University of Toronto

Lily Afsaw

Student Life Officer, Mastercard Foundations Scholars Program

University of Toronto

Canada

Lily Mesfin Asfaw is the Student Life Officer at the University of Toronto’s Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.

Lily, who is Ethiopian and born and raised in Rwanda, moved to Canada to pursue a BA in Political Science and Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice at the University of British Columbia (UBC). After her studies, Lily transitioned to full-time work at UBC in their International Student Advising office and later became Program Assistant in their Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. There, she developed a strong interest in helping international students, particularly African students, acclimate to Canada which she continues to do in her current position. In her role as Student Life Officer, she organizes co-curricular programming to help scholars adjust to living in Canada, manage their studies, and foster community.

Email Address: lily.asfaw@utoronto.ca
Profile Type: Staff
Country: Canada
Program: Mastercard Foundations Scholars Program

Lynda Donnelly

Program Assistant, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

University of Toronto

Canada

Lynda Donnelly is the Program Assistant for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Toronto located in the Centre for International Experience.

She is pleased to be able to play an important role in providing administrative support during the scholarship recruitment stage and offer her dedicated care and guidance to new scholars during their pre-arrival preparations and onboarding at UofT. Lynda is from England and has worked as an administrative professional in various industries. At UofT she held a term position in the Office of the Vice Provost, Students and short-term assignments in The Office of the Provost and The Office of the Governing Council. Lynda loves to travel and so shares in the excitement and enthusiasm of the new Foundation graduate scholars, as they prepare for international studies in Canada.

Email Address: lynda.donnelly@utoronto.ca
Profile Type: Staff
Country: Canada
Pillar: Health Ecosytems
Program: Mastercard Foundations Scholars Program

Katherine Beaumont

Senior Director, Global Learning Opportunities and International Student Success

University of Toronto

Canada

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
Pillar: Health Ecosytems
Program: Mastercard Foundations Scholars Program

Penina Lam, PhD

Senior Director, International Relations, Africa

University of Toronto

Canada

Dr. Penina Lam is the U of T’s Senior Director of International Relations, where she leads strategic engagement and development of partnerships with Africa.

 She also leads the implementation of the Africa Health Collaborative, designed to facilitate talent development and entrepreneurship among African youth. She oversees the Secretariat team and works in close partnership with colleagues across U of T, with African institutions, and the Mastercard Foundation. 

As a scholar-practitioner, she’s passionate about research and programs that foster access to and equity in education, health, and employment opportunities.  Prior to joining U of T, she worked as an Organizational Development (OD) consultant at the World Bank, in healthcare and education sectors. She’s experienced at engaging with diverse stakeholders to design, develop, and deliver impactful learning and talent development program.

Her academic career has spanned research, faculty, staff, and senior leadership roles working with African, Canadian, and US institutions. Dr. Lam holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & OD, with a focus on Human Resource Development.

Email Address: penina.lam@utoronto.ca
Profile Type: Faculty
Country: Canada
Pillars: Health Entrepreneurship; Health Employment; Health Ecosytems
Governance: Executive Steering Committee

Edwina Apaw, CPA, MBA, PhD

Program Manager, Africa

University of Toronto

Canada

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
Pillars: Health Entrepreneurship; Health Ecosytems; Health Employment
Program: Africa Secretariat

Timothy Kinoti, PhD Candidate

Learning Facilitator

University of Toronto

Canada

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
Pillars: Health Entrepreneurship; Health Employment; Health Ecosytems
Program: Africa Secretariat

Notisha Massaquoi, PhD

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.

Email Address: notisha.massaquoi@utoronto.ca
Profile Type: Faculty
Country: Canada
Pillar: Health Ecosytems
Program: Public Policy
Governance: HECO Pillar Advisory Committee

Tak Koguchi

Senior Regional Lead

University of Toronto

Canada

Tak is Senior Regional Lead (Africa) and Co-lead for the Health Ecosystems Pillar in the AHEHC for the University of Toronto (U of T).

As Pillar Co-Lead, his role focuses on establishing collaborative certificate and short course programs to train professionals in a wide range of disciplines critical for sustainable and equitable health-sector growth in Africa. As member of the collaborative’s Secretariat, he plays an active role in supporting the network’s collective activities and governance. In his capacity of Senior Regional Lead, he is responsible for growing U of T’s engagement with Sub-Sahara Africa. Tak is a graduate of U of T (BA) and York University (MPPAL).

Email Address: tak.koguchi@utoronto.ca
Profile Type: Staff
Country: Canada
Pillar: Health Ecosytems
Governance: HECO Pillar Co-Lead

Suying Hugh, EdD

Program Manager, Mastercard Foundation

University of Toronto

Canada

Suying Hugh is the Program Manager for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.

In her role, Suying oversees the day-to-day management of the scholarship and the students. A dedicated student life professional, Suying’s many years of experience focuses on enhancing the student experience and more specifically the international student experience. Her research interests focus on migration and the movement of talent. As the Program Manager of the Scholars Program, she understands the commitment of the scholarship to developing human capacity in Africa.

Email Address: suying.hugh@utoronto.ca
Profile Type: Staff
Country: Canada
Pillar: Health Ecosytems
Governance: HECO Pillar Co-Lead

Saima Zulqarnain

Program and Business Development Manager

University of Toronto

Canada

Saima Zulqarnain is the Program and Business Development Manager for IMIx Executive Programs, a department housed at the University of Toronto Mississauga’s Institute for Management and Innovation (IMI).

With over 16 years of experience in executive education, she excels in program management, strategic marketing initiatives, and fostering collaborative partnerships across a diverse group of faculty, administrators, students, and stakeholders. Within her current role, Saima oversees a comprehensive portfolio of certificate programs, including the Mastercard Foundation-funded Certificate of Effective Healthcare Management.

Before joining the University of Toronto in 2008, Saima worked at LUMS University’s executive education department in Lahore, Pakistan. During her time there, she was at the helm of several large-scale international programs offered by LUMS with partners including INSEAD, the Darden School of Business, the World Bank, and the International Human Resource Development Corporation (IHRDC). Saima holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology (BA). She currently lives in Oakville, Ontario with her husband and son.

Email Address: imi.executiveprograms@utoronto.ca
Profile Type: Staff
Country: Canada
Pillar: Health Ecosytems
Program: IMIx

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