Dr. Notisha Massaquoi

Dr. Notisha Massaquoi has been a powerful advocate for advancements in Canadian Black women's healthcare for over 30 years. In her early career she established several organizations which served Black communities in Canada, including Africans in Partnership Against AIDS, The African Resource and Communications Centre, and Harambe Centres Family Counselling Program.

She served for two decades as the Executive Director of Women's Health in Women's Hands Community Health Centre in Toronto – the only community health centre in North America providing specialized primary healthcare for Black and racialized women. She has consulted globally on racism and its impact on workforces and is considered one of Canada's leading experts in developing equity responsive organizations.

Her research and academic work pushed many Canadian institutions to address Anti-Black racism. Most notably she co-chaired the Anti-racism Advisory Panel of the Toronto Police Services Board and was responsible for producing the first mandatory race-based data collection policy for a police service in Canada. She has also served as a Board trustee for many research and health organizations to ensure anti-Black racism is at the forefront of governance, such as the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Association for Community Health Centres, the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, and the Stephen Lewis Foundation. With publications such as Canadian Perspectives on Black Feminist Thought, Notisha has broadened our perspective on what it means to be Canadian. She is currently an assistant professor with the Department of Health and Society at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, with a graduate appointment in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work.

“Be outraged by the injustices that you see in the world and act outrageously to eliminate them.”