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 Marie Therese Ndiaye

, PhD

Regional Lead (Health Networks), International Research Officer

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

Photo of Sophie Stuart-Sheppard

Coordinator, Communications & Community Development

Health Innovation Hub (H2i), University of Toronto

Photo of Ignacio Mongrell

Assistant Director, ICUBE

ICUBE, University of Toronto Mississauga

Photo of Mohammad Tahvili

Creative Studio Lead

ICUBE, University of Toronto Mississauga

Photo of Dave Fenton

Assistant Director, External Relations

The BRIDGE, University of Toronto Scarborough

Photo of Katherine Beaumont

Senior Director, Global Learning Opportunities and International Student Success

Centre for International Experience, University of Toronto

Photo of Edwina Apaw

, CPA, MBA, PhD

Program Manager, Africa

Office of the Vice-President International, University of Toronto

Photo of Timothy Kinoti

, PhD Candidate

Learning Facilitator

Office of the Vice-President International, University of Toronto

Photo of Angel Motsamai

, MBA, PhD

Program Officer (South) South Africa

Office of the Vice-President International, University of Toronto

Profile

Marie Therese Ndiaye, PhD

Regional Lead (Health Networks), International Research Officer

Office of the Vice-President International

Ms. Marie Therese Yaba Ndiaye is the Regional Lead, Health Networks at the Office of Vice President International at the University of Toronto.

She leads the implementation of the Health Employment Pillar of the Africa Health Collaborative, which aims to expand the capacity to train primary healthcare workers to meet growing demand in Africa. 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
Program
Africa Secretariat
Governance
HECO Pillar Advisory Committee
HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee
HENT Pillar Advisory Committee
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
Profile

Sophie Stuart-Sheppard

Coordinator, Communications & Community Development

Health Innovation Hub (H2i)

Sophie (she/her) is the Communications & Community Development Coordinator at Health Innovation Hub (H2i), University of Toronto’s health-focused accelerator.

She is passionate about research translation, and rethinking how we design, deliver and access healthcare services, centering patient-informed and community-led models of care. She has worked within communications, operations management and project coordination in non-profits, healthcare, academic and start-up environments alike. In addition, Sophie has worked in frontline roles, from intake and case coordination to peer support facilitation. Having been a part of the founding and leadership team of a mental health focused start-up, she has unique insight into the journey and challenges of taking ideas in healthcare from conception to scale. She holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology from McGill University, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at University of Victoria.

Email Address
sophie.stuartsheppard@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Profile

Ignacio Mongrell

Assistant Director, ICUBE

ICUBE

Originally from Uruguay, Ignacio moved to Canada in 2010 and earned a Master’s of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) from the University of Waterloo.

He worked at the Waterloo Accelerator Centre as Director of Client Services where he led the JumpStart funding program and other strategic initiatives. Ignacio also worked at Haltech Regional Innovation Centre supporting clients and community members by managing a range of business advisory programs, including the Haltech HEAT™ startup services program, and specialty programs to support scaleup of high-growth ventures. Ignacio is also an entrepreneur at heart and co-founded and exited a real estate start-up (Apartmint). Ignacio is currently the Assistant Director at ICUBE – and chair of Positive Space at the University of Toronto, advocating for LGBTQ2S+ students, staff and faculty.

Email Address
ignacio.mongrell@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Profile

Mohammad Tahvili

Creative Studio Lead

ICUBE

Mohammad Tahvili is a serial entrepreneur who has founded a number of companies in different sectors such as digital marketing, sustainability, diversity, and accessibility, all tied to social innovation and helping others shine.

His diverse background includes an HBSc in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship which helped him grow and help many small businesses with his technical skills. Additionally, he has over seven years of experience in app & website development, business development, branding and marketing that he is using to this day to help as many small businesses as possible to sustainable grow and scale their businesses.​

Email Address
mohammad.tahvilli@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Profile

Dave Fenton

Assistant Director, External Relations

The BRIDGE

Dave Fenton is the Assistant Director of External Relations with the Department of Management at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC).

