Uyiosa Chukwuka has a Master’s in public health from Western Illinois University, USA. She also holds a MA in Peacebuilding and Collaborative Development from Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg,  and an MBA from National Open University of Nigeria. She has passionately worked in the public health sector for over twenty years. She has majorly worked with women and kids and is an advocate for  building the health of a community. Uyiosa finds happiness in playing with her family.

From her humble beginnings as a Public Health Nurse working with Winnipeg’s inner-city communities, to Program and Policy development with the Manitoba government and finally Program Management in  the Winnipeg Health Region (plus a few other gigs in between), Darlene’s 35 year career has afforded her a breadth and depth of public health knowledge and experience.  Social justice and health equity are nestled deeply in Darlene’s heart along side her love of family,  gardening, her bike, and more recently fermented foods!

Geoffrey Thompson is an occupational health nurse and has worked the past 20 years at the intersection of cross-cultural health, community development and organizational change management. He specializes in promoting positive workplace mental health through joint worker and management training focused on how to identify and control on-the-job psychosocial hazards.

Oluwanifemi is a dedicated health educator with a strong background in community health promotion  and communicable disease management. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Studies, with a focus  on health promotion and education. Her work emphasizes the importance of addressing social  determinants of health and fostering equitable access to healthcare resources. She has worked  extensively to improve health outcomes among diverse populations.

Margaret Fast is a retired public health physician with several decades of experience in public health and healthcare. She has a specific interest in child health and infectious diseases. Margaret looks forward to being part of MPHA’s advocacy work, focusing on being strategic and opportunistic about the question: What matters most now? Margaret enjoys travel and writing and dabbles in genealogy.

Sande Harlos is a retired public health physician who served the Winnipeg public for over 25 years working in a variety of public health areas. She is most passionate about promoting health equity and climate justice. As a white, older, female settler she is eager to participate in uncomfortable conversations to become a better ally to structurally oppressed groups. She is a delighted grandmother and happiest when outside with family.

Margaret Haworth-Brockman is the Senior Program Manager at the National Collaborating Centre for  Infectious Diseases, which provides knowledge brokering on infectious diseases for public health. She  has more than 25 years of experience in knowledge translation, research and policy development  related to population health, public health, and health services. She was the Executive Director at Prairie  Women’s Health Centre of Excellence and before that was the first Registrar at the College of Midwives  of Manitoba. She is co-investigator on several CIHR grants aimed at improving public health planning  and care for populations that are not served by the current systems. Her work has included numerous  projects in Canada and internationally on sex- and gender-based analysis, gender and health indicators,  HIV/AIDS, and health equity.  

Margaret is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of  Manitoba and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Winnipeg.  

Nicole Herpai is pursuing a PhD in Community Health Sciences while working as a research assistant. She applies a feminist political economy lens to examine how broader social, political and economic factors shape public health issues and what can be done about it.

Aynslie has a PhD in Community Health Sciences. At the University of Winnipeg, she coordinates the Certificate in Applied Psychology (CiAP) program and teaches several courses. She also supports community organizations and academics with their research and evaluation needs. She is passionate about housing and homelessness related issues.

Lea has a Master of Nursing Degree from the University of Manitoba. Using Western and Indigenous ways of knowing, Lea’s focus is on improving the health and well being of Indigenous peoples.

Julianne Sanguins practiced for many years with indigenous peoples and communities, most recently for almost 20 years in the Health and Wellness Department at the Manitoba Métis Federation. She holds a nil appointment as an Assistant Professor in the University of Manitoba’s Department of Community Health Sciences and is an Adjunct Scientist with the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. Having graduated from the University of Toronto 40 years ago with her BScN., Julianne is an RN and holds a PhD (Nursing) which she obtained from the University of Calgary. Having spent many years of her life in small towns and remote communities, she is especially interested in issues of equity, access, and the impact of the environment on people’s lives.

Joanna is a Chinese settler who holds a Masters of Public Health from the University of Waterloo and is trained as a Registered Dietitian. She envisions a future where equity deserving groups achieve social liberation through anti-racist and anti-oppressive systems change.