Advancing rehab in First Nations communities 

Two major wellness initiatives launched in the spring through a partnership between First Nations communities and UM’s College of Rehabilitation Sciences. 

Wiiji Bimoseyang Binesi (Thunderbird Helping Them Walk), a 10-unit housing complex in Sagkeeng First Nation, supports adults who have lived with disability and homelessness. 

Grow Our Own Specialists through Education (GOOSE) addresses the shortage of rehabilitation health-care professionals in northern Manitoba and the underrepresentation of Indigenous people in rehab careers. Read more 

Dr. Kellie Thiessen, Dr. Hope Anderson and Dr. Josée Lavoie

Three new leaders take the helm 

Dr. Kellie Thiessen – an associate professor, midwife clinician-scientist and registered nurse – was appointed dean of the College of Nursing on Feb. 1. She previously led the development of UM’s midwifery program and directed it from 2015 to 2023. Read more 

On July 1, Dr. Hope Anderson became dean of the College of Pharmacy. A professor and principal investigator with the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine at St. Boniface Hospital, Anderson brings expertise in cardiovascular health and academic leadership. Read more 

As of Aug. 1, Dr. Josée Lavoie leads the new College of Community and Global Health as its inaugural dean. A professor of community health sciences, she directed Ongomiizwin Research – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing from 2014 to 2023. Read more 

Drs. Henry Friesen and Estelle Simons

Remembering health pioneers 

The Rady community paid tribute to two influential figures from the Max Rady College of Medicine. 

Dr. Henry Friesen, a UM medical alum and visionary leader, died April 30 at age 90. His work led to the founding of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research 25 years ago. Read more 

Professor emerita Dr. Estelle Simons died Nov. 5 at age 80. A pioneer in pediatric allergy research, she was renowned for her groundbreaking research on allergic diseases. Read more 

Mpox virus

Mpox on the move 

Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging viruses and associate professor at the Max Rady College of Medicine, is part of an international team tracking the rapid spread of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

The research team had a study featured on the cover of the prestigious journal The Lancet. It found that mpox has now spread to nearly every region of the DRC, with cases rising from 18 provinces in 2010 to 24 provinces in 2023. Read more 

(From left to right) Terry Duguid, Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis and Dr. Doug Eyolfson

$6.1M for better access to dental care 

The Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry received more than $6.1 million in federal funding to improve access to care for marginalized Manitobans and give students experience in caring for underserved populations.  

The funding supports four UM projects through Health Canada’s Oral Health Access Fund, which supports initiatives that reduce barriers to care for groups including children, Indigenous Peoples, newcomers and seniors. Read more

Dr. Sabine Mai gives a tour of the Nano and Cell Imaging Facility during its grand opening.

New home for Nano and Cell Imaging Facility 

The Rady Faculty’s Nano and Cell Imaging Facility (NCIF) has a new home on the Bannatyne campus. 

After three years of planning and renovations, the facility moved from CancerCare Manitoba to the department of physiology and pathophysiology on the fourth floor of the Basic Medical Sciences Building. 

NCIF is open to students, faculty and researchers from across Canada and beyond. Read more 

Elder Charlotte Nolin

Honouring transgender lives 

More than 60 people attended the first Transgender Day of Remembrance ceremony held on the Bannatyne campus. 

The day is observed on Nov. 20 to remember transgender people who have been lost to transphobic violence, suicide and other violent deaths. Speakers called for safety for all trans people. 

Elder Charlotte Nolin, a two-spirit Elder-in-residence at Ongomiizwin, urged those in attendance to speak out when they witness discrimination toward trans people. Read more 

Md. Abdul Aziz, Deanne Nixie Miao and Barrett Monchka.

Vanier Scholars from Rady Faculty 

Three of the four UM PhD students awarded Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships in 2025 – each worth $150,000 over three years – hail from the Rady Faculty.  

