Wangari Tharao is the Director of Research and Programs at Women’s Health in Women’s Hands, a community health centre that provides primary healthcare services for African, Caribbean, Latin American and South Asian women in Toronto and surrounding areas.  She is also a recognized community-based researcher, researching HIV issues relevant to women living in Canada who have migrated from countries with generalized HIV epidemics, mainly from Africa and the Caribbean. Her research bridges knowledge generation, programmatic and policy practice to support effective actions on HIV and other health related issues.

Wangari is also a recognized HIV/health advocate and has co-founded several local, provincial, national and international networks including, the African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO), the Canadian HIV/AIDS Black, African and Caribbean Network (CHABAC) and the African and Black Diaspora Global Network on HIV and AIDS (ABDGN) to support Black populations living in Canada and other developed countries mount effective responses to HIV/AIDS.

She has also served on various boards, committees and working groups. From 2018-2020, she served as one of the two North American representatives on the NGO Delegation of the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board (PCB) and from 2023 - 2025, she will sit on the Black Expert Working Group (BEWG) which will provide strategic advice to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s HIV/AIDS Surveillance System (HASS) program.

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