Open To Work
Verified
This profile is verified using an email address.
ABIGAIL ZITA SESHIE
Calgary,AB
Summary
Knowledgeable professional with proven background in consulting, delivering strategic insights and effective solutions to clients. Successfully led multiple projects, enhancing operational efficiency and driving business growth. Demonstrated expertise in problem-solving and client relationship management.
Overview
1
1
Certification
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Consultant
11.2023 - Current
- Conducted EDI policy reviews and organizational gap analyses to identify systemic barriers to equity and inclusion.
- Designed and delivered EDI training modules aligned with organizational needs, sector standards, and best practices.
- Developed change management roadmaps to guide and sustain EDI, embedding EDI into key service areas.
- Identified and established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and monitoring frameworks to evaluate EDI initiatives and training effectiveness.
- Provided strategic advice to leadership on embedding EDI into governance, operations, and workplace culture.
- Independent Contractor
Social Issues Researcher
Future Black Female (FBF)
01.2026 - 06.2026
- Delivered applied literature reviews on Gender-based violence (GBV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) across disability, 2SLGBTQ+, HIV/AIDS, sex work, and newcomer/immigrant communities, highlighting Black-specific and intersectional scholarship.
- Crafted an effective research framework encompassing objectives, methodologies, cohort-specific questions, and interview guides.
- Facilitated impactful online peer research sessions alongside cultural interpreter, emphasizing trauma-informed and culturally safe practices.
- Conducted work plan and orientation sessions for peer researchers, focusing on ethical research practices, boundaries, consent, and community methods.
- Provided mentorship and support to youth peer researchers, enhancing their community outreach and interviewing skills.
- Analyzed comprehensive data from peer submissions, community interviews, and cohort discussions.
- Synthesized research findings into coherent themes and actionable recommendations for service providers and systems.
- Collaborated with cultural interpreter to ensure accuracy and cultural grounding of findings.
- Cooperated with graphic designer and staff to develop accessible training materials and handbook content.
Communication and Team Cohesion Training
WellFort Community Health Services
02.2026 - 03.2026
- Scheduled virtual consultations with WellFort representatives to explore the gaps in communication within their health teams.
- Surveyed potential topics from WellFort staff to include in the training module.
- Developed a tailored training module on improving Communication and Team Cohesion.
- Facilitated a 2-hour engaging training session on improving communication skills, strengthening teamwork and collaboration, resolving conflict, and building trust and respect for 20 staff members from selected WellFort teams.
Board Training & Strategic Planning
Future Black Female
06.2025 - 09.2025
- Co-facilitated a training session on Understanding the Foundations of the Role of Board Members.
- Led a session on understanding the Fiduciary Duties of Board Members and the Tools for Success.
- Designed multiple consultation sessions with leadership, staff, community stakeholders, and board members to develop a three-year strategic plan.
- Drafted a three-year strategic plan aligned with the organization’s goals, mission, and vision.
Health Equity Training
Grand River Community Health Services
01.2025 - 05.2025
- Organized client engagement sessions and designed a gap exploration survey for leadership and staff to collect data on their perspectives and knowledge on Black Health Equity.
- Designed a tailored training module on Black Health Equity and structured questions for breakout sessions integrated into the training.
- Led two sessions for staff and leadership on Black Health Equity to improve their clinical practice and operational systems within the organization.
- Provided in-depth information on Systemic Racism and Anti-Black Racism in Healthcare for more than 70 employees.
- Highlighted Racial Trauma in Black Communities in Canada and how to address that in patient care.
- Outlined the importance of Mental Health Disparities in Black Populations and how to promote Mental Health in Black Communities.
Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression Training
WellFort Community Health Services
02.2024 - 04.2024
- Coordinated an interactive gap exploration session to gather information from leadership and staff on Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression in healthcare.
- Developed and designed the training modules on Unconscious Bias, Microaggression and Cultural Sensitivity, and Anti-Black Racism in Medicine & Trauma-Informed Care.
- Led the sessions on Unconscious Bias, Microaggression and Cultural Sensitivity, and Anti-Black Racism in Medicine & Trauma-Informed Care, offering a deeper understanding of systemic racism and oppression in healthcare, with over 80 attendees.
- Drafted structured questions to guide the breakout sessions with leadership and staff to promote honest dialogues about health disparities, implicit bias, colonialism, and how racism manifests not only in patient care but in hiring practices, clinical decision-making, health care education, and institutional policies.