Md. Abdul Aziz, College of Pharmacy, is studying patterns of antidepressant use in Manitoba, and why some patients discontinue treatment. Read more  

Deanne Nixie Miao, Max Rady College of Medicine, is researching the genetics of permanent hearing loss caused by cisplatin, a common cancer drug. Read more 

Barrett Monchka, College of Community and Global Health, is improving data-linkage techniques to enhance research reliability, efficiency and privacy. Read more 

Nitesh Sanghai

New hope for ALS patients 

Nitesh Sanghai, a PhD candidate in the College of Pharmacy, and his supervisor, Dr. Geoffrey Tranmer, co-invented a promising new drug candidate for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), earning Sanghai the Mitacs Innovation Award. 

The drug, borsantrazole, offers an improved version of edaravone, one of the few treatments currently available in North America to slow ALS progression. 

Still in pre-clinical testing, borsantrazole has shown strong safety and efficacy in lab mice engineered to mimic the disease. Read more 

Dr. Tamara Taillieu will study population data to understand the effects of legalization on vulnerable children and youth in Manitoba.

Funding boost for early-career researchers 

Five assistant professors from the Rady Faculty were among 24 recipients of nearly $1.8 million in New Investigator Operating Grants from Research Manitoba.  

The program supports researchers within four years of their first academic appointment, providing up to two years of funding to help establish research programs, build collaborations and generate results for future national-level grants. Read more 

Her original students from 1974 may be well into retirement, but the four-time UM alum is still going strong, teaching leadership to graduate students and supervising their thesis work.

“I love what I do,” she says. “It gives me intellectual stimulation, a great sense of fulfilment, and I’m just so proud of the students.”

Last May, the Faculty of Graduate Studies honoured Scanlan with the 2025 Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring Award in the health sciences category. How does she sum up mentorship?

“Be authentic,” she says. “Develop relationships. Relationships are absolutely essential to my work.”

Raised in small communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Scanlan followed her mother into nursing, graduating with a diploma from Regina General Hospital in 1963. She worked for a few years, but felt drawn toward higher education.

Arriving at UM, she earned a nursing certificate in teaching and supervision in 1966, then her bachelor of nursing in 1967. “I didn’t know where my education would take me, but it was the smartest thing I ever did,” she says.

At the time, nursing students – Scanlan was in a cohort of about 25 – had to climb the stairs to the top floor of what is now the UM Administration Building for their classes. “We got very fit very quickly,” she remembers.

Most courses were taught by the legendary Margaret Elder Hart [LLD/93], director of the School of Nursing from 1948 to 1972. Students weren’t addressed by their first names, so the then-single Scanlan was “Miss Parnell.”

“You would go to Peggy Hart’s office for help with writing a paper, and she would say, ‘Miss Parnell, I think you should read this article.’” To this day, Scanlan says, she does the same thing, steering students toward resources to expand their thinking.

Scanlan earned her master’s in education and joined the full-time faculty in 1983. She completed an interdisciplinary PhD in 1996.

Her accomplishments include leading innovative revisions to the master of nursing program while serving as associate dean of graduate programs, and working with institutions in China and Cuba to help them modernize, develop and upgrade their nursing education programs.

In her international work, she was acknowledged for responding to local priorities, rather than coming in with an attitude of knowing what was best.

“You listen, and you try to meet our needs, not yours,” she was told with gratitude. She carries that with her, she says, as the essence of both nursing and teaching.

Scanlan is now working on a research study of early-career nurses’ leadership aspirations. With young nurses quitting the profession in high numbers, she says, it’s important to understand the perspective of millennial and Gen Z members of the nursing workforce.

“We know from research that if there’s a good leader in a clinical area, people will stay, because that leader has developed relationships with their people, made them feel valued and tried to meet their needs.

“That’s why I think what I do is important. I’m helping to nurture that next generation of leaders who will be able to make a difference.”

Season’s Greetings, everyone, and congratulations on all the hard work you have put in this year across the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. In the past year we’ve seen a lot of our programs expanding. We’ve also seen transformative leadership changes, with new deans bringing their vision to the College of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy and the College of Community and Global Health.

