PhD

Assoc Professor, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences

University of Cape Town

Tracey Naledi is an Associate Professor of Public Health Medicine and the Deputy Dean: Social Accountability and Health Systems at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town.

Tracey has held technical and management positions in Government and NGO sectors in South Africa and Botswana. Her work includes the translation of research into policy and practice, addressing health inequity and strengthening systems for health. Tracey is the Founding Chairperson of Tekano, Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity in South Africa, Chairperson of SHAWCO and the Children’s Institute, a Board Member of the Global Brain Health Institute and the South African Medical Research Council. Tracey is a Discovery Foundation Fellow and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation Fellow.

Email Address
tracey.naledi@uct.ac.za
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
South Africa
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Paul Santerre, PhD

Professor & Baxter Chair in Health Technology & Commercialization (UHN) Director of the Health Innovation Hub

University of Toronto

Professor J. Paul Santerre has published >220 peer reviewed publications and is a listed inventor on >70 patents in the area of medical polymers.

He is co-founder and current director of the Health Innovation Hub at the University of Toronto (a student focused entrepreneur training co-curricular program that has trained > 650 client health science companies which have generated > $430M CAD). He was the 2022 – 2023 Chair of the Health Entrepreneurship Pillar for the Africa Health Collaborative supported by the Mastercard Foundation. He is a co-founder of Interface Biologics, along with having spun-out five other start-up companies from his lab, and has won multiple national awards for his achievements in enabling entrepreneurship, including Canada’s Governor General award for Innovation, and the Professional Engineers of Ontario Entrepreneurship Award in 2017.  He has received multiple awards for his community activity including the 2016 Community award from the Canadian Biomaterials, the 2018 President’s Impact Award from the University of Toronto. 

Email Address
paul.santerre@dentistry.utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Canada
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Ann Armstrong, PhD

Director, ICUBE

University of Toronto Mississauga

Ann Armstrong received her PhD in organizational behaviour from the University of Toronto.

She has a BA Honours in philosophy and an MBA from the University of Toronto, as well as a graduate degree in criminology from Cambridge University. Her current teaching focuses on organizational theory and design, change management, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability. She has published on a variety of topics ranging from team-based compensation systems to green curricula to doctoral experiences to the social economy. She has co-authored several books with Drs (the late) Jack Quarter, Laurie Mook, and John Whitman on the social economies of Canada and of the United States. She is now working on the fifth edition of Organization Theory and Design, by Daft, R. and Armstrong, A.

Since July 1, 2022, Ann Armstrong has served as the Director of ICUBE, one of the many incubators on the University of Toronto campus.

Email Address
ann.armstrong@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Faculty
Country
Canada