- Co-facilitated training sessions for 80 staff on addressing Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression in Healthcare.
- Co-facilitated a concluding session on Anti-Black Racism and Anti-Oppression Resources and Tools for Change to create more equitable and inclusive environments for patients and staff.
Mental Health Research Associate
Departments of Psychology & Social Work, University of Calgary
09.2024 - 12.2025
- Co-designed the implementation of a multi-institutional research project on Resilience in Post-Secondary Contexts and Substance Use Among Black Youth in Calgary, ensuring alignment with equity, accessibility, and inclusion principles
- Coordinated ethics protocols, research governance, and engagement with diverse participant populations.
- Set meeting agendas, documented decisions, and maintained accurate records of research activities.
- Mentored and supervised Graduate Research Assistants, fostering inclusive and ethical research practices.
- Strengthened collaboration with partner institutions through structured communication and accountability processes.
Research Coordinator
Upstream Lab, Unity Health Toronto
02.2023 - 10.2023
- Led development of research protocols, operating procedures, and data governance frameworks.
- Implemented and maintained data collection and analysis systems with attention to ethical, inclusive research practices.
- Supervised Research Assistants and coordinated daily research operations.
- Monitored project progress, maintained records, and prepared reports for investigators, funders, and regulatory bodies.
- Contributed to policy development on access to primary care for marginal groups and health data governance to strengthen equity-oriented research processes.
Research Officer
Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan
09.2020 - 11.2022
- Built community and clinical partnerships to advance equitable data collection practices in primary healthcare settings, resulting in 24% increase in Indigenous and 20% Black participation in our research.
- Coordinated the Saskatchewan arm of a national study on Social Determinants of Health, serving as provincial lead and liaison to the national research team.
- Trained clinic staff on inclusive survey administration and sociodemographic data collection.
- Conducted surveys, interviews, and focus groups with diverse populations.
- Contributed to policy development aimed at standardizing the collection of equity-relevant data in Canadian healthcare settings.
- Directed strategic planning meetings with research officers in Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador to prioritize intercultural competency and the contributions of marginalized communities of interest.
- Presented findings and contributed to publications and knowledge mobilization activities, leveraging conference presentations, poster presentations, social media posts, newsletters, and cross-institutional speaker series.
Lecturer
Department of Sociology & Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Saskatchewan
01.2018 - 04.2022
- Designed and delivered undergraduate courses, including Foundations in Sociology – Social Construction of Everyday Life, Women’s and Gender Studies, Social Control and Ideology, and Mass Communication, grounded in equity, social justice, and critical sociological frameworks.
- Created inclusive course materials like cross-cultural literature, weekly self-reflection, in-class discussions, short video clips, and posters to generate an interactive learning atmosphere and assessment methods to support over 1000 diverse learners.
- Facilitated respectful classroom dialogue and virtual discussion forums on race, gender, power, and inequality.
- Designed equity assessment tools using weekly self-reflection, term paper, and examinations (multiple choice, short-answer, and essay) to improve students’ capacities for problem-solving and originality of thought.
- Mentored students and provided academic support through office hours, contributing to positive learning environments.
