University of Toronto

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
Pillar: Health Entrepreneurship
Program: African Impact Challenge

Katherine Rouleau, MDCM CCFP MHSc FCFP

Professor, Family and Community Medicine

University of Toronto

Canada

Katherine Rouleau is a family physician and global health expert. She has practiced and taught team-based family medicine at St-Michael’s Hospital in the St-Jamestown neighborhood of Toronto for over 25 years. At the University of Toronto, she is director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Family Medicine and Primary Care, and Global (Primary Health Care -PHC) lead in the Office of Health System Partnerships with the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM).

Her academic, clinical and leadership interests center on collaboration to improve health equity and address the complex health needs of individuals and communities impacted by adverse determinants of health through high-quality comprehensive primary care at the core of PHC-oriented health systems.

Her past leadership and administrative roles include founding director of the Besrour Centre for Global Family Medicine at the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP), vice-chair Global Health and Social Accountability at the DFCM and technical officer for PHC at the World Health Organization headquarters.

Email Address: kartherine.rouleau@utoronto.ca
Profile Type: Faculty
Country: Canada
Pillar: Health Employment
Governance: HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee

Jennifer Wilson, MD

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

University of Toronto

Canada

Dr. Jennifer Wilson, MD CCFP(EM), FCFP, DIM&PH, MPH FCM-AS 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 Health Collaborative. In the Spring of 2024, Dr. Wilson completed 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, University of Toronto.

Profile Type: Faculty
Country: Canada
Pillar: Health Employment
Governance: HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee

Jamie Rodas, MPH

Administrator at the Department of Family and Community Medicine

University of Toronto

Canada

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
Pillar: Health Employment
Governance: HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee

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
Pillar: Health Entrepreneurship
Program: African Impact Challenge

Tom Parker, BA, B.Ed.

Grants and Office Manager

University of Toronto

Canada

Tom Parker is the Grants and Office Manager with the Office of the Vice President, International, at the University of Toronto where he leads the administration of grant funding programs and administrative processes for the office.

Tom has led projects and managed staff teams for seven years. Prior to OVPI, Tom supported Indigenous communities in northern Canada with locally delivered housing and economic development initiatives. Tom completed his MPA from Western University, specializing in Canadian municipal politics, and holds a B.Ed. and B.A. Outside of work, Tom enjoys outdoor activities and spending time with his son.

Email Address: international@utoronto.ca
Profile Type: Staff
Country: Canada
Pillars: Health Entrepreneurship; Health Employment; Health Ecosytems
Program: Africa Secretariat

Ernest Asamoah, PhD

Program Officer (West Africa), Ghana

University of Toronto

Canada

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 Entrepreneurship; Health Employment; Health Ecosytems
Program: Africa Secretariat

Dave Fenton

Assistant Director, External Relations

University of Toronto Scarborough

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
Pillar: Health Entrepreneurship
Program: African Impact Challenge

Lillian Bogonko

Program Officer (East Africa), Kenya

University of Toronto

Canada

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

Marie Therese Ndiaye, PhD

Regional Lead (Health Networks), International Research Officer

University of Toronto

Canada

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
Pillars: Network Learning & Development; Health Entrepreneurship; Health Employment; Health Ecosytems
Program: Africa Secretariat
Governance: HECO Pillar Advisory Committee; HEMP Pillar Advisory Commitee; HENT Pillar Advisory Committee

2023 Annual Convening in Cape Town, South Africa

News and Events

News & Events

, PhD

, MDCM CCFP MHSc FCFP

, MD

, MPH

, BA, B.Ed.

, PhD

, PhD