Ms. Iduye holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, a Master of Nursing with a focus on Health Policy from Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Nursing Science from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She has experience in diverse clinical settings, including general medicine, surgery, geriatrics, oncology, ambulatory care, and public health.

Ms. Iduye’s primary area of research focuses on addressing health disparities and promoting population health. Also, she is involved in various provincial and national projects and committees on IENs’ integration into the Canadian nursing workforce and has presented her work at various national conferences. At the School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, she teaches population health nursing, nursing and social responsibility, and clinical integration and simulation courses. She is a Research Scholar at the Healthy Population Institute and is also a member of the Joanna Briggs Institute Aligning Health Needs and Evidence for Transformative Change (AH-NET-C).

Shelly Philip LaForest has been a Registered Nurse for over 23 years. Originally a diploma-trained nurse, Shelly returned to school to complete a Bachelor of Nursing Degree, a Master of Nursing Degree, and she is currently enrolled in an Interdisciplinary Social Research PhD program at Trent University.  Her research focus is on diversity and health and wellbeing within the nursing field.

As a bedside nurse, Shelly has worked in the Operating Room, on a Burns and Plastics Unit, on a General Surgery, Orthopaedics and Otolaryngology unit and a Vascular Access Team. She has held formal education roles with several post-secondary institutions supporting students in the classroom and in their clinical practice settings. She is now a full-time professor in the Collaborative BScN Nursing degree program in the School of Community and Health Studies at Centennial College. Shelly is a member of the College of Nurses of Ontario, the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, and certified in Vascular Access from the Canadian Vascular Access Association.  

Shelly is also actively involved in community organizations and is a Community Advisory Committee member for EpLink (an epilepsy research program), a Board Member for Epilepsy Ontario, and a Data Review Committee member for the Ontario Brain Institute.  Shelly founded and is the Executive Director of the Ontario Black Nurses’ Network [OBNN] and Program Administrator of the Black Nurses Leadership Institute [BNLI]. Shelly is also the Vice President of the Pan-Canadian Association of Nurses of African Descent [PCANAD] organization. These not-for-profit initiatives have been instrumental in strengthening the voice of Black Nurses and nursing students in various healthcare forums.  

Ms. Morrison currently works in a Cardiac Intermediate Care Unit in a tertiary level hospital in Halifax, NS. She has spent the past five years developing her skills as a bedside nurse in SK, BC, and NS.

Adigo Angela Achoba-Omajali, hails from the Ibaji tribe in Kogi state of central Nigeria; this situates Adigo as a Nigerian-Canadian. Adigo earned both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Nursing degrees from Thompson Rivers University, situated on the traditional lands of the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc within Secwépemc'ulucw.

Adigo has been working as a Registered Nurse for 11 years, largely in Mental Health and Substance Use with Interior Health Authority (IHA). She is presently in the position of Clinical Practice Educator with IHA under tertiary mental health. As part of the British Columbia Nurses union, (BCNU) Adigo holds the position of Mosaic of Color Regional Caucus Representative and an executive position of Professional Responsibility Advocate. In 2022, Adigo was nominated and received the British Columbia Nurses Union (BCNU) Excellence in Leadership and Advocacy award.

Besides serving as member and co-chair of the CNA anti-Racism council, Adigo is involved in ongoing work where she serves as a member of the anti-racism working group to advise the Canadian Associations of Schools of Nursing (CASN). Adigo believes that this is a critical area as our nursing students, the future of nursing, deserve to experience nursing institutions that teach nursing care that is rooted in equitable service delivery, while ensuring that the learning environment is inclusive.

Adigo is one of the Co-founders of the Coalition of African, Caribbean and Black Nurses in BC (CACBN). The coalition has been very vocal about the need for equity within the healthcare system by raising awareness on the challenges, barriers and health needs of African, Caribbean and Black people living in the province. CACBN is an organization member of the Pan-Canadian Association of Nurses of African Descent (PCANAD), which represents organizations (of Nurses of African descent) from each province within Canada. Adigo serves as the Director of Finance and planning committee member with this national association; the first of its kind.

In her spare time, Adigo likes to travel, network and spend time with family. Adigo is committed to fostering a culture of care, respect, integrity and trust; and deploys these values in pursuit of social equity, peace and inclusive human development.

