Dr. OmiSoore H. Dryden 
Dalhousie University

Dr. OmiSoore H. Dryden (she/her/hers), a Black queer femme and associate professor, is the James R Johnston Endowed Research Chair in Black Canadian Studies, Faculty of Medicine; Interim Director of the Black Studies Research Institute (in STEMM) at Dalhousie University, and the co-founder and co-lead of the national organization, The Black Health Education Collaborative. (Her promotion to (full) professor takes effect by July 1st). An internationally recognized subject matter expert in Black health, Black queer diasporic analytics, and Anti-Racism health equity, OmiSoore engages in interdisciplinary scholarship and research that focuses on Black and Black LGBTQI communities, blood donation systems in Canada, and anti-Black racism in healthcare, medical education, and Black health curricular content development. Her book, Got Blood to Give: Anti-Black Homophobia in Blood Donation will be published by Fernwood Publishing in the fall of 2024. Dr. Dryden is an associate scientist with the Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit (MSSU), a current member of the Black Feminist Health Science Studies International Collective (hosted at Northwestern University, Chicago), the past co-president of the Black Canadian Studies Association (2019-2021), and a founding member of the National Coalition Confronting Anti-Black Racism in Donor Protocols.