Charity Oga-Omenka B.Pharm, MPH, PhD
Team
Dr. Oga-Omenka's research team is filled with a diverse set of students and staff that come from unique backgrounds and a shared interest in global health.
Angela Elah
Research Coordinator
Ekenedilichukwu Ezekobe
Research Assistant
Darryl Ku
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kayla McCalla
Research Assistant
Ebenezer Kwesi Armah-Ansah
PhD Student
Ehinomen Oko-Oboh
Master's Student
Alyssa Madhani
Master's Student
Ailin Jalili
Master's Student
Research Staff
Ekenedilichukwu Ezekobe
Research Assistant
Ekenedilichukwu Ezekobe is a pharmacist and research professional with experience in clinical trials and quality assurance. He served as a Clinical Trials Pharmacist with a Nigerian research institute and holds a Project Management certification. A graduate of the University of Lagos with a Bachelor’s in Pharmacy, he prospectively aims to pursue an MSc in Public Health at the University of Waterloo. He has supported research projects across different topics, but his research interests lie in strengthening health systems, improving healthcare access, and improving quality. Currently, he serves as a research assistant in Dr. Oga-Omenka's lab, where he continues to deepen his public health expertise.
Darryl Ku
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Darryl Ku is a fourth-year Biomedical Sciences student at the University of Waterloo with research experience in global health. His work has centered on understanding key bottlenecks in tuberculosis (TB) care delivery in both private and public healthcare sectors in high-burden areas such as Mumbai and Patna, India. Currently, Darryl's research focuses on identifying key contributors to antimicrobial resistance in Nigeria and evaluating the implementation, usage, and acceptability of TB digital health technologies in high TB burden countries. He is dedicated to improving infectious disease management and healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings.
Angela Elah
Project/Lab Coordinator
Angela Elah currently serves as the Project/Lab Coordinator in Dr. Charity Oga Omenka’s lab at the University of Waterloo’s School of Public Health Sciences. She brings valuable experience in research project management, lab coordination, and maintaining data integrity and compliance. With a strong eye for detail and a collaborative mindset, Angela plays a key role in supporting the lab’s mission—helping to drive forward meaningful public health research in a well-organized and productive environment.
Kayla McCalla
Research Assistant
Kayla McCalla is a recent graduate of the Health Science program at the University of Waterloo, with a minor in Health Research. Under the supervision of Dr. Oga-Omenka, she conducted a scoping review on interventions targeting private primary care providers in low- and middle-income countries to address antimicrobial resistance. Kayla is passionate about global health, mental health, and the influence of social determinants on health outcomes.
Graduate Students
Ebenezer Kwesi Armah-Ansah
PhD Student
Ebenezer (Eben) is a dedicated global health researcher and PhD student in Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo, Canada. With a BA and MPhil in Population and Health from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and an MPA in Population and Development from the National Research University - Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia. Eben’s work focuses on various critical areas within global health, including maternal and child health, adolescent health, and infectious diseases. Aside been a master trainer and District Field Supervisor for 2020 Ghana Household Registry and 2021 Ghana Population and Housing Census, he has contributed to numerous projects, such as baseline surveys on maternal and child health; empowering adolescent girls with comprehensive sexuality education; and tuberculosis researches in Ghana. Eben has shared his research at prestigious international conferences, including the 2023 and 2022 Annual International Conference – Carpe Scientiam, organized by Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia. In addition to conference presentations, he has published extensively on women’s and child health topics and has developed training programs that support these areas. Currently, Eben serves as an academic editor for BMC Reproductive Health and PLoS ONE, where he furthers his commitment to advancing global health knowledge and practice.
Ehinomen Oko-Oboh
Master's Student
Ehinomen Oko-Oboh is an MSc candidate in the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo under the supervision of Dr. Charity Oga-Omeka. Over the years she has gained research, work, and volunteer experience with marginalized and vulnerable groups. Research interests include discovering the underlying problems in healthcare and how they affect the quality of life of marginalized populations and developing nations. Given that I am a first-generation immigrant, I have a keen interest in researching and applying my findings to benefit other immigrant communities.
Alyssa Madhani
Master's Student
Alyssa Madhani is a second-year Master of Science in Public Health student, with her research focused on improving access to mental health and social services for international students. Her work involves exploring the barriers and facilitators affecting support accessibility in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Outside of her studies, Alyssa advocates for healthy relationships and mental health support for youth, actively contributing to gender-based sexual violence (GBSV) initiatives. Her work aims to enhance resources and create safer, more supportive environments for young people
Ailin Jalili
Master's Student
Ailin Jalili is a first year MSc student in the School of Public Health at the University of Waterloo, co-supervised by Dr. Charity Oga-Omenka and Dr. Elena Neiterman. Her previous research focused on physicians' mental health experiences across the lifecourse, and she is currently contributing to various projects, including the TB TIMS project. Ailin's primary research interests encompass global health, women's health, symptom differentiation in women, climate change and its impacts on marginalized communities, and youth mental health. She is dedicated to advancing equitable and inclusive health solutions through interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative research.