Among our highlights in 2025, in September more than 280 alumni from all the Rady colleges gathered for our Homecoming Breakfast, filling the Brodie Centre atrium with energy and excitement. We organized and hosted many other significant events, including a symposium on the recruitment and retention of Indigenous scholars in the Rady Faculty — something that’s critical to fulfilling our obligations under the Calls to Action made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Another productive event was a workshop on the Learning Health System, sponsored by the George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation. It focused on finding solutions to the issues facing the health system today, which is a goal we all share in the Rady Faculty. I am proud to be part of a multi-disciplinary UM community that invests so much in caring for Manitobans. I am also proud of all our efforts to advance equity, access and participation. 

As the year comes to a close, I sincerely thank you for all your dedication. I wish you a peaceful and restful holiday season, and I look forward to working with you in the new year.

“We have this massive hemorrhaging of young nurses, and we often blame the health-care system for it. But nursing education plays a part,” says Dr. Marnie Kramer, assistant professor of nursing.

“Students come into our nursing program with their cup full. The intensity of the program depletes their cup. If we don’t teach them how to fill it back up, they go to practice with a half-full cup, and then the relentless health-care system drains it. And then we wonder why they leave.”

Kramer, who grew up in the Edmonton area, earned her bachelor of nursing and master of education at the University of Alberta, followed by her PhD in nursing from the University of Toronto. She joined the UM faculty in 2020.

As a researcher focused on nursing education, she has explored why students fail exams and courses, and strategies for helping them to rebound and succeed. Increasingly, she is interested in learners’ emotional needs and responses to stressful situations.

“We have to start teaching students to think about how they’re coping and what they need,” she says. In 2024, Kramer led a study of coping by fourth-year nursing students. She had each student take an inventory to identify their style of handling stress.

“We found that knowing whether a student is a task-based coper, an emotion-based coper or an avoidance-based coper helps the instructor to better support the student, and helps the student to recognize their own patterns and needs,” the professor says.

One of Kramer’s current studies aims to understand young nurses’ “attributions” when they’re new to practice – their beliefs about what’s causing their distress at work. “If they’re in a situation they think they can’t control, they’re more likely to leave,” she says.

Kramer hopes to follow up the study by creating an attributional retraining program for nurses, aiming to encourage more resilient ways of thinking about challenges.

UM recognized Kramer with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Teaching Scholar award for 2024-2025. It funded her for a study of teaching a challenging nursing course using novel approaches, including “mastery learning.”

“Mastery learning is when you’re allowed to struggle with something until you learn it,” she says.

UM is becoming known as a centre for excellence in nursing education research, she says.

Kramer has collaborated on several studies with colleagues Dr. Nicole Harder [BN/96, MPA/02], an expert on learning through clinical simulation, and Kim Mitchell [BA/92, BN/97, MN/02, PhD/21], whose area is literacy in nursing.

“We have graduate students coming to UM now who want to specialize in nursing education research,” she says.

Kramer’s own experiences have shaped her drive to equip students to handle setbacks. “I struggled with medication math in nursing school,” she remembers.

“I had to take remedial math, but I ended up being an intensive care nurse. I can calculate really complex medical drips. All those little failures, if you have the ability to keep going, they just build you. And then you have empathy when others are struggling.”

Hoque, who studies health sciences in UM’s interdisciplinary health program on the Fort Garry campus, said: “I want to see what’s available and who does what. As a first-year student, I really don’t know what’s available.” 

The information village on Joe Doupe concourse.

The annual Graduate Studies Open House started with an information village where students visited booths, followed by presentations from 13 graduate programs in Theatre B at the Basic Medical Sciences building.  

Departments highlighted what makes them unique and the supports available, including financial assistance, research funding and professional development opportunities. 

Presenters also talked about what graduates’ careers can look like in the future, from working in academia and industry to non-profits and government.  

“When I came here today, I thought, ‘Whoa! There’s so much more than I imagined,’” said Hoque. “There are so many opportunities.” 

Why choose graduate studies? 

Dr. Samantha Pauls, assistant professor at the College of Pharmacy and Rady Faculty programming lead for graduate student professional development, spoke about why students should consider graduate studies – both the professional and research programs. 

The professional programs, which include master of physician assistant studies, master of public health, master of science in rehabilitation sciences, master of nursing and others, emphasize coursework and clinical training. 

Dr. Samantha Pauls addresses event participants in Theatre B at the Basic Medical Sciences building.

