The CCMRH Team
Co-Founder
Aliya Allen-Valley, MSPH holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Development Studies from McGill University, and a Master of Science in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is passionate about health equity and improving access to healthcare and resources across the Caribbean region and is of Trinidadian and Jamaican descent. Aliya has served as a Programming Director at the Kenneth Cyril Valley Foundation, where she focused specifically on the development and implementation of a mentorship program for Trinbagonian youth. She currently works as a Policy Advisor in Toronto within the child and youth mental health sector. Through her work with CCMRH, Aliya seeks to utilize communication, advocacy, and partnership as tools through which to improve healthcare outcomes for women across the Caribbean region.
Co-Founder
Khalida Saalim, MSPH is a graduate of Georgetown University’s Global Health program and a most recent alumna of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with a Master of Science degree in Public Health. She is most passionate about maternal and neonatal health care. Khalida has experience working in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana as a research officer, conducting survey research on postnatal care attendance and as a stigma reduction expert, specifically for people living with HIV. She currently works as a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research Specialist at RTI International. As a woman of Barbadian heritage and citizenship and with family members across the Caribbean, Khalida aspires to apply her knowledge and skillset to improving health for mothers and children in the region.
Board Member
Yashi Carrington is a wife and mom of 1, and the mind behind the “Mind of Yash” platform. She started out just blogging about her life and adventures but then pivoted towards a specific life struggle -- her Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis. After hosting the virtual Persevering With PCOS Summit with over 30 top speakers and experts, Yashi relaunched her live show which is now called the “Persevering with PCOS” Live on Youtube.
Yashi’s mission is to use her experience, connections, and other resources to help other women with PCOS deal with its symptoms with a positive attitude. She is also a Self-Worth Strategist with The Woman School, a Zumba® Instructor, and a STRONG Nation™ Instructor. She blogs for Road Trip TT and works as a Senior Chemical Engineer (Ag.) at the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries.
Board Member
Djeride Jean-Baptiste is an education and communications professional. Djeride studied philosophy and humanities at the Institute Superior Bonó in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where his thesis was about education policy in Haiti. He holds a master’s degree in political communications from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona with a thesis on the practice of Digital Diplomacy by the Haitian Government and Diplomacy. For two years, Djeride has experience working as a Communications Officer for the Spanish Agency for International Development at the Spanish Embassy in Haiti, while also being part of the Haiti Initiative at Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) since October 2020. He supports educators and students at the primary, secondary, and university level to publish kreyòl language materials on the MIT-Ayiti platform. Mr. Jean-Baptiste seeks to promote the use of Haitian kreyòl as a fundamental component of the transformation Haiti’s educational system so desperately needs. Currently, he is doing another master’s degree in Bilingualism Studies at the University of Ottawa, while he is working with Professor Beverly Baker as her assistant Researcher/Professor.
Board Member
Tracy Tuitt is a vocalist/performer, a public relations enthusiast, a certified event manager, and an entrepreneur. She is also the Founder and Managing Director of the #IAM Movement - a wellness and lifestyle brand that promotes body positivity and helps build self-confidence in women. The #IAM Movement, founded in 2018, has afforded Tracy many opportunities to connect with and inspire women, and young girls, along their journeys toward deeper self love and development. To this day, helping women live more fruitful and fulfilling lifestyles remains one of her most treasured passions.
Outside of her work with the #IAM Movement, one can find Tracy involved in a variety of creative projects, from theatre performances to producing and managing live events. Working in the performing arts sector has instilled in her a selection of principles, that make her an asset to any project she has undertaken. She is hard-working, resilient, strategic, and committed to the efficient execution of project goal; and she intends to continue using these traits as tools to help her achieve success in all of the endeavours to come.
Board Member
Chelsea Goffe is a current senior at Johns Hopkins University majoring in Public Health Studies. She is set to attend the JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Fall of 2022 to pursue a MHS in Mental Health. She was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica and has a passion for equitable access to healthcare and working with marginalized and disadvantaged groups. She aspires to dedicate her life to improving the delivery of healthcare and the wellbeing of the people of the Caribbean through health policy and programming. Her favourite thing to do is travel internationally to experience the cultures of others. With visits to Barbados, Antigua, Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic, Chelsea can say with certainty that there is nothing more beautiful and enriching than the culture of the sun-kissed and sea-breezed people of the Caribbean.
Board Member
Falan Bennett is an MD-PhD candidate at the University of Toronto’s medical school. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Toronto. Her interests span health equity, Black reproductive justice, and social policy as a fundamental cause of reproductive health disparities. She is pursuing a double doctorate to address the chasms in structural determinants of health and social policies affecting Black populations- particularly Black women. Her goal is to bridge population level health determinants and clinical practice. Outside of scholarly pursuits, Falan enjoys spending as much time as possible in Jamaica.
Board Member
Dr. Sherian Slater is a consultant Obstetrician /Gynaecologist with over 30 years of experience in Maternal, Perinatal and Reproductive Health. She is the past Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) Kingstown St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), having served for 27 years. Dr Slater initiated the Annual Perinatal Auditting Conference which is now in its 28th year at MCMH, and has contributed in other capacities as Acting Chief Medical Officer, Acting Medical Director and Past President of organisations such as SVG Medical Association, Cancer Society, Squash Association and Junior Fellow ACOG District 1V. Dr Slater is currently in full-time private practice and looks forward to contributing to the CCMRH board.
Board Member
Dr. Aisha Lofters is a scientist at the Women's College Research Institute (WCRI), adjunct senior scientist at IC/ES, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is the Medical Director ant the Peter Gilgan Centre for Women’s Cancers at Women’s College Hospital in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society, and Applied Public Health Chair funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her research program focusses on improving quality of care in cancer screening and prevention, particularly for populations that experience marginalization, through a variety of methods including community-partnered approaches.