Dr. Dordunoo is an esteemed educator, researcher, and leader with nearly two decades of experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree (with distinction) from the University of Victoria, and a  Master’s degree from Duke University with post-master’s certificates in clinical research management and teaching. She completed her doctoral education at the University of  Maryland Baltimore with a focus on heart failure. She is a practitioner with over 19 years of varied clinical practice experience working in general medicine and coronary care units as well as outpatient clinics at the Johns  Hopkins Hospital. She continues to expand her clinical nursing knowledge as she completes her nurse practitioner post-graduate certificate. Dr. Dordunoo is also an assistant professor, she teaches both the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Dr. Dordunoo is one of the co-founders of the Coalition of African, Caribbean, and Black Nurses in BC and is the president of the provincial organization.

Dr. Keisha Jefferies is an African Nova Scotian nurse scientist. Her doctoral research, funded by Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, Killam Trust, Research Nova Scotia, Johnson Scholarship Foundation, BRIC NS and Dalhousie University, examined the leadership experiences of African Nova Scotian nurses and the implications for nursing practice and education. Dr. Jefferies uses Black Feminist Theory to critically inform and guide her work. Specifically, her scholarly and advocacy work focuses on addressing anti-Black racism in nursing, inclusivity in post-secondary institutions, and health outcomes in Black populations.

Janet Montague is a registered nurse with over 22 years of nursing experience and is currently a Nursing
Professor and Coordinator at Centennial College and teaches in the Toronto Metropolitan, Centennial,
and George Brown Collaborative Nursing Degree program. Janet’s nursing experiences in various
healthcare sectors include nursing education, community health, acute/chronic care, long-term care,
quality assurance, and project management.

Janet holds a Nursing Diploma from Centennial College, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Toronto
Metropolitan University, and a Master’s of Nursing from the University of Toronto. Janet is currently a
Ph.D. Candidate at Western University, and her research focus is on exploring how Black students’
intersectional identities inform their experiences of belonging in nursing education through the lens of
Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality. Janet is interested in scholarships that focus on direct
teaching outcomes, promoting students’ success, nursing students’ sense of belonging, student
transition, and anti-racist pedagogies. As an educator, Janet values cultural diversity, which enriches the
classroom environment and the nursing profession. Janet is passionate about finding strategies that
motivate and facilitate students’ learning and understanding of the nursing profession.

Janet is also involved in various volunteer activities/committees, such as a Board member of the
Registered Nurses Foundation of Ontario (RNFOO) and a past member of the Board of Directors for the
Jamaican Canadian Association of Nurses. In addition, Janet is a member of the Ontario Black Nurses’
Network [OBNN], the Canadian Association Schools of Nursing (CASN) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Nurse Educator Interest group, a member of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO)
Nursing Research Interest group, and the Black Nurses Leading Change Interest Group.

Ms. Flomo is a registered nurse and registered psychiatric nurse with experience working in cardiovascular intensive care, psychiatric intensive care, adult inpatient psychiatry, and electroconvulsive therapy. She is a committed nursing leader, researcher, and a lifelong learner. Her scholarly and advocacy work focuses on addressing mental illness stigma, racial and ethnic disparities in nursing, and health outcomes in minority groups.

Josephine Muxlow is a woman of African descent and an employee of Indigenous Services Canada, FNIHB since May 2004 in the role of a Clinical Nurse Specialist, Mental Health. She also holds an adjunct professor at Dalhousie School of Nursing in Halifax. Josephine is an English trained State Registered Nurse and State Certified Midwife. She is a graduate of Dalhousie School of Nursing Post RN Bachelor of Nursing Program and Boston College (Massachusetts) Graduate Nursing Program – Clinical Nurse Specialist Tract, Psychiatric Mental Health. Josephine was recognized as a top Clinical Nurse Specialist by the International Nurses Association in 2017 and was also awarded the Pinnacle Professional Member by Continental Who’s Who in 2017. She is the co-author of several nursing articles and authored the Chapter on Clinical Nurse Specialist Mental Health in the first Canadian textbook on Advanced Practice Nursing published in 2016, and second edition published in 2020.

Dr Josephine Etowa, PhD RN RM FWACN FAAN FCAN FCAHS is a Full Professor & OHTN Chair in Black Women’s HIV Prevention and care at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing. Dr. Etowa is secretary of the Stephen Lewis Foundation for HIV/AIDs in Africa, past holder of the Loyer-DaSilva Research Chair in Public Health Nursing, and past president of the Health Association of African Canadians. Her research focuses on inequities in health and healthcare with emphasis on HIV, maternal child health and the health of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) Canadians using intersectionality lens and a community-based participatory research approach.   Her anti-Black racism work has resulted in seminal contributions to Canadian health policy and bringing racism to the forefront of dialogues. She currently leads the ACB community National Expert Working Group (ACB-NEWG) for the PHAC funded COVIID-19 impact (APCI) study.

