James Achuli is a South Sudanese peace advocate and emerging leader. Selected as a 2025 McCall MacBain Scholar at McGill University, he is pursuing an MA in Political Science (Development Studies). Achuli completed his BA in International Relations at UBC Okanagan, where he volunteered with Kelowna Community Resources, supported newcomers, mentored fellow students and served on the African and Caribbean Student Club and the student union. An avid cross‑country runner, he also founded the Kiryandongo Peace Ambassadors in Uganda to promote dialogue and understanding between refugees and host communities. Achuli aims to contribute to development and reconciliation in South Sudan.

Rahima Khushi is a dedicated Human Rights Advocate, Social Worker and a Researcher with a strong track record in the non-profit and humanitarian sectors. With an academic background in Political Science and legal studies, she brings a multidisciplinary lens to her work—bridging frontline experience with policy-driven insight.Her expertise spans community-based research, gender-based violence (GBV) prevention, interpretation and translation, public speaking, voiceover work, life skills facilitation, and project coordination. With additional training in media and communication, khushi leverages storytelling as a tool for advocacy and impact.She is deeply committed to advancing refugee rights, gender equity, and social inclusion. Her lived experience as a refugee has shaped her powerful advocacy, and one of her life stories was recently featured in A Dream Called Khushi, a short documentary that won a 2024 Student Academy Award (Oscar). The film highlights her journey and broader issues facing the Rohingya community. Khushi continues to collaborate with global changemakers to amplify marginalized voices, inform policy, and create inclusive, justice-centered futures.

Dr. Robert (Rob) Gordon is an environmental scientist and academic leader. Born in Hanover, Ontario and raised in Nova Scotia, he has focused his teaching and research on environmental resource management for agriculture. Gordon has supervised more than 70 graduate students and post‑doctoral fellows and authored over 165 peer-reviewed publications. He previously held a Canada Research Chair in Agricultural Resource Management and served as dean of the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph. He went on to become vice-president (research) and subsequently provost and vice-president (academic) at Wilfrid Laurier University. In September 2019, he assumed the role of president and vice-chancellor of the University of Windsor which he finished in September 2025.

Dr. Abdel‑Rahman Lawendy is an orthopedic trauma surgeon and the J.C. Kennedy Professor and Chair of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Western Ontario. After earning his medical degree at Western University in 2003, he completed an orthopedic surgery residency in 2008 and fellowships in orthopedic trauma and arthroscopy; he later earned a PhD in medical biophysics in 2014. Lawendy leads orthopedic divisions at London Health Sciences Centre and St Joseph’s Hospital, established the Master of Science in Surgery programme and served as Graduate Chair and assistant dean at Western University. He founded and directs the Nazem Kadri Ambulatory Surgical Centre. An award‑winning educator, he has provided humanitarian surgical care in conflict zones (including several stints in Gaza with organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières) and is recognized internationally for his expertise in compartment syndrome and complex lower‑extremity reconstruction.

Dr. Dennis Opondo is a medical doctor and public health advocate shaping the future of humanitarian health delivery in Africa. Currently serving as a Health Manager at the Kenya Red Cross Society’s Kalobeyei Refugee Operation, he leads transformative, community- centered health interventions for over 80,000 forcefully displaced persons and the host community of Turkana in Northern Kenya. His work centers on innovating service delivery in fragile and remote contexts, championing refugee-led health models, and driving the integration of non-communicable diseases into frontline care.

Beyond the refugee health, Dr. Opondo is a global health leader, climate advocate, and peace activist. He chairs the Association of Physicians for Social Responsibility (APMSR) Kenya, spearheading health, peace, and environmental justice initiatives. His advocacy has taken him to the UN Climate Conferences COP28/COP29, the UN Civil Society Conferences championing against the twin existential threat of nuclear weapons and climate change, and the International AIDS Society, where he presents on the impacts of conflict and climate on HIV care and treatment in Kenya.

He is a member of the IPPNW’s International Council and Climate Working Group; Dr. Opondo’s work spans from the ground realities of Kalobeyei to global platforms calling for nuclear disarmament and health equity. He serves as a member of the Pegasus Emerging Leaders Network. He mentors young professionals through local and international forums, including Medical Peace Work (MPW), Pegasus Institute, McGill’s Summer Institute of Global Health, and Global Health Summer School Berlin. He believes in building resilient, localized health systems that thrive—even in crisis.

Hassait Hilawe is an MD student at Queen’s University. Demonstrating a commitment to global health locally and abroad as a recipient of the Molloy Medicine Award, her research interests focus on rural health workforce planning and equitable access to care across underserved communities. In addition to her research, she has been actively involved in medical education mentorship and curriculum development surrounding refugee healthcare navigation through her role as the National Officer in Global Health Education within the Canadian Federation of Medical Students. Hassait’s other interests include international migrant health and safety policy, as well as epidemiology and diagnostic efficacy of dermatologic diseases in different patient populations.