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Keynote Speaker - Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard
 Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard is an Associate Professor and the Director of the School of Social Work at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Thomas Bernard’s research with Black men and the violence of racism, particularly in the criminal justice system, has had significant impact on not only academic work but also agency and community-based practice. She has made major academic and professional contributions to the field of Black masculinity, to the investigation of Black women's health and well being, and to an Africentric understanding of the strengths of Black families, including Black men's experience of mothering and ‘other’ mothering.
Thomas Bernard has provided leadership in developing culturally relevant services and culturally specific programs in the health profession; she has organized numerous conference and workshops meeting the requests of various academic, practitioner and community groups for anti-racist, Africentric perspectives on community issues such as violence, gender and health. She has been instrumental in the development of community-based research teams in her field and has documented the challenges of participatory action research, especially in an academic context. She has participated in the innovative, multi-media dissemination of research findings focusing on media representations of African Canadians and domestic violence in the Black community.
Dr. Bernard has worked over the years to foster links among academics, frontline practitioners, and the community, in particular the African Nova Scotian community. Her multitude of invited presentations, keynote addresses, professional development workshops, and community outreach activities provide concrete evidence of her dedication to educating others about the need for further investigation into African Canadians' health and well-being, including the provision of health services that will encourage increased access from marginalized populations.
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