In honour of African Heritage Month, we’ll be highlighting local professionals of African descent who continue to inspire their communities and serve as science role models for African Nova Scotian youth. Those selected have made contributions in several STEM fields including Physics, Biology, Engineering, Aviation, Biotechnology, Environmental & Medicine.
“When I’m asked to talk to youth about my experiences, I always try to emphasize to them: this is not extraordinary. This is not magic. This is somebody who had a goal, worked hard, and achieved it. I know people who do a much better job at all of those things. So you don’t have to be perfect. You just have to want it.” – Dr. Chadwick Williams, MD FRCPC
Raised in Preston, Nova Scotia and one of the first African Nova Scotian graduates of Dalhousie Medical School, Dr. Chadwick Williams is an accomplished gastroenterologist and mentor to young African Nova Scotians, looking to pursue a career in medicine.
After a residency in Calgary on internal medicine and gastroenterology, fellowship training on irritable bowel disease at Cedars Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles and seven years practicing in Saint John, Chadwick now practices at Woodlawn Medical Centre and Dartmouth General Hospital.
Offering a distinctive approach to patient interactions, Chadwick aims to foster a friendly relationship of equals between doctor and patient. Of his interactions, he has said “People are people. I’m just the same as the patient who’s coming in. I’ve got knowledge about some diseased states that they may or may not have. And my role is really to try and put the pieces together.”
Since his graduation from Dal in 2004, Chadwick has noted that there has been substantial progress in encouraging and supporting youth from minority communities to consider and follow careers as health professionals. Much of this progress has come from concerted efforts between Dalhousie and African Nova Scotian communities, in particular. In this time, Chadwick has grown as a mentor, both formally and informally, having gained an assistant professorship at both Dalhousie and Memorial University in 2011. His work as a role model is seen by him as a way to return the favour to his community, particularly to his own family and mentors who have supported his success in the medical field.
A pioneering nurse, mentor and community activist, Dr. Clotilda Douglas-Yakimchuk was born and raised in Whitney Pier, Sydney, NS. In 1954, she became the first black graduate of the Nova Scotia Hospital School of Nursing, shattering barriers and paving the way for future black nurses. In her life, she has received numerous awards, recognizing her exemplary contributions to the field of nursing and her work as a community leader and role model.
“The Pride of Whitney Pier”, she dedicated 50 years of her life to nursing. Among her honours are the Orders of Canada and Nova Scotia, conferred upon her in 2003 and 2018 respectively. She was the first, and thus far only, black President of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Nova Scotia (now known as The College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia).
A recipient of the Harry Jerome Award in 1991, which recognizes excellence and achievements in the African-Canadian community, Clotilda’s numerous contributions have extended beyond her work in nursing. As the founding President of the Black Community Development Organization, Clotilda led the movements advocating for housing in low-income communities and improved living facilities for seniors. She has also promoted education for Black youth, as a fundraiser as well as in her role as a leading community figure and mentor to all Nova Scotians.
Through her illustrious history, Clotilda has remained humble, being quoted saying the following, from a 2018 article in the Chronicle Herald:
“To think that I’ve come from the little community of Whitney Pier and received two of the highest honours, along with an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Cape Breton University, for the work that I’ve done over the years – I think that’s amazing and I am so very proud and so very humble that some people appreciate the contributions that I’ve tried to make.”
Dr. Ingrid Waldron is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University, the Team Co-Lead of the Improving the Health of People of African Descent Flagship at the Healthy Populations Institute at Dalhousie, the founder and Executive Director of the Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities & Community Health Project (The ENRICH Project), the co-founder and Co-Director of the National Anti-Environmental Coalition and the co-founder and Board Member at Rural Water Watch.
Dr. Waldron’s research, teaching, and community leadership and advocacy work have been examining and addressing the health and mental health impacts of structural inequalities within health and mental health care, child welfare, and the environment in Indigenous, Black, immigrant, and refugee communities. Her study Black Women’s Experiences with Mental Illness, Help-Seeking & Coping in the Halifax Regional Municipality: A Study Conducted to Inform NSHA’s Nova Scotia Sisterhood Initiative will be used to inform a new health service for Black women in Halifax. Her study The Health & Wellness of People of African Descent in Nova Scotia examined the structural determinants of health that shape health outcomes in diverse Black communities in Nova Scotia and is being used to inform the African Nova Scotian Health Strategy at the Nova Scotia Health Authority.
Dr. Waldron is also leading a study on the impact of COVID-19 on the health of African Nova Scotians in the Prestons entitled A Culturally Specific COVID Response Strategy for African Nova Scotians in the Prestons.
As the Executive Director of the ENRICH Project, Dr. Waldron has been investigating the socio-economic, political, and health effects of environmental racism in Mi’kmaq and African Nova Scotian communities. The ENRICH Project formed the basis to Dr. Waldron’s first book There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black Communities, which was published in 2018. The book received the 2020 Society for Socialist Studies Errol Sharpe Book Prize and the 2019 Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing.