“Health care is a team sport. MDs and nurses just can’t do all of the health care that’s needed for our communities and society,” said Pauls. 

“These professional programs – that are master’s programs – really will turn you into competent and compassionate members of the health-care team as a whole.” 

The research programs in departments such as medical microbiology and infectious diseases and human anatomy and cell science typically require a thesis and involve significant research work.  

Pauls said undergraduate studies focus on “what we already know.” Graduate research asks, “What don’t we know?” and challenges students to add new knowledge that could lead to better health treatments and policies.  

Building on a passion for research 

Hans Sanchez, a soon-to-graduate student in microbiology on the Fort Garry campus, is considering graduate studies. His interest lies in improving human health through research. 

He has research experience through a co-op term in associate professor Dr. Ayesha Saleem’s lab at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. 

Sanchez attended the open house to learn about what different departments and colleges provide to their graduate students. 

“I’m here to figure out which grad program will best support my research interests,” he said.  

“What classes can we take? Do we have a stipend? I love presenting, so I’m finding out what opportunities they have for grad students to present their work – whether it’s local or international. I want to be in a program that will support my academic goal.” 

Graduate programs offer interdisciplinary paths 

Both Sanchez and Hoque were excited to learn that graduate studies offer interdisciplinary opportunities. 

“Programs aren’t limited to their college’s name – pharmacy programs, for example, explore much more than pharmaceuticals,” said Sanchez. 

Hans Sanchez (left) and Raeesa Hoque (right) at the University of Manitoba’s Bannatyne campus.

Hoque, whose interest is in neuroscience and global health, said she appreciates the knowledge she gained at the event. 

“This is why the open house is so good – to network, to talk, to do hands-on activities,” she said. “After the presentations, it made me think maybe I’d want to do a joint program instead of focusing on just one department.” 

Sanchez shared some advice for students considering research. 

“Put yourself in uncomfortable situations and get your foot in the door,” he said. “Go to those open houses, talk to those professors. They’re there to help and guide you in achieving your career goals. And maybe one day, you’ll also be a leader in health care. It just takes one small but important step.” 

*** 

Learn more about graduate programs in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at  umanitoba.ca/health-sciences/programs-of-study 

Dr. Sonia Udod, associate professor of nursing at the University of Manitoba, agreed there’s “good and bad” in the announcement. “Who will take care of the patients when there are no nurses to take over?” Udod said. “I’m not sure how that’s going to happen.”

The granting program is designed to support early-career researchers within the first four years of their initial academic appointment.

By providing up to two years of operating funding, the program helps new faculty members to establish independent research programs, build collaborative networks and generate the results needed to compete for larger, national-level grants.

Additional funds were awarded this year as a result of a recent $5-million increase to Research Manitoba’s operating budget by the provincial government.

The recipients from the Rady Faculty are:

Dr. Alicia Berard

Dr. Alicia Berard, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher with the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM)

Project: “Investigating the role of mTOR in the vaginal microenvironment”

Grant: $130,000 (two years)

While studying bacterial vaginosis, which is associated with an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and poor reproductive health outcomes, Berard’s team has found a link between a cellular pathway called mTOR and the vaginal microbiome. They will investigate the effects of mTOR in the vaginal tissue barrier, with the goal of developing future therapies.

Dr. Tara Horrill

Dr. Tara Horrill, assistant professor, College of Nursing

Project: “Co-development and feasibility testing of a social needs assessment tool in an outpatient oncology setting”

Grant: $130,000 (two years)

Horrill’s study aims to introduce a social needs assessment tool into outpatient care at CancerCare Manitoba. With CancerCare and patient partners, her team will co-develop a tool to assess whether patients with cancer face social challenges such as housing instability and lack of transportation. Connecting patients to resources to address their social needs will promote more equitable access to cancer treatment.

Dr. Joel Pearson

Dr. Joel Pearson, assistant professor of pharmacology and therapeutics, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher with CHRIM

Project: “Understanding the role of a TEAD/homeobox axis in the genesis and evolution of distinct small cell lung cancer subtypes”

Grant: $130,000 (two years)

In small cell lung cancer, most tumours develop resistance to initial treatment within months. Very little is known about what causes this rapid drug resistance and disease relapse. Pearson’s team will study how a protein called TEAD is involved in this process, with the eventual goal of using drugs to prevent treatment resistance.

