Nicholas Torres, M.Ed, has over 25 years of experience in executive management, Nicholas works at the cross section between the private sector, government, and not-for-profits to align them toward collective social impact and change public policy. Nicholas has led and founded multiple for-profit and not-for-profit social ventures that are driven both by social impact and financial sustainability measures. Some of his launched social ventures include charter schools, an early literacy technology platform; school-based health centers; and community-based satellite college sites. Nicholas serves in the capacity of President TUFH international/Executive Director TUFH USA of The Network: Towards Unity for Health where he provides governance, strategy, and financial oversight.
He also serves as CEO and President (Interim) for The Alliance for Health Equity Foundation. He is Co-Founder and manager of Social Innovations Partners which publishes the Social Innovations Journal. He teaches Nonprofit Leadership, Social Policy, and Social Entrepreneurship at University of Pennsylvania.
Aricia De Kempeneer, M. Sc. is the Vice President of Programs and Operations at The Network: Towards Unity for Health (TUFH), where she oversees all organizational activities and initiatives. This includes managing the TUFH annual conferences, fellowships, TUFH academies, and Centers of Excellence, as well as overseeing communications, membership, and partnerships. She also serves as the liaison to the Student Network Organization, ensuring alignment between students and TUFH’s broader goals.
Aricia holds a Master’s in Health Education and Promotion from Ghent University and a Bachelor’s in Midwifery from Erasmus Hogeschool. In addition to her role at TUFH, she works as an independent midwife in Belgium, providing prenatal education, care, and postnatal support.
With extensive experience as a midwife in low-risk birthing units across Gambia, Finland, the United Kingdom, and Belgium, Aricia co-founded the Student Network Organization in 2015 and was its first president. She has attended TUFH annual conferences since 2012, reflecting her deep commitment to advancing global health education and collaboration.
Serving in the capacity of the Operations Manager at TUFH. Nikolaj Hansen-Turton also serves as Education Platform and Social Media Manager for the Social Innovations Journal. Originally from Philadelphia and now lives in London. Nikolaj holds a Undergraduate Degree in Politics and International Relations, and a Post Graduate in Digital Marketing – Queen Mary, University of London.
Dr Stephen Knight is a retired public health medicine physician from South Africa. I
still work part-time as a mentor and moderator for the Master of Public Health
program in the School of Nursing in Public Health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
After medical education in Johannesburg, I worked as a clinician and medical
superintendent in a rural hospital in KwaZulu-Natal for ten years. Once registered as
a specialist, I worked as a district public health physician involved in primary
healthcare and community health worker training and infectious disease programs,
including EPI, TB, and STI in the province. I spent the second half of my career as
an educator in public health at the UKZN, where I was involved in master-
undergraduate-level modules in health measurement, research methods, infectious
disease epidemiology, and primary healthcare. I am an honorary fellow of the
College of Public Health Medicine of South Africa and have served as an examiner
and council member. I chair the board of a home for older people in Durban and am
a passionate environmentalist and birder. I have attended many Network
conferences over the past 15 years.
Vida graduated from the International Relations Department Faculty of Social and Politics Universitas Gadjah Mada in 2000. She starts her career working as administration supports in Asia Link NPC, a Project by European Commission based in Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing UGM in 2004. Vida continued her career at International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies based in Yogyakarta then continue to work in RHK Project Management under Australian Aid (AusAID) and responsible for administration and human resources. Due to her background study, she then continues her career at Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing and managed international collaboration then currently she is a Coordinator for International Relations Office. Vida actively in writing stories for writing event held by writer’s communities.
Ghislaine Attema is PhD (C) in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University. Ghislaine’s doctoral research focuses on social accountability, teaching and faculty development, and is supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Banting Doctoral Research Award. In addition to being the Social Accountability Fellowship Coordinator, Ghislaine is a Research Assistant at the Dr. Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity at NOSM University. She, and her thesis supervisor Dr. Erin Cameron, are Co-Investigators on funded projects through the Northern Ontario Academic Medical Association (NOAMA), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Associated Medical Services (AMS). Ghislaine is a lifelong resident and passionate advocate for the north, a mother to three amazing daughters, and lives in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