Dr. Waldron’s book was turned into a Netflix documentary entitled There’s Something in the Water, which was co-produced by Waldron, actor Elliot Page, Ian Daniel, and Julia Sanderson, and co-directed by Page and Daniel.
The ENRICH Project also formed the basis to the creation of the provincial private members bill An Act to Redress Environmental Racism (Bill 31) in April 2015 and the federal private members bill a National Strategy to Redress Environmental Racism (Bill C230) in February 2020.
Kevin Hewitt is a professor of Physics and current Chair of Senate at Dalhousie University. Originally from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Hewitt moved to Toronto to be reunited with his mother at age 10. In 1992, he graduated from the University of Toronto with a BSc, and in 2000 he earned his PhD in Physics from Simon Fraser University. In 2001 he arrived at Dalhousie as an Assistant Professor and was appointed Full Professor in 2018.
In the Hewitt Bionanophotonics Lab at Dalhousie, Dr. Hewitt and his team are currently developing a Raman spectroscopy technology that obtains accurate liver fat content measurements during organ procurement. This technique can provide a fast (within 1 minute), portable, and inexpensive method of liver fat content measurement to liver transplant surgeons simply by illuminating livers’ surface with safe laser beams. These results will guide transplant surgeons in deciding whether the liver is safe to use for transplantation, leading to fewer discarded livers, shorter waitlists for liver transplantation and better quality of life for many individuals with end-stage liver disease.
They are also engaged in research to advance holographic microscopy by acquiring holograms with coherent Raman scattered light, creating “molecular holography”. Holographic microscopy can be used to study cells, bacteria, and other microscopic objects in 3D with excellent detail Molecular holography would allow for identification and 3D tracking of many biomolecules simultaneously in real-time, without using chemical labels.
In co-founding the Imhotep Legacy Academy at Dal in 2003, Dr. Hewitt has made a positive impact on African Nova Scotian learners across the province. The ILA is an award-winning provincial STEM outreach program for African Canadian students from junior high to university. This program has empowered hundreds of youth and university students of African descent by providing mentorship and allowing to see themselves represented in STEM.
Dr. Rita Orji is an associate professor of Computer Science, Canada Research Chair in Persuasive Technology, and Director of the Persuasive Computing Lab at Dalhousie University. She grew up in a remote village in southeastern Nigeria. Her technical and mathematical skill were apparent at a young age and she was admitted into the computer science program at Nnamdi Azikiwe University despite having never using a computer beforehand. She then went on to earn her PhD as a Vanier Scholar at the University of Saskatchewan in 2014. Dr. Orji was also designated as one of the top 150 Canadian Women in STEM by Toronto based non-profit hEr Volution
With the help of smartphone technology, Dr. Orji has been able to use her expertise to bring about positive social change. Her research areas include Human-Computer Interaction, Persuasive Technology, Games for Change, and Digital Health, with special interest in investigating user-centred approaches to designing interactive systems to motivate people for actions and causes that are beneficial for them and their communities. Together with her team, they apply this work to tackle real-life problems in various domains including to improve a wide range health and wellness behaviours such as sexual and other health risk behaviours, healthy eating, physical activity, mental health, and smoking cessations.
Persuasive computing is the practice of using technology to help users to change their behaviour in beneficial ways. One example of this is an app Dr. Orji and her team are currently working on which is designed to encourage physical activity by encouraging users to care for a digital tree, which grows when they exercise. If they are sedentary, the tree withers.
Dr. Orji is passionate about mentoring young people and is working to help increase diversity in STEM careers.
Born and raised in Halifax, with family roots from East Preston and New Glasgow, Shalyn Williams is one of the first African Nova Scotian women to graduate as a professional Engineer from the Dalhousie University engineering program. She graduated in 2010 at the top of her class with a degree in Electrical Engineering. For the last 10 years Shalyn worked as an Electrical/Hardware/Systems Engineer with Lockheed Martin Canada. They are the naval/military contractor in charge of integrating the Canadian Naval Patrol Frigates and Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) Ship’s combat system with its new systems/sensors or weapons. She recently started a new position with Ultra – Maritime, as a Senior System Engineer working on sonar systems used by the Canadian, UK & Australian navy.
Shalyn feels that despite being more than capable, due to historical stereotypes and barriers, and a lack of role models in the field, there is a lack of encouragement for women of colour to pursue this type of career. She credits the support from her community as a major factor in her success. And in that success, she has become a role model for ANS Women and girls throughout Nova Scotia and offers these words of encouragement:
“If you have an idea, or even a direction, believe in yourself and go for it! Get a few study buddies at college/university and don’t be afraid or embarrassed to ask for extra help when you need it!! We all need help in some areas sometimes. And you’ll have to put in that work! But know it will be worth it, because anything worth having required effort. And If I can do it, You CAN do it!!!”
