Dr. Martha Paynter is the author ofAbortion to Abolition: Reproductive Health and Justice in Canada. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of New Brunswick, where her research examines the intersection of reproductive health and the justice system. She is a faculty member of the Contraception and Abortion Research Team based out of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and with the Health Law Institute at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. The founder of Wellness Within: An Organization for Health and Justice, Dr.Paynter received the Senate of Canada 150 Anniversary Medal for her volunteer service to the country. Her clinical practice focuses on abortion and reproductive care.
OmiSoore Dryden, Dalhousie University
Dr. OmiSoore Dryden (she/her/hers), a Black queer femme and associate professor, is the James R Johnston Endowed Chair in Black Canadian Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Interim Director of the newly established Black Studies in STEMM Research Institute at Dalhousie University, and the co-lead of the new national organization – The Black Health Education Collaborative. Dryden is a content expert and Associate Scientist with the Maritime Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR) SUPPORT Unit (MSSU). In that capacity, she provides guidance on Canadian Black Health metrics needed to inform the development of health policiesand improve the health care system. This specifically focuses on survey data and demographic information, determinants of trust, sexual health and qualitative data collection and analysis. Dryden is a member of the CIHR Anti-Racism External Advisory Committee, a member of the Black Feminist Health Science Studies International Collective, a board member of the Health Association of African Canadians, and the past co-president ofthe Black Canadian Studies Association.
El Jones, Mount Saint Vincent University
Dr. El Jones is a spoken word poet, journalist, and community activist. She is a professor in Mount Saint Vincent University’s Political Studies department and served as the Nancy’s Chair of Women’s Studies for the 2017-2019 term. El is the author of Live from the Afrikan Resistance! and her most recent book Abolitionist Intimacies. El was the fifth Poet Laureate of Halifax. In 2016, El was a recipient of the Burnley “Rocky” Jones human rights award for her community work and work in prison justice. She is a co-founder of the Black Power Hour, a live radio show with people who have experienced incarceration on CKDU that creates space for people inside to share their creative work and discuss contemporary social and political issues.