Dr. Tamara Taillieu

Dr. Tamara Taillieu, assistant professor in the College of Community and Global Health; researcher with CHRIM

Project: “A population-based examination of the impacts of the legalization of recreational use of cannabis on vulnerable children and youth from Manitoba”

Grant: $130,000 (two years)

Taillieu’s team will use population data to study changes in hospital and emergency department visits, criminal charges related to marijuana, and impaired driving among vulnerable children and teenagers in Manitoba since marijuana was legalized for adults. The findings will potentially inform educational materials and programs aimed at decreasing marijuana-related harms among children and youth.

Dr. Cedric Tremblay

Dr. Cedric Tremblay, assistant professor of immunology, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher with CHRIM

Project: “Investigating the role of interferon signaling in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia”

Grant: $130,000 (two years)

Tremblay’s team has recently found that in acute leukemia, cancer cells that resist chemotherapy express markers associated with inflammation. Building on this finding, they will investigate how inflammation contributes to leukemia development and relapse. The long-term goal is to reduce the length of chemotherapy needed for achieving complete remission in children and teens with acute leukemia.

“Everyone in the health-care field — regardless of what they specialize in — has something to contribute to patient care and to improving the health-care system. Through interdisciplinary learning, students learn with and from others,” said Dr. Francis Diaz, event co-lead and fourth-year pediatrics resident at the Max Rady College of Medicine. 

Students practiced collaborative leadership, teamwork and relationship-focused care — with an emphasis on the person receiving care rather than clinical diagnosis. 

“They explored their roles within a health-care team and how to collaborate effectively to support the patient,” Diaz said. 

More than 260 students gathered in small groups comprising undergraduate students from the Max Rady College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Pharmacy and College of Rehabilitation Sciences. Students from the University College of the North in The Pas and Thompson joined online as part of UM’s partnership in nursing education with the Northern institution. 

Why is there a need for interdisciplinary collaboration in health care? 

“Health care is complex. There aren’t enough health-care providers, such as physicians and nurses. So, it’s really important in team-based care to emphasize that roles sometimes overlap,” said Vladan Protudjer, event co-lead and interim director of the Office of Interprofessional Collaboration. 

Protudjer said overlapping roles offer many benefits, but also create challenges — particularly confusion and a lack of clarity around team members’ roles and responsibilities. 

“In a team, the question should be: ‘Who is best positioned — based on their scope of practice, skill set and training — to provide care for the person in need?’” he said. 

Interprofessional communication is another key aspect students must learn, Protudjer said: “It’s really important to speak up respectfully for the benefit of the patient and to communicate roles in concerning situations, even when it’s uncomfortable.” 

Responding to health care challenges as one team 

During the event, simulated clinical scenarios were acted out by standardized patients — actors trained to portray patients — at the Clinical Learning and Simulation Program’s simulation labs.  

One scenario involved a parent of a seven-year-old boy named Malcolm, who has cerebral palsy. As Malcolm was being discharged from the hospital, students had to discuss the discharge plan with his parent — someone understandably frustrated by complications during the hospital stay. 

Working together, students addressed the parent’s concerns, applying their communication and teamwork skills in a sensitive, real-world context. 

The activities taught Oluwadamilola Taiwo, a fourth-year nursing student, that working as one team with professionals from other disciplines is essential. 

“It showed me how intertwined our work is and how I can rely on others outside my scope to ensure the best care for our patients,” Taiwo said. “That goes a long way to ensure that patients leave with the best impression every time they visit the hospital.” 

Sofia Ebeo, a fourth-year pharmacy student, said the practical skills she learned are important to know before entering health care. 

“It’s one thing to be an expert in our own fields, but it’s another to also understand the expertise of other people on your team and how you communicate with each other, as well as with your patients,” Ebeo said. 

Dustin Erickson, a third-year medical student, said hearing perspectives from fellow students was beneficial.  

“It’s cool to hear how students from other disciplines approach the same problem differently — it’s incredibly valuable,” said Erickson. “This was a great experience, and I’m really excited to see where this program goes from here.” 

*** 

Learn more about interprofessional education at the Rady Faculty, visit: umanitoba.ca/health-sciences/student-experience/interprofessional-collaboration 

“I’m ready to dive right in.” 

College of Nursing dean Dr. Kellie Thiessen presents Judah Chepil with his nursing pin.

Chepil was one of 97 new nurses who joined the profession on Oct. 22 at the College of Nursing’s pinning ceremony at the Desautels Concert Hall on Fort Garry campus. 

At the ceremony, the new graduates received their nursing pin and recited the UM Bachelor of Nursing Pledge, which was adapted from the 1893 Florence Nightingale Pledge. 

Dr. Kellie Thiessen, dean of the College of Nursing, emceed the event and congratulated the group before presenting them with their pins. 

“We are excited to commemorate your achievement of this significant milestone as you celebrate today with your friends and family,” she said. 

The ceremony also included an honour song performed by Elder Carl Stone and remarks from Wanda Phillips-Beck, associate professor of Indigenous initiatives at the college and Seven Generations Scholar at the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba.  

Phillips-Beck told graduates the values in nursing are no different from the seven teachings that guide Indigenous people – respect, honour, truth, wisdom, humility, courage and love. 

“I hope that you leave here today understanding that nursing is not just an occupation, it is a commitment to uphold those values and to the communities that we serve,” she said. 

Valedictorians cite support system, connections with patients 

Valedictorians Olivia Steininger (L) and Sarah Livingstone (R).

Most of the graduating students began the bachelor of nursing program in Summer 2023, the first time the college offered a summer intake as part of its expansion. This includes co-valedictorians Sarah Livingstone and Olivia Steininger, both of whom are already working in Winnipeg hospitals. 

Livingstone said the fast pace of the 28-month program was challenging, but that she and her classmates were a strong support system for each other. “Nobody outside of your nursing cohort really understands what you’re going through like your classmates do.” 

Steininger said what she will remember most are the “human connections” she made with patients while on clinical rotations. 

“Even though you’re a student, you are dealing with real people when you’re in the hospital, people that are sick and arguably in one of the worst places of their life. Any part of their day that I can make better … I think that’s just huge,” she said. 

20 new nurse practitioners convocate 

The students’ convocation was held the previous day, Oct. 21. There, 28 students from the college’s graduate programs also crossed the stage to receive their degrees, including 20 graduates from the nurse practitioner (NP) program.  

NP graduate Jaypee Benitez Buhisan is originally from the Philippines, where he worked as a nurse educator. Buhisan plans to work in primary care in Winnipeg. “I am passionate about health promotion and disease prevention efforts and I want to be part of a health care team that supports that goal.” 

Jessica Smart graduated from the administrative stream of the college’s master’s program. Her thesis focused on the retention of nurses in Canada and how leadership can play a role in shaping a more sustainable workforce. 

“We know that in Canada there’s a significant shortage of health-care providers and nurses are really at the centre of this crisis,” she said.  

Smart said building relationships with advisors, classmates and professors was a major highlight of her time in the program. 

“I think what sets the University of Manitoba program apart is that you’re learning alongside people that you will be working with in the future, and maybe work with already. That was the most exciting part for me.” 

UM Bisons are at the centre of it all, making a difference here in Manitoba and around the world. 1,395 students are graduating this fall, bringing the number of graduates in the class of 2025 to 5,586 so far. Many of these new alumni will stay in Manitoba, supplying high-demand skills to the labour market and contributing to UM’s $7.3 billion economic impact on our community. 

“Representation alone is not enough,” said Dr. Angie Bruce, vice-president (Indigenous) of UM. “We must move beyond tokenism and towards a genuine commitment to inclusion, belonging and respect.” 

Bruce was a keynote speaker at the day-long symposium on the Bannatyne campus on the theme “Reimagining the recruitment and retention of Indigenous scholars in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.”  

The event was co-chaired by the Rady Faculty’s Dr. Peter Nickerson, dean, and Dr. Marcia Anderson, vice-dean, Indigenous health, social justice and anti-racism. 