Sophia Stone is a professor, molecular biologist and current George S. Campbell Chair in the Department of Biology at Dalhousie University. She studied at York University in Toronto where she earned her BSc in 1998, and her PhD in 2003. She has been the recipient of several awards including the C.D. Nelson Award for outstanding research contributions to plant biology from the Canadian Society of Plant Biologists (CSPB). As someone who has always been surrounded by strong female role models and mentors, she is now providing that same leadership and inspiration to her students by creating an inclusive and inviting environment in both the classroom and the lab.
As Principal Investigator of the Stone Lab at Dalhousie, Dr. Stone and her team explore the regulatory role of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) in plant development, reproduction, and response to environmental stresses. Her current research explores how plants utilize the UPS to facilitate cellular changes required to survive suboptimal growth conditions including drought and nutrient-deficient soil. Recent findings from her laboratory include the identification of a UPS enzyme that regulates the response required for surviving drought stress and promote the defence mechanism against invading bacterial pathogens. As the global human population increases, there is a growing need to improve food security. A better understanding of how plants interact with their environment will assist in finding solutions to support agriculture
By studying and understanding the genetic basis how these pathways function, this work will be crucial in helping us understand how plants could be modified to respond to many environmental stressors caused by climate change including drought, flooding, nutrient deprivation and other factors that will affect their growth and yields.
Major Walter Peters, (1937-2013), was Canada’s first black jet fighter pilot and the first Human Rights Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. He was born in Litchfield, Nova Scotia, before later moving with his family to Saint John, New Brunswick. A graduate of Mount Allison University and University of Southern California, Walter worked for the municipal government and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, before turning to a career in aviation.
At the age of 24, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and when he entered pilot training, he was a trailblazer in Canadian military aviation. With few others enlisted in the air force, Walter became a role model to emulate for future black pilots.
Receiving top honours in his program, Walter would go on to enjoy a long and distinguished career as a jet fighter pilot and A1 instructor. His self-proclaimed highlight was the role he played in developing the military’s aerobatic team, the famous Snowbirds, and the two years that he later spent flying with them. At Trenton, Walter was also deployed across the world, piloting Hercules cargo aircraft on a variety of missions. During this time, he became the Canadian Armed Forces’ first Human Rights Officer. A man of many accomplishments, Walter was also an air advisor to the United Nations Security Council in New York, providing tactical advice and briefings.
Walter Peters left behind a legacy as a role model for the black community, for visible minorities and all members of the RCAF.
Dr. Cinera States grew up in Windsor, Ontario, but has familial roots to Nova Scotia with her mother being from North Preston and father from Windsor, Nova Scotia. Dr. States returned to Nova Scotia to attend Dalhousie University where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in biology and psychology. During her undergraduate years she worked as a mentor with Imhotep’s Legacy Academy, a science and math enrichment program, which aims to increase the representation of African Canadians in university especially in the fields of STEM. She in turn, was mentored by her cousin, Dr. Chadwick Williams, a past graduate of Dalhousie Medical School who inspired her to keep working towards her goal.
Dr. States obtained her medical degree in May of 2017 and is currently a third-year psychiatry resident at Dalhousie University working within the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA). Dr. States’ passions include mentoring African Nova Scotian youth, increasing awareness of mental health issues, and advocating for equitable access and services for underserved populations.
In a convocation interview with Dal in 2017, Dr. States remarks on the impact her visit with Dr. Sharon Burey had on her growing up in Windsor.
“What struck me about this doctor was not only that she was female, but that she was also a person of African descent. Seeing her that day opened my eyes to opportunities for myself that I had not yet imagined.”
Now, Dr. States is paying it forward by providing that same inspiration to youth, here in Nova Scotia.
Dr. Celeste Williams hails from the community of East Preston, NS and holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) Degree from Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS. While completing her DDS program at Dalhousie she was awarded the Dr. D.E. Williams Prize, an award presented to the student with the greatest proficiency in clinical paediatric dentistry and the American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (AAPD) Student Award.
Following her belief to give back to the community, she seized the opportunity to participate in a public health program providing dental care to an underserved population. It was an opportunity to give back and to help make a difference in the lives of others in need – something she is passionate about. In the summer after her second year, Celeste worked as a summer research student in the Faculty of Dentistry on a topic that combined both areas of interest. She looked at the work of the North Preston Dental Clinic over its 20-year history. For her project, Celeste delved into nearly 400 patient charts and found that despite the Canadian Dental Association recommendation that children visit the dentist within six months of their first tooth erupting or at least by age one, Celeste found that on average over a span of 20 years, most children visited the clinic at age five, when starting school. As a result of this work, children in this community are now seeing the dentist at an earlier age.
Celeste completed a General Practice Residency at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, ON from 2018-2019 with a focus on paediatric dentistry. Following her residency in Toronto, she returned home to practice general dentistry before finalizing her decision to further pursue paediatric dentistry. She is currently completing a master’s program at the University of Manitoba, specializing in paediatric dentistry.
Celeste says one of her cousins, Dr. Chadwick Williams, was a role model for her. “He was the first from our community [East Preston] to study to become a medical doctor,” she says. “He encouraged me and told me that if he could do it, I could do it.”