BE-STEMM 2025
(4th Annual Conference)
Date: July 31 – August 1, 2025
Venue: University of Calgary, -2500 University Drive NW Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Alberta, Canada
Abstracts submission is now closed - Abstract Acceptance Notices have been sent out to all prospective Presenters.
All presenters will need to register to attend and present at the conference in-person.
Registration is now Closed
Keynote Speaker
Dr Gelan Ayana Zewdie, Ph.D
A Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Motivated by firsthand observations of the challenges faced by health systems in low-resource settings, Dr. Zewdie has dedicated his career to harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) for disease surveillance, diagnosis, and equitable healthcare delivery. His work encompasses health data analysis, multimodal AI models for early disease detection, and digital health solutions designed for community use.
Black Health Panel: Innovation and Inclusion in Black Health
Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English
and the 2025-2026 Wayne O. McCready Emerging Fellow at the Calgary Institute for
the Humanities, University of Calgary, Canada. He is the author of literary works, such
as there’s more (2023), Double Wahala, Double Trouble (2021), Wish Maker (2021),
and a co-editor of Wreaths for a Wayfarer (2020). His academic monograph, Masculinity
in Nigerian Fiction: Receptivity and Gender, is forthcoming from Edinburgh University
Press in November 2025.
Elizabeth is an assistant professor in the School of Public Health, University of Alberta,
Canada. She is a health geographer and a social epidemiologist whose research work
focuses on migration and food security, intersections of gender, gender-based violence,
and the associated health outcomes in minority populations. In her current research
program, Elizabeth is exploring barriers and facilitators of migrant community
engagement in social support services including access to food security initiatives and
in building alternative masculinities for gender-equal migrant communities. She has
extensive experience in working with vulnerable populations. Elizabeth is passionate
about community service and is a member of Rotary International.
Dr. Nevicia Case is the inaugural Manager of Black Health, Innovation, and
Advancement within the Health Equity & Systems Transformation portfolio at the
Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. Her post-doctoral experience is in
health law at the University of Alberta, with PhD research in Psychiatry at McGill
University and an MSc in Medical Science with a focus on clinical neurosciences at the
University of Calgary. Dr. Case serves as a board member for The Howl Experience, is
a 2025 Results Canada Fellow, and co-leads the Health is Wealth Seminar Series for
Black Wealth Club. In recognition of her commitment to global health equity through her
career and service, Dr. Case is a recipient of the Alberta Council for Global
Cooperation’s 2023 Top 30 Under 30 award and The Peak's Emerging Leaders of 2024
in Healthcare in Canada.
In August 2024, Prof. Joseph Osuji became The Director of the School of Nursing and
Midwifery at Mount Royal University. Before that, he was a faculty member at the
School for over two decades. He is a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow and holds a
visiting scholar appointment with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Dr. Osuji has taught
undergraduate and graduate students at several universities and has experience
developing and accrediting new educational programs nationally and internationally. He
has also supervised graduate students from various universities across different
continents. Dr Osuji has authored and contributed chapters on Medical/Surgical
Nursing, Research Methods, Pharmacology, and Chronic Disease Management. He has
received significant fellowship awards, research nominations, and academic awards for
his work.
Dr. Olajumoke Oyebode is a passionate biomedical researcher and equity advocate with a PhD in Biochemistry. Her work bridges the fields of health equity and inclusive health systems, with a focus on improving health outcomes for children from underserved communities. Drawing on her lived experience as a Black woman navigating systemic inequities, Dr. Oyebode brings both academic expertise and deep personal insight to her research. Currently, she serves as a Research Associate at the University of Calgary, where she plays a role in advancing equity, inclusion, and community engagement in the One Child Every Child (OCEC) initiative: a national research program aimed at transforming child health outcomes. Her work emphasizes inclusive research practices, disaggregated data collection, and community involvement as essential tools for achieving health equity. She is committed to advancing a research culture that not only acknowledges systemic barriers but actively works to dismantle them.
Dr Upton is a Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. He is the Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). He is also a Senior Associate Scientist in Children Health Evaluative Sciences program at SickKids Research Institute
Special Guest Performance
Wakefield Brewster, Calgary Poet Laureate, 2022 – 2024
Wakefield Brewster stepped onto his first stage as a Poet and Spoken Word Artist, January 1999. He’s now known as one of Canada’s most powerful Professional Performance Poets. Wakefield became the sixth Poet Laureate of Calgary in 2022, first Black Poet Laureate of Calgary, ever
Trainees
***Trainee presenters get $50 travel award** |
$150 (inclusive of annual membership fee) |
$250 |
| Professionals |
$250 (inclusive of annual membership fee) |
$350 |
Agenda for Excursions and Tour August 2nd 2025
Note to attendees: Notify your interest in the registration link once. The cost per person will be indicated there.
A tour of Lake Louise and Banff
August 2, 2025
Capacity: 24 people
08:00 - 10:00 - Depart U of C for Lake Louise
10:00 - 10:30 - Lake Louise
10:30 - 11:30 - Lake Louise to Banff
11:30 - 13:00 - Bow Falls, Drive by Banff Springs Hotel, Cascade of Time Garden, Surprise Corner, hoodoos, and Tunnel Mountain Drive
13:00 - 15:00 - Drop off behind the Mount Royal Hotel for group to walk around Banff Townsite, perhaps lunch
15:00 - 16:00 - Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake
16:00 - 18:00 - Banff to the U of C
The Canadian Black Scientists Network is grateful to our host, sponsors and partners who supported the success of BE-STEMM 2025.
Diamond Sponsor & Network Host
