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 Winnie Nakiyingi

Research Assistant

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences

Photo of Jackie Sitienei

, MPH, PhD Candidate

Lecturer, School of Public Health, Health Policy, Management and Human Nutrition Department; Consultant, Population Health, AMPATH Program

Moi University

Photo of Isambi Mbalawata

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences

Photo of Caroline Mbindyo

CEO, Amref Health Innovation

Amref International University

Photo of Celestine Nema

Program Coordinator, Entrepreneurship & Work Integrated Learning - Management Department; Projects Lead - African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge, The BRIDGE, University of Toronto Scarborough

Photo of Jamie Rodas

, MPH

Administrator at the Department of Family and Community Medicine

University of Toronto

Photo of Ernest Asamoah

, PhD

Program Officer (West Africa), Ghana

Africa Secretariat

Program Officer (East Africa), Kenya

Africa Secretariat

Photo of Marie Therese Ndiaye

, PhD

Partnerships Manager

Office of the Vice-President International, University of Toronto

Photo of Amanda Dlamini

Interantional Programs and Communications Coordinator

Health Innovation Hub (H2i), University of Toronto

Profile

Winnie Nakiyingi

Research Assistant

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences

Winnie Nakiyingi is a master at research and report writing with a specialization in mathematical and statistical processes.

She is an alumna of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), where she currently works as a Research Assistant (Data & Quantum) at the Research and Innovation Center in Kigali, Rwanda. Winnie brings a wealth of experience through data collection, analysis, and report writing plus her passion to contribute to the Standard Development Goals (SDGs). She is a certified researcher through the TRREE Training program in Research Ethics Evaluation. She has also been engaged in humanitarian work through Axiom-DK as a Statistics consultant. Winnie is one of the Science Diplomacy alumni at the United Nations Institute and Training and Research (UNITAR), and the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA) in Switzerland. More recently, she has been selected as one of the prestigious Women In Africa (WIA) Young Leaders 2023 laureates.

Email Address
wnakiyingi@quantumleapafrica.org
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Rwanda
Pillar
Health Ecosystems
Governance
HECO Pillar Advisory Committee
Profile

Jackie Sitienei, MPH, PhD Candidate

Lecturer, School of Public Health, Health Policy, Management and Human Nutrition Department; Consultant, Population Health, AMPATH Program

Moi University

Jackline Sitienei is a Lecturer, from Moi University, School of Public Health, Health Policy, Management and Human Nutrition Department, and a Consultant, Population Health, in Academic Model Providing Access to Health Care (AMPATH) Program.

Her work entails teaching, research and Community service. Jackline is a PhD Candidate, University of the Witwatersrand, have an MPH (UNSW), MSc International Research Ethics (Moi U). Jackline had previously worked in the health sector as a nurse manager, then Clinical Administrator in AMPATH program before joining Moi. Her research interests include health systems research, population health, community engagement, governance primary health care, biomedical research ethics and TB/HIV. Jackline has several publications in these areas.

Email Address
jcsitienei@gmail.com
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Kenya
Pillar
Health Ecosystems
Governance
HECO Pillar Advisory Committee
Profile

Isambi Mbalawata

African Institute for Mathematical Sciences

Email Address
imbalawata@nexteinstein.org
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Rwanda
Pillar
Health Ecosystems
Governance
HECO Pillar Advisory Committee
Profile

Caroline Mbindyo

CEO, Amref Health Innovation

Amref International University

Ms. Mbindyo is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Amref Health Innovations.

She is an experienced leader at the intersection of digital innovation, global health, and international development. She has extensive experience in driving complex program deployments in multiple countries, scaling innovations, and developing new business opportunities through innovative financing models in emerging markets. She has over fifteen (15) years of experience running and growing entrepreneurial ventures in the non-profit and commercial space, implementing access programs, and deploying innovative approaches for profit, purpose, and sustainability. Ms. Mbindyo is a Board Member of D-Tree and Qhala and is on the Advisory Board of Analytics for a Better World.

Email Address
caroline.mbindyo@amref.org
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Kenya
Governance
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
Profile

Celestine Nema

Program Coordinator, Entrepreneurship & Work Integrated Learning - Management Department; Projects Lead - African Impact Initiative

African Impact Challenge

Celestine Nema is a Program Coordinator for Entrepreneurship and Work-Integrated Learning at The BRIDGE, an entrepreneurship accelerator in the Management Department at the University of Toronto, Scarborough.

She also acts as the Projects Lead for the African Impact Initiative, a University of Toronto partner that runs the African Impact Challenge, a startup incubator program that  supports young African entrepreneurs to create viable solutions for the most pressing challenges within their communities. Celestine’s career spanned public service for almost a decade before pivoting her career to focus on her passion for entrepreneurship, youth education, and youth development.

Email Address
celestine.nema@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge
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

Ernest Asamoah, PhD

Program Officer (West Africa), Ghana

Africa Secretariat

Ernest is the Program Officer for West Africa, Office of the Vice President International, University of Toronto.

Ernest coordinates University of Toronto’s projects and programs in the West Africa subregion. Ernest previously worked with KPMG as Manager where he managed the Firm’s business development Unit in Ghana and contributed significantly to increasing the service lines and revenue of the Firm. Prior to that, Ernest was Program Officer with World Vision International, Ghana where he was responsible for  the planning and implementation of youth trainee sponsorship, child protection and donor relations. He led and improved donor retention and deepened donor relations. Ernest joined the U of T from Regent University College of Science and Technology, a private University College affiliated to KNUST as the Dean, School of Business, Leadership and Legal Studies. He developed industry relevant and demand – driven postgraduate programmes and short courses to beef up the academic programmes of the College, strengthened industry -academic relations. Ernest chairs the Ghana Research – Industry Collaborative Steering Committee.

Email Address
ernest.asamoah@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Ghana
Pillars
Health Ecosystems
Health Employment
Health Entrepreneurship
Program
Africa Secretariat
Profile

Lillian Bogonko

Program Officer (East Africa), Kenya

Africa Secretariat

Email Address
lillian.bogonko@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Kenya
Pillars
Health Ecosystems
Health Employment
Health Entrepreneurship
Program
Africa Secretariat
Profile

Marie Therese Ndiaye, PhD

Partnerships Manager

Office of the Vice-President International

Ms. Marie Therese Yaba Ndiaye is the Partnerships Manager at the Office of Vice President International at the University of Toronto.

Her role focuses on developing a coherent strategy for partnership engagement to increase the network’s visibility, influence, and long-term sustainability. Additionally, she spearheads ecosystem mapping initiatives to identify and cultivate partnerships that amplify the collaborative’s collective impact across the continent.

Prior to joining the University of Toronto, she worked with USAID, World Food Programme, and community-based organizations on climate resilience and humanitarian assistance programming. In those positions, she covered and traveled widely in West and Central African countries. She holds a Ph.D. in Rural Sociology and can work in French, English, and Portuguese.

Email Address
marietherese.ndiaye@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Profile

Amanda Dlamini

Interantional Programs and Communications Coordinator

Health Innovation Hub (H2i)

Amanda Dlamini is H2i’s International Program & Communications Coordinator, with 8 years of experience in communications, driven with a passion to empower entrepreneurs.

Having successfully collaborated in projects back in South Africa which focused on diabetes awareness through an NGO, employing stakeholder engagement, events management and in the private sector with consumer goods, in communications and public relations. Dlamini emphasizes continuously innovating and agile communications as the key piece of any business’ ability to successfully engage with the target audience. She holds a Master of Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship from Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.

Email Address
amanda.dlamini@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada