Advisory Council

Dr. Yinka Akin-Deko is a Family Physician practicing in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She finished medical school in 2004 and has worked as a family physician since 2012. She completed her postgraduate training in London, England.

Dr. Akin-Deko moved to work in Dartmouth Nova Scotia in September 2019.

Her clinic incorporates all aspects of Family Medicine including prenatal care, child health, preventative care, and end-of-life support.

Dr. Emmanuel Bamikole Ajuwon receives the Community Family Physician of the Year Award in recognition of his contributions as a family physician and his mentorship and guidance of international medical graduates (IMGs).

Dr. Ajuwon has been in practice for 23 years and moved to Nova Scotia in 2014. He manages a family practice, works regular shifts at the Cape Breton emergency departments, and serves as the medical director for one of the local nursing homes. He also has the responsibility of being the primary assessor and mentor for a large community of IMGs undergoing assessment for practice readiness in Nova Scotia, through the Nova Scotia Practice Readiness Assessment Program.

Through his work as a mentor, he ensures that IMGs are properly equipped to begin working in their practices and helps families settle into their communities.

With 20 years of experience in public service Craig has served in a number of roles within government during that time.  He assumed the role of Associate Deputy Minister of Health and Wellness in the Fall of 2021 and the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment in the Fall of 2022.

Prior to being appointed as Associate Deputy Minister, Craig has spent the prior 4 years working in multiple roles within DHW.  He served for two years as Senior Executive Director with Corporate Policy, Planning, and Process as well as two years as Senior Executive Director of Client Service and Contract Management.  He was also part of the Executive team leading during the Covid 19 pandemic. Prior to his time at Health, Craig had worked for a number of years with the Department of communities, culture, and heritage in a variety of roles.

A father of 4 daughters, Craig is active in his community, most notably as a volunteer coach for over a decade.

Mohja Alia, oversees employment and bridging programs and services that support immigrants in Nova Scotia and pre-arrival.

With more than 26 years of experience in the field, Mohja believes in the importance of identifying barriers to Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR), creating innovative bridging programs; diversity and inclusion, collaboration and building partnerships, to support immigrants in becoming fully integrated into the Canadian society.

Dr.Sridharan has been in NS since 2014. Worked as a Child and adult psychiatrist in The Eastern zone and Northern zone for three years before moving to the central zone.

Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed is the Associate Dean of Serving and Engaging Society for Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine, and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology.

She is a public health specialist physician with 17 years experience, having served as the former Medical Officer of Health for the Halifax area and Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health for Nova Scotia. Dr. Watson-Creed has an MD from Dalhousie University, an MSc from the University of Guelph, a BSc from the University of Prince Edward Island, and an honorary doctorate from Acadia University.

She also sits as chair or member of several national population health councils and boards, and is a passionate advocate for high-quality public health services in Canada.

Omar Tag El-Din is the Director of Immigration Programs with Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour, Skills, and Immigration – Immigration & Population Growth Branch, specializing in employer immigration. Arriving in Canada in 2012, Omar completed his last two years in Business Administration (2014) with Cape Breton University, followed by an Advanced Diploma in Human Resources Managed from NSCC (2015), and after discovering his passion for immigration law, he further specialized in employer Immigration by completing an Immigration Practitioner Diploma in 2020. As the Labour Market Development & Immigration Officer at the Cape Breton Partnership (CBP), he led innovative initiatives, earning recognition as one of Atlantic Canada’s 2020 Most Inspiring Immigrants. Transitioning to oversee Cape Breton’s Labour & Immigration portfolio, he designed and led programs like the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) and the international recruitment pipeline for Health Association Nova Scotia (HANS). His innovative, technology-driven approaches have created large-scale, actionable solutions with limited resources. A Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) Candidate and a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), Omar is fluent in French, English, and Arabic, and continues to share his insights through writing and speaking. Serving on the YMCA of Cape Breton’s board of directors, Omar’s 7+ years of experience and passion for continuous learning reflect his commitment to contributing to the success and growth of innovative talent attraction and retention programming in Nova Scotia.

Since 2018, Dr. Keri McAdoo has been the Deputy Registrar at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia. She is a Family Physician by training having practiced in Nova Scotia for 18 years. She obtained her medical degree at Dalhousie University and completed her postgraduate training at the University of Alberta.

At the College, Dr. McAdoo oversees the Registration Department and the Physician Performance Department. Much of her work in the last few years has focused on licensing pathways and in particular licensing policies for International Medical Graduates. She is committed to developing licensing pathways that allow physicians to practice to their full scopes of practice.