The University of Cape Town (UCT) proudly hosted the inaugural Health Collaborative Convening from October 15th to 17th, 2023, at the scenic Protea Hotel by Marriott, Waterfront Breakwater Lodge in Cape Town, South Africa.
Founder & Manager of the Black Founders Network; Founder of African Impact Initiative
University of Toronto, African Impact Challenge, The BRIDGE
Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Society; Founder & Director, Black Health Equity Lab
University of Toronto Scarborough
Founder & Manager of the Black Founders Network; Founder of African Impact Initiative
University of Toronto
Canada
Efosa Obano started and manages the Black Founders Network (BFN), which supports Black entrepreneurs across Canada with capital, community, and capacity building.
He also started and leads the African Impact Initiative (AII), which enables early African innovators to create solutions to challenges in their communities. He has expertise in using technology to create social impact, invest with impact, and build early-stage ventures. For this work, he has been recognized by the United Nations and the Ontario Minister’s Award of Excellence.
Prior to these, he led a team that guided start-ups on their digital transformation journeys with Dell Technologies Canada. He also led community outreach for Dell Canada’s Social Impact Team & Dell Canada’s Black Networking Alliance. He received Dell’s Corporate Social Responsibility Award for this work. He is an alumnus of the University of Toronto, where he specialized in Strategic Management.
Assistant Professor, Department of Health and Society; Founder & Director, Black Health Equity Lab
University of Toronto Scarborough
Notisha Massaquoi is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Society at the University of Toronto, Scarborough with a graduate appointment in the Factor Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.
She is also the founder and director of the Black Health Equity Lab (The BHEL) which conducts community-based health research and works with Black communities to develop advocacy tools, strategies and programs to improve health outcomes, wellbeing and success in Canadian systems. She holds a BA in Psychology from Western University, a Masters in Social Work and PhD in Social Justice Education from the University of Toronto. Her early health leadership career established several health service organizations which serve Black communities in Canada and she developed and served for two decades as the Executive Director of Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre in Toronto – the only Community Health Centre in North America specializing in primary healthcare for Black and racialized women.