Contents
Stacey Ann Berry is the founder and president of Bstellar® Group Inc., which provides professional development workshops as well as, consulting services in government relations, business development, community engagement and strategic planning.
Stacey is a service-driven leader who is passionate about the arts, community engagement and youth development. She serves as the Toronto Chapter President for Blacks in Technology Foundation, which makes tech careers more accessible for black professionals and provides resources, mentorship, career development and scholarships.
As a former director for the Toronto Board of Health, she chaired the Public Health Champion Awards Selection Committee, served on the Performance Appraisal of the Medical Officer of Health Committee and the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) Board of Directors.
She has a master’s degree in Public Policy Administration and Law as well as an Honors BA in History and Law and Society from York University. She also has a diploma in Court and Tribunal Administration and a certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from Seneca College.
Stacey is the recipient of the “Outstanding Contribution to Student Experience” Award from York University. She was also recognized as one of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women as well as, Canada’s 100 Black Women to Watch by the Canadian International Black Women Excellence and recognized as one of the “150 Neighbors and Community Builders” by University of Toronto Scarborough. Stacey is also a recipient of the G. Raymond Chang Outstanding Volunteer Award from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Nadine McKenzie was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer in September of 2022. A writer, the mother of two young girls and owner of black business incubator Melanin MRKT has become an advocate for Black Women’s Health and bringing awareness to living with cancer and the disparities in representation.
Dr. Danielle Cuthbert is a Clinical Fellow in Breast Oncology at The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. She completed medical school and internal medicine residency at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. She then returned home to Toronto in 2020 to continue her education in the Medical Oncology Training Program (MOTP) at the University of Toronto where she served as Chief Resident from 2021-2022.
Dr. Cuthbert’s clinical and research interests are centered on equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as women’s health. She is hopeful to combine her passion for both areas as a breast oncologist with a career focus on tackling systemic inequities within cancer care. She is proud of her Trinidadian heritage and is an advocate for improved access to oncologic care for Caribbean communities. She also has a strong interest in medical education and is motivated to increase recruitment of students from underrepresented groups into the medical field.
Arnold Pinnock is a UK-born, Canadian actor whose career began at Toronto’s Second City Mainstage doing sketch comedy. His work in film and television has spanned almost three decades with over 12+ credits to his name.
On the big screen, his highlights include; Exit Wounds for Warner Brothers, starring opposite DMX and Steven Segal, the fantastical comedy Down to Earth with Chris Rock and in 2019 he played opposite Liam Neeson in Cold Pursuit for Lionsgate.
Well-loved and widely recognized by audiences for performances on TV such as Vic in Billable Hours for Showcase, Paul in Life With Derek for Disney, and Cdr. Will Royal on ABC’s Combat Hospital, Walt Forbes in Travelers for Netflix, and Victor James in the period drama Damnation for USA Network.
Other notable projects include; Altered Carbon and The Knight Before Christmas, both for Netflix, Cardinal for HULU, Once Upon A Time for ABC, Beauty and The Beast for CW, and comedies such as Young Drunk Punks for CityTV, and Baroness Van Sketch show for CBC.
Also in the family comedy Anderson Parker-Anderson where he plays the series lead “Tony”, a father who moves his family from the UK to Canada. He will next be seen in Murdoch Mysteries
Arnold’s most current role is as Co-creator and Co-executive producer of The Porter a CBC/ BET+ co-production period drama.
Ms. Lydia-Joi Marshall is a proud Caribbean Canadian woman who champions issues in health equity. Lydia-Joi currently serves as the President, Board of Directors of the Black Health Alliance, a not-for-profit organization which works tirelessly to advocate for those who have been marginalized by anti-Black racism.
Academically she lends her expertise from her BSc. in Biology from Western University and MSc. in Human Genetics from Howard University.
Lydia-Joi consistently strives to challenge diverse groups to examine systemic disparities, and has done so through many platforms including multi-disciplinary published research, leading dynamic international workshops and most recently as a TEDxToronto Speaker.
Dr. Juliet Daniel is a professor and cancer biologist in the Department of Biology at McMaster University. In 1999, Dr. Daniel established her own research laboratory and pivoted her expertise to focus on cell-cell adhesion, signaling through transcription factors, and how its malfunction contributes to cancer.
Dr. Daniel’s team is currently concentrating on colon cancer research, and developing diagnostic tests and therapeutics by identifying unique DNA mutations or markers in aggressive triple negative breast cancers (TNBC), a disease that is known to be difficult to treat and most prevalent in young women of African and Hispanic ancestry.
Following her years of influential activism and awarded recognition, Dr. Daniel partners with The Olive Branch of Hope cancer support service to organize “Think Beyond ‘Love Pink’ Breast Cancer Awareness” workshops for women of African ancestry in the GTA.
Dr. Aisha Lofters serves as a family physician at Womeris College Hospital and holds the Chair in Implementation Science at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Womenis Cancers at Women’s College Hospital in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society.
Dr. Lofters’ research interests are applied into the process for cancer screening and prevention with a health equity lens. Her knowledgeable expertise in health gives her the credibility to advise on issues related to obesity, fibroids, and early signs of cancerous stages.
Dr. Andrea Covelli is a surgical oncologist, assistant professor, and surgeon-investigator in the Division of Gerneral Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in the Department of Surgery.
Dr.Covellis clinical focus is within surgical management of complex skin malignancies and breast disease, and a specialization in rare breast malignancies, including mesenchymal tumours. Through her research, Dr. Covelli works to improve patient and clinical care outcomes, and addresses health inequities in cancer care for under- represented patient populations.