Marwa Akola is a PhD candidate in Global Health whose work focuses on food and health systems.

She holds an MSc in Nutrition and volunteers as a faculty member at Ahfad University. She is an expert in implementing community and humanitarian projects in crisis-affected areas. Her research focuses on the Canadian food system and policies. She employs different research methods to explore and investigate policies and practices across systems.

Aoife Cummins is a PhD candidate at the Mary Heersink School of Global Health and Social Medicine. She holds a BSc in Neurosciences and a MSc in Global Health, with extensive experience working on interdisciplinary teams and leading knowledge translation initiatives. She employs qualitative research to inform policy and practice among stakeholders in the social economy.

Her research interests include social entrepreneurship, innovation, and the commercial determinants of health. Her current work explores the third-party certification of social enterprises, with a particular focus on organizations in the health and social assistance sector, including those that provide long-term and home-care services.

Fatima Homid is a PhD Candidate in Global Health whose work focuses on social health systems related to women’s health and social well-being.

She draws on qualitative research methods and has conducted studies on refugee women in shelter systems, as well as immigration policies related to shelter system and homelessness. She holds a master’s degree in sociology and a bachelor’s degree in biology/chemistry.

Her research interests include women’s studies, immigrant and refugee women’s mental health and addictions, and health policies affecting immigrants and refugees.

Gregory Toffner is a PhD student in Global Health at McMaster University and is the President and CEO of the Ontario Association of Medical Radiation Sciences.

His work focuses on implementing task-shifting models to improve access to diagnostic imaging in remote Indigenous communities in Nunavut, Canada. He draws on explanatory sequential mixed-methods research and implementation science to inform health policy and practice, particularly in underserved regions. He holds extensive leadership experience in health sciences.

His research interests include task-shifting strategies, community-based diagnostic programs, health equity in Indigenous populations, and workforce development in remote healthcare settings.