Our team is composed of experienced researchers, clinicians, students and community members passionate about improving support for ACB communities in regenerative medicine and similar healthcare related fields.
Co-Lead Investigators
Carl E. James, PhD: Sociologist, Professor, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora – Faculty of Education, York University, Toronto
Istvan Mucsi, MD, PhD: Transplant nephrologist, clinician investigator, Associate Professor of Medicine – Ajmera Transplant Program, University Health Network and Division of Nephrology, University of Toronto
Co-Investigators (Core Organizing Team Members)
Arjun Law, MD: Clinical Haematologist, Stem Cell Transplant Physician, Assistant Professor of Medicine – Princess Margaret Hospital and University of Toronto
Sonya MacParland, PhD: Scientist and Assistant Professor, Ajmera Transplant Program, University Health Network and University of Toronto
Paula Neves, PhD: Lead, Center for Living Organ Donation – Ajmera Transplant Program, University Health Network
Nicole Woods, PhD: Associate Professor & Education Scientist, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto; Institute Director, The Institute for Education Research; Senior Director, Education and Research Integration; Associate Director & Education Scientist, The Wilson Centre, University Health Network.
Project Manager
Jacqui Getfield, PhD
Dr. Getfield is an adjunct member of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, York University. Her research interests include mothering, blackness, race, disability, and home-school-community partnerships. She theorizes through the lenses of Black feminisms, Critical Disability Studies and Critical Race Theory. Dr. Getfield is the Vice-President of the Ontario Alliance of Black School Educators (ONABSE) and a board member of the Caribbean African Canadian Social Services (CAFCAN). She lectures at the Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), Seneca College and Centennial College.
Project Team Members
Ram Ahuja
Ram is a first-year medical student at the University of Ottawa, and their passion lies in learning about the human body. As an aspiring healthcare professional with an analytical mindset, he thrives on exploring complex medical concepts and tackling healthcare challenges head-on.
Teniola Ajani
Teniola Ajani is a third-year medical student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She is passionate about advocating for African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities in all aspects of life, particularly in medicine. Teniola aims to bridge the gap between the healthcare system and Black and Caribbean community members, ensuring they receive the best patient care possible.
Fola Ayibiowu
Folayemi Ayibiowu is a third-year Medical Student at University College Dublin in Ireland. She is a Nigerian-Canadian with a passion for Human Rights activism, clinical research, and regenerative medicine. Folayemi began her research experience at the Hospital for Sick Children, performing laboratory experiments and investigations into phagocytosis, kidney health, and cell biology. She currently works as a Student Volunteer at UHN with Dr. Mucsi’s KHE-ACB and CARM laboratories, while also volunteering in the SickKids Rheumatology research lab. Through working with CARM and KHE-ACB, Folayemi hopes to educate others, especially black youth, about regenerative medicine and clinical research.
Mowa Ayibiowu
Mowa Ayibiowu is a fifth-year medical student at University College Dublin with research experience at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). She is passionate about advocating for African, Black and Caribbean patients and currently works at Toronto General Hospital Research Institute as part of the Kidney Health Education and Research Group.
Kayla-Rae Barnes
Kayla-Rae Barnes is a second-year Health Sciences student at Queen’s University. She is passionate about promoting health equity and education in marginalized communities. As an aspiring healthcare professional, she is dedicated to making a positive impact in the healthcare industry.
Dream Tuitt-Barnes
Dream Tuitt-Barnes is an incoming Queen’s University medical student. As a NSERC research student in the Queen’s University School of Computing, Dream utilizes machine learning algorithms to analyze the biological nature of triple-negative breast cancer tissue samples. Beyond academics, Dream is passionate about mentorship, health equity, and community involvement.
Marwa Douelrachad
Marwa Douelrachad is a third-year Global Health student specializing in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at York University. Her research and community endeavours focus on the intersectionality of health equity and structural determinants to improve chronic disease outcomes in racialized people and immigrants. Currently, she is a research student at St. Michael’s Hospital as part of Unity Health Toronto.
Hayden John
Hayden John is an incoming medical student at Queen’s University. He is currently a research student with the Kidney Health Education Research Group (KHERG). In this role, Hayden is examining risk and benefit perception to kidney failure treatment options among ACB Canadians. Outside of academics, Hayden is passionate about mentorship and community engagement.
Osa Osadolor
Osa Osadolor is a third-year Biomedical Science student at the University of Guelph, with a minor in Black Canadian Studies. She’s passionate about exploring the intersection of race and medicine, aiming to integrate this understanding into her future healthcare career. Currently, she is assisting in the Dawson lab’s research on establishing a zebrafish model for cardiac actin variants.
Devron Swaby
Devron Swaby is an Honours Life Sciences student at McMaster University. His research and community work focus on health equity for ACB communities, psychosocial factors in chronic kidney disease and transplantation, systemic barriers faced by neurodivergent Black youth and biomedical research methodology. He is dedicated to promoting health equity and educational access for ACB communities.