Professor Bukola Salami is the Director of Intersections of Gender Signature Area at the Office of Vice President Research and a Professor at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta. Her research program focuses on policies and practices shaping migrants' health as well as Black peoples health. She has been involved in over 80 funded studies in this area. She has lead research projects on African immigrant child health, immigrant mental health, access to healthcare for Black women, access to healthcare for immigrant children, Black youth mental health, health of internally displaced children, wellbeing of temporary foreign workers, COVID vaccine hesitancy among Black Canadians, and parenting practices of African immigrants. She founded and leads an African Child and Youth Migration Network, a network of 42 scholars from 4 continents. In 2020, she founded the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program at the University of Alberta. The program, the first University based interdisciplinary mentorship program for Black youths in Canada, seeks to socially and economically empower Black high school youths to contribute meaningfully to the Canadian society. Her work on Black youth mental health led to the creation of the first mental health clinic for Black Canadians in Western Canada.  She has also presented her work to policy makers (including twice to the Prime Minister of Canada) and her work has changed policy.  She is involved in several community volunteer initiatives including the Public Health Agency of Canada Working Group on the Mental Health of Black Canadian, the Bell Lets Talk Funding advisory committee, and active involvement with the Black Opportunities Fund. In addition to being an Editor for the Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, she is an Associate Editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) and on the Editorial Board of Nursing Inquiry and Qualitative Health Research Journal. She has recently been elected as a Board member of the Canadian Nurses Association. She is an advisory board member of the CIHR Institute for Human Development, Child and Youth Health. Dr. Salami has received several awards for research excellence and community engagement: 100 Accomplished Black Women in Canada; Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Emerging Nurse Researcher of the Year Award; College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA) Award for Nursing Excellence; and Alberta Avenue Edmonton Top 40 under 40. In 2020, she became a recipient of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, the highest research award in nursing. In 2021, she became a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing.

Vision for Future of Nursing

My vision for the future of nursing is three folds.  First, I believe nursing should lead policy development in the future especially as it relates to healthy public policy.  Second, I have a vision of stronger nursing leadership in equity, diversity and inclusion. This is necessary for us to achieve equitable population health outcomes.  Third, I see a vision towards nursing leadership in interprofessional teams.  My leadership on the Alberta College of Social Workers and Black Physicians of Alberta has shown me that nurses can lead across diverse disciplines and we do have much to contribute. 

Dr. Florence Luhanga is an Associate Professor and current Interim Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research in the Faculty of Nursing, at the University of Regina. Dr. Luhanga completed her Registered Nursing and Midwifery in Malawi, her Bachelor of Education (Nursing Education) and Masters in Education from the University of Botswana, and her PhD in Nursing at the University of Alberta. Prior to joining the University of Regina (U of R), Dr. Luhanga worked as a Registered Nurse/Midwife in Malawi, a lecturer at the Institute of Health Sciences in Botswana, a sessional instructor at the University of Alberta, and as an Assistant Professor at Laurentian University where she maintained an active program of research while teaching nursing courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels

Dr. Luhanga’s program of research has been primarily in the area of field teaching and unsafe student clinical behaviors. Her current research relates to the recruitment, retention, and success of ethnic minority students in undergraduate professional education programs and Black faculty in academia. Additional research interests include curriculum development, women’s health, and HIV/AIDS.

Since the completion of her Ph.D. in 2006, Dr. Luhanga has served in the role of PI and Co-PI on various locally, provincially, and Tri-council funded research projects. She has authored and co-authored several articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented her research findings at local, regional, and international conferences. For example, she has explored the issue of “failure to fail” underperforming students in professional programs, the evidence related to clinical teaching models currently being used in nursing education and other health-related professional programs from a patient safety perspective, and bullying of nursing students during clinical experiences. Dr. Luhanga was involved in a  federal grant-funded project, entitled “Experiences of racialized students in education, nursing, and social work” and the U of R President’s Seed Grant project,  exploring experiences of Black faculty members in academia. More recently Dr. Luhanga has been a principal investigator on two funded research projects exploring the experiences of Black students in undergraduate nursing programs in a Western Canadian province.