Onye Nnorom

Dr. Onyenyechukwu (Onye) Nnorom is a Canadian physician, public health leader, and health equity advocate. She is the associate chief medical officer of Health for the province of Ontario, with a portfolio focused on health equity, with a special focus on Black health. A family physician and public health and preventive medicine specialist, she is also an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, appointed to the Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) and cross-appointed at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH).

Early life and education Nnorom was born in Montreal, Quebec. Her mother migrated to Canada from Trinidad and Tobago and her father migrated from Nigeria. Her father worked as a maintenance worker and her mother was a personal support worker. Nnorom took part in a summer camp for gifted students, during which she became interested in science. During her time at McGill she volunteered with the YMCA, helping refugees access health services. From 2016 to 2023, she was the Black Health Theme Lead in the University of Toronto’s MD Program. She was the first to hold such a position in Canada, teaching about Black health in the medical curriculum.

She currently serves as the Black Health Faculty Lead at the DFCM and is a Clinical Consultant at the Nicotine Dependence Clinic at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. The Black Health Primer is an online resource, consisting of several modules aimed at medical students and health professionals, to provide information and resources on Black health and inequities in the Canadian healthcare system. Other healthcare professionals involved in the Collaborative include Dr. OmiSoore Dryden, Dr. Delia Douglas, Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh, Dr. Barbara Hamilton-Hinch, and Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed. In 2021, under Nnorom's leadership and in partnership with the Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity in Toronto and the Black Health Alliance, the Black Physicians' Association of Ontario launched the Black Health Vaccine Initiative, an effort aimed at providing culturally safe vaccine clinics to Black and other marginalized communities across the province. During her time as president, the BPAO released several position statements on racism in healthcare.

Research and publications Dr. Nnorom’s research focuses on Black population health, racism as a social determinant of health, cancer screening equity, and medical education. Her work includes:

Dying to Learn: A Scoping Review of Breast and Cervical Cancer Studies Focusing on Black Canadian Women (2019) Time to Dismantle Systemic Anti-Black Racism in Medicine in Canada (2021), cited over 150 times Afrocentric Screening Program for Breast, Colorectal, and Cervical Cancer among Immigrant Patients (2021) Increasing SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Rates among Black People in Canada (2021)

Awards and recognition Nnorom has received numerous accolades, including: Black Leaders in Health Award (2025, Dalla Lana School of Public Health) Community Healer Award (2024, Black Health Professionals Network) 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women (2022) TD Spotlight on Achievement Award (2022) Government of Canada Noteworthy Black Canadian Figure (2023) 2019 Honouree, Women of Purpose Awards 2020 Best Health Magazine's Women of the Year

She has also earned multiple teaching awards from the University of Toronto and its MD Program.

Selected publications

Media and public engagement Dr. Onye Nnorom (often referred to as "Dr. O.") is a frequent media commentator and public speaker on health equity, appearing on CBC, CTV, Global News, TVO, The Globe and Mail, The Marilyn Dennis Show, and The Social. She hosted the podcast Race, Health & Happiness (2020–2023), which spotlighted the experiences of racialized professionals and discussed the impact of institutional racism on societal health Dr. Nnorom currently hosts Healthcaring Differently, a platform inspiring diverse youth to pursue careers in healthcare.