Reflecting the fact that about 20 per cent of Manitoba’s population is First Nations, Métis or Inuit, the Rady Faculty’s goal is for 20 per cent of faculty members to be Indigenous, Nickerson said. 

Indigenous scholars will soon be hired for a new endowed professorship and chair, both in Indigenous health, he said. 

In her address, Bruce said First Nations, Métis and Inuit faculty members often feel isolated and become exhausted from fighting to create space for Indigenous knowledge.   

Some at UM, she said, have been criticized by their departments for incorporating Indigenous content into the curriculum. Yet at the same time, they have been pressured to teach Indigenous courses that are outside their academic discipline. 

“Leaders must ensure that Indigenous faculty are not only welcomed, but are respected for their academic expertise,” Bruce said. 

The current metrics used for academic promotion and tenure tend to disadvantage Indigenous scholars, speakers said. Giving faculty members credit for community service was suggested as one way to address this imbalance. 

Indigenous academics who attain leadership roles become mentors who “light the way” and help newer Indigenous scholars to navigate the complex university bureaucracy, speakers said. 

(Left to right): Panelists included physician Dr. Sara Goulet, occupational therapist Braydn Matheson, nurse Shayna Moore and pharmacist Derrick Sanderson.

Symposium panelist Shayna Moore, a Cree nurse who graduated from UM last year, recalled being inspired by Maori nursing leaders during an experiential learning trip to New Zealand.   

“Their instructors were Indigenous, and their researchers. It allowed me to see myself in a position like that,” said Moore, who is now a coach for Indigenous students at the College of Nursing. 

Many Indigenous scholars experience a “push and pull” between their academic responsibilities and their community obligations, speakers said. 

Panelist Braydn Matheson, a UM-educated occupational therapist with ties to Peguis First Nation, said that during her studies, she had to take responsibility for a child from her community. She was fortunate, she said, that Indigenous faculty members were supportive. 

Several speakers talked about masking their authentic identities in order to feel accepted in academia.  

“I feel, every time I walk in this building, like I need to be somebody I’m not,” said Dr. Sara Goulet, a UM-educated Métis family doctor who is associate dean (admissions) of the Max Rady College of Medicine.  

Goulet credited her success as a leader to support from other Indigenous faculty. “It is so important for us to have each other,” she said.  

Derrick Sanderson, a UM pharmacy alum who is a member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, said all UM students in the health sciences need to learn about the holistic Indigenous view of health. 

The event’s second keynote address was given by two leaders from the University of Winnipeg (U of W): Dr. Pavlina Radia, provost and vice-president (academic), and Dr. Chantal Fiola, associate vice-president (Indigenous engagement).  

They spoke about U of W’s recent “cluster hire” of nine Indigenous scholars. 

That process, they said, included ensuring that hiring committees were trained in unbiased practices and cultural sensitivity; circulating job postings widely within Indigenous channels; verifying Indigenous identity as a condition of employment; and providing “wraparound support” to Indigenous hires.  

Radia and Fiola said that in the future, they hope to see Elders and Indigenous community members represented on hiring panels. That’s currently not permitted under the U of W and UM faculty collective agreements. 

Panelists Dr. Wanda Phillips-Beck, Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing and Seven Generations Scholar at the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, and Dr. Linda Diffey, director of Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing – Research, said the highest priority for many Indigenous scholars is to do research or clinical work that centres on their community’s needs. 

“A lot of scholars want to have direct relationships and ties to their communities,” Phillips-Beck said. 

The panelists called for transformative policy change at UM so professionals across all health disciplines can maintain clinical roles in communities while simultaneously holding faculty positions. Currently, only medical professionals have such flexibility.  

For Indigenous alumni in professions such as nursing, working as a mentor, coach or preceptor (professional who supervises learners) in an Indigenous community could serve as a gateway to a Rady academic appointment, suggested panelist Melanie MacKinnon, executive director of Ongomiizwin. 

“I wonder if … we have an opportunity to reframe what we mean by ‘faculty,’” she said. “We can start bringing them into our university community when they’re practising in community.”   

The insights and ideas that were shared at the symposium will be used in formulating a strategy for the recruitment and retention of Indigenous scholars in the Rady Faculty, organizers said.