Education
PhD - Social Justice and Equity Studies
Brock University
10-2014
MA - Social Justice and Equity Studies
Brock University
10-2014
BA - Sociology & Theatre Arts
University of Ghana
05-2010
Skills
- Team leadership & development
- Problem-solving
- Training and development
- Stakeholder engagement
- Reporting writing
- Strategic planning
- Project management
- Research
- Analytical thinking
- Cultural awareness
- Relationship building
- Teamwork and collaboration
Certification
- Google Project Management: Professional Certificate - Coursera
- Organizational Leadership in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - Rice University
- Designing Courses for Inclusivity and Wellness - University of Saskatchewan
- Respect and Inclusion in the Workplace - The Canadian Diversity Initiative
- Unconscious Bias in the Workplace - The Canadian Diversity Initiative
- Canadian Indigenous Culture Training: Truth and Reconciliation Edition - The Canadian Diversity Initiative
- Indigenous Canada - University of Alberta
Timeline
Communication and Team Cohesion Training
WellFort Community Health Services
02.2026 - 03.2026
Social Issues Researcher
Future Black Female (FBF)
01.2026 - 06.2026
Board Training & Strategic Planning
Future Black Female
06.2025 - 09.2025
Health Equity Training
Grand River Community Health Services
01.2025 - 05.2025
Mental Health Research Associate
Departments of Psychology & Social Work, University of Calgary
09.2024 - 12.2025
Anti-Racism & Anti-Oppression Training
WellFort Community Health Services
02.2024 - 04.2024
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Consultant
11.2023 - Current
Research Coordinator
Upstream Lab, Unity Health Toronto
02.2023 - 10.2023
Research Officer
Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan
09.2020 - 11.2022
Lecturer
Department of Sociology & Department of Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Saskatchewan
01.2018 - 04.2022
PhD - Social Justice and Equity Studies
Brock University
MA - Social Justice and Equity Studies
Brock University
BA - Sociology & Theatre Arts
University of Ghana
Selected Speaking Engagements
- Power of Love Foundation Canada, Mentorship Program, Toronto | 2022-2023
- Black History Month Celebration, City of Saskatoon | 2020
- Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers (G4G), a local group that supports African grandmothers raising grandchildren orphaned by AIDS, Saskatoon | 2020
- CTV News Morning Show - Black History Month Celebration, Saskatoon | 2019
- African Students Welcome Ceremony, University of Saskatchewan | 2018
- Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers (G4G), a local group that supports African grandmothers raising grandchildren orphaned by AIDS, Saskatoon | 2018
- Sociology Undergraduate Students Association (SUSA): The Applied Sociology Forum, University of Saskatchewan | 2017
Awards and Recognitions
- Outstanding Graduating Doctoral Sociology Student Award, Canadian Sociological Association | 2020
- Global Research Leadership Award, University of Saskatchewan | 2019
- Certificate of Excellence in Community Building – Women of Distinction Awards, YWCA | 2019
- Graduate Students’ Association Excellence in Community Service Award, University of Saskatchewan | 2018
- Department of Sociology Graduate Award for Community Engagement, University of Saskatchewan | 2017
Publications
Article (Peer Reviewed)
- Kosowan, L., Seshie, A. Z. et al. (2026). Implementing the screening for poverty and related social determinants and intervening to improve knowledge of and links to resources (SPARK) in primary care clinics across Canada. Family practice, 43(3), cmaf109. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmaf109
- Gupta, A., Seshie, A. Z. et al. (2026). Primary care provider and clinic staff perspectives on the collection of demographic and social needs data in primary care clinics across five Canadian provinces. Family Medicine and Community Health, 14(1), e003686. https://doi.org/10.1136/fmch-2025-003686
- Kosowan, L., Seshie, A. Z. et al. (2025). Validation of a standardised approach to collect sociodemographic and social needs data in Canadian primary care: cross-sectional study of the SPARK tool. BMJ Open, 15(9). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-091318
- Davis, V. H., Seshie, A. Z. et al. (2025). Perspectives on Using Artificial Intelligence to Derive Social Determinants of Health Data from Medical Records in Canada: Large Multijurisdictional Qualitative Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 27, e52244.
- Adekoya, I., Seshie, A. Z. et al. (2023). Screening for poverty and related social determinants to improve knowledge of and links to resources (SPARK): development and cognitive testing of a tool for primary care. BMC Primary Care, 24(1), 247.
- Seshie, A. Z. & Nyamekye, R. (2022). Through the Lenses of Culture: A diasporic sisters dialogue on power struggles informing African women’s representations in Ghanaian and Canadian contexts. Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning, 8(2), 177-188. https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v8i2.70798
- Seshie, A. Z. (2016). The Cultural Premise of Gender-Based Discrimination in Ghana. Dangerous Women Project. Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh. Retrieved from http://dangerouswomenproject.org/2016/08/13/gender-ghana/
Research Reports
- Seshie, et al. (2023). Interventions to Support Marginalized Populations to Access Primary Care. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Health.
- Seshie, et al. (2023). Which existing frameworks and approaches engage communities (e.g., racialized communities, 2SLGBTQ+ communities, people experiencing homelessness) in the governance of health data. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Health.
- Seshie, A. Z. (2021). Screening for Poverty and Related social determinants and intervening to improve Knowledge of and links to resources (SPARK) Project Report. Saskatoon: Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation.
- Seshie, A. Z. (2019). The Narrative Report of a Fieldwork: Gender and Education Policies in Ghana – Post-Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Ottawa: International Development Research Center.