Black Health and Physiology: Representation and Finding Your Pathway

Faculty, trainees, and staff from diverse disciplines and backgrounds are invited to attend the Department of Physiology's third annual symposium on Physiology and Black Health. It will take place on June 19th, 10:00am-4:00pm in MSB 2170 and the Naylor Commons. This in-person event features a panel discussion, a keynote speaker, a trainee-speaker lunch, and this year we have added trainee flash talks in both the morning and afternoon. Lunch and snacks will be provided for all and registration is free!

Trainees, we want to hear from you! If you would like to do a flash talk at this event, please submit an abstract via the registration form.

Full details and registration can be accessed at this link.  
 

This year’s symposium features Black scholars who will speak to the importance of representation in research, teaching, and other professional pursuits in the health sciences. The panel discussion will also address the lived experiences of international students within the theme of representation.

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Marjorie Dixon, from Anova Fertility & Reproductive Health, is an Obstetrician- practitioner and one of Canada’s most influential leaders in reproductive medicine. She is a driving force behind expanding access to fertility care in Ontario.

Panelists:

• Delaney Hines, a Senior Manager in Health Equity Partnerships at Heart & Stroke, is an expert in fostering relationships, striking partnerships and integrating equity into research competitions by helping to remove barriers.
• Dr. Jude Kong, from the University of Toronto’s School of Public Health, is a Canada Research Chair in community-oriented AI and mathematical disease modelling. He empowers underrepresented STEM scholars and drives Southern-led collaboration.
• Dr. Matilda Laar, from the University of Toronto’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, is an experienced Public Health Nutritionist and Educator who works with NGOs including the UN, UNICEF and the WHO. She advises, guides and mentors international students who are often underrepresented in her classrooms. 
• Dr. Lyuba Salih, from the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh, studies neuroimmune axes and chronic pain, and has charted her own pathway towards representation in research.