Board of Directors

Vamini is a family physician with experience in primary care, emergency medicine and women’s health in Canada and the developing world. She has practiced medicine in several rural, remote and Indigenous communities in Canada. Her educational background includes a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Toronto, Family Medicine training at the University of Ottawa and she is completing a Master of Public Health (health promotion) at the University of Alberta. She has been involved with projects promoting sexual health in Alberta, improving access to cancer screening programs in rural Africa and Central America, and is currently working to address workplace injuries and discrimination related to immigrant workers. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Bow Valley Primary Care Network and the Health Committee of the Bow Valley Immigration Partnership.

Jason is a Medical Officer of Health with Alberta Health Services and the director of the Public Health and Preventive Medicine (PHPM) residency program at the University of Calgary. His educational background includes a Doctor of Medicine degree from Queen’s University, and both an FRCPC in PHPM and MSc epidemiology from the University of Calgary. His practice has focused on environmental health issues, building healthy communities, and advancing public health education. Current responsibilities include leading Alberta Health Services’ provincial public health surveillance, research and innovation teams that provide evidence to inform action and decision making throughout the organization and in the community.

Yipeng Ge is a Chinese-Canadian, first-generation immigrant, and a grateful guest of this land. He is a resident physician in Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Ottawa, where he also received his MD and family medicine residency training. He is currently completing a Master of Public Health (Health and Social Behaviour) at Harvard University. Yipeng has interests in Indigenous health, inner-city health, anti-racism and health policy, prevention of non-communicable diseases, and global health governance and diplomacy. In 2020, he was Canada’s official youth delegate to the World Health Assembly and the Pan American Health Organization Directing Council. Yipeng is passionate about tackling health and social inequities through addressing the social and broader determinants of health through public health practice, research, and education

Caitlin has over two decades of experience in community-based health research, programming, and management, complemented by an MSc in Population and Public Health. She is a Director at the Multi-lingual Orientation Service Association for Immigrant Communities (MOSAIC). MOSAIC provides comprehensive services to support newcomers to Canada throughout their settlement journey. Caitlin’s portfolio includes a partnership with the Fraser Health Authority, the Burnaby Division of Family Practice, and the Burnaby Primary Care Network to establish a Patient Medical Home - Priority Population Clinic (PMH). The PMH offers essential, longitudinal primary care services to Burnaby's most marginalized communities, including newcomers, new mothers and their babies, individuals with complex mental health issues, and those experiencing homelessness. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by these populations – such as language, cultural, and socio-economic barriers – the clinic is designed to offer accessible, trauma-informed, and culturally safe healthcare. Caitlin is guided by values of inclusion, social justice, and equity. These principles influence her professional work and community involvement. She has volunteered with several community-based organizations in Canada, Kenya, and Guatemala, including the Canadian Red Cross, Co-Development Canada, U-Tena Arts and Education Society, Nuevo Horizonte Cooperative, and the Asociación Payasos Atz’anem K’oj.

Ashley is a Registered Nurse in St. John's, Newfoundland. After completing nursing school Ashley worked as a Public Health Nurse with the Population and Public Health Program at Eastern Health. This was a role that she absolutely loved and it opened her eyes to the importance of public health and the role it can play in people's lives. During her time as a Public Health Nurse Ashley completed a short stint as a Health Promotion Consultant and now works for the province as a Public Health Policy Analyst. Ashley has also completed a BA with a major in French and is currently completing the Master of Public Health at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Ashley's main interests include health equity, upstream approaches and she is keen on creating more awareness about public health and what it has to offer.

Amy Nahwegahbow, PhD (c), MPH, BA(Hons)
Amy Nahwegahbow serves as a Senior Research Advisor at the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) in Ottawa. Proudly identifying as Anishinaabe and a member of Whitefish River First Nation in Ontario, Amy holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Waterloo and is currently pursuing a PhD. in Epidemiology in their School of Public Health Sciences. Her educational journey reflects her commitment to addressing the unique public health challenges facing Indigenous Peoples through community-led research, health promotion, and culturally relevant interventions.

Alex Petiquan, MD
Alex Petiquan is Anishinaabe from Wabauskang First Nation. He graduated from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and is currently in residency, specializing in public health. His work spans Indigenous public health, health policy, governance, epidemiology, and data sharing agreements, both as a Senior Analyst in the Federal sector and as a member of the Health Expert Advisory Panel for Grand Council Treaty #3.