He leads a team of relationship managers that support Management’s accredited co-operative education program, and oversees the curricular work-integrated learning (WIL) program through The BRIDGE. One such initiative includes the African Impact Challenge (AIC), launched in 2020 alongside through the African Impact Initiative.  The AIC empowers African youth to realize the change they wish to see in their communities through the development and launch of technology-driven social impact startups.  The AIC was recognized by the United Nations as one of the top 50 solutions in the 2020 Youth Solutions Report for Sustainable Development.  Dave has been published in Cooperative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada’s (CEWIL Canada) e-book “The Practice of Co-op and Work-Integrated Learning in the Canadian Context”, presented publications at the WACE International Research Symposium, the World Association of Cooperative Education (WACE) World Conference, the CEWIL Research Spotlight, and serves as facilitator of Global WIL Modules.  Dave holds a Master of Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto.

Email Address
dave.fenton@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
African Impact Challenge
Profile

Katherine Beaumont

Senior Director, Global Learning Opportunities and International Student Success

Centre for International Experience

Katherine Beaumont is an international educational professional with over 25 years’ experience in the field working with universities, communities and corporations across the globe.  Her focus in the work has always been innovative opportunities for participants that lead to meaningful engagement and a deeper understanding of self, systems and others and the ability to affect change.

Email Address
katherine.beaumont@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
Mastercard Foundations Scholars Program
Profile

Edwina Apaw, CPA, MBA, PhD

Program Manager, Africa

Office of the Vice-President International

Edwina is the Program Manager for the Africa Health Collaborative within the Office of the Vice-President, International.

Previously from the U of T Scarborough where she served as Manager, Administrative Operations & Business Officer for the Department of Management and Manager of Operations & Project Management for the Office of the Vice-Principal Academic & Dean.

She has experience leading multidisciplinary teams and brings a breadth of knowledge on managing departmental operations, human resources, project management and administration of financial resources. She is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and PhD in Business Informatics & Systems Science from Henley Business School, University of Reading, U.K.

Email Address
edwina.apaw@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Canada
Program
Africa Secretariat
Profile

Timothy Kinoti, PhD Candidate

Learning Facilitator

Office of the Vice-President International

Timothy Kinoti holds the role of Learning Facilitator, Africa at the University of Toronto (U of T), where he oversees all aspects of Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning, and Adaptation within the Mastercard Foundation Health Collaborative initiative in Africa.

Collaborating closely with colleagues at U of T and African Higher Learning Institutions, he draws upon 16 years of professional experience dedicated to research, impact measurement and program design; with a strong focus on development financing, youth employment initiatives, entrepreneurship, education, gender, and healthcare. He is an accredited Development Finance Fellow from the European Investment Bank (EIB). Before joining U of T, he contributed to the education portfolio and led the social protection program at World University Service of Canada within the refugee context and supported national education programs in Kenya at RTI International.

Email Address
timothy.kinoti@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
Kenya
Program
Africa Secretariat
Profile

Angel Motsamai, MBA, PhD

Program Officer (South) South Africa

Office of the Vice-President International

Dr. Angel Motsamai is a Program Officer: Southern Africa, at the University of Toronto.

Her key roles involve establishing partnerships with Africa-based industries with the purpose of creating work integrated learning opportunities for African scholars studying at the University of Toronto. She is also responsible for establishing and strengthening relationships with key stakeholders in the Southern Africa region.

Prior to joining the University of Toronto, Dr. Motsamai contributed her skills and knowledge to the University of KwaZulu Natal, where she held the position of Principal Project Coordinator. In this role, she was responsible for managing various academic projects, including the Entrepreneurial Champions Program, an initiative by the South African government through the Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs.

Her other previous employment includes the Mangosuthu University of Technology, where she worked as a Project Officer. Her duties included placement of students with industry, establishing partnerships with organizations and government. Prior to this, she worked at the Durban University of Technology, as a Senior International Relations Officer. Her tenure there involved fostering international collaborations and partnerships, which enhanced the university’s global presence and academic exchange opportunities.

Dr. Motsamai’s educational background is anchored by a robust foundation in business administration. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, which provided her with a comprehensive understanding of business management principles. Further advancing her expertise, she pursued and completed a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), which has equipped her with the skills to conduct high-level strategic planning and decision-making.

Email Address
angel.motsamai@utoronto.ca
Profile Type
Staff
Country
South Africa
Program
Africa Secretariat