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 

The associate professor in the College of Pharmacy is driven to understand what goes wrong inside the islets – small “islands” of hormone-secreting cells in the pancreas – that leads to diabetes.

In the islets, how does a toxic protein buildup called amyloid kill beta cells that produce the essential hormone insulin? And can amyloid formation be slowed or prevented?

Publishing in journals such as Diabetes, Diabetologia, Endocrinology and Molecular Endocrinology, Marzban has relentlessly investigated the molecular mechanisms of the disease.

“We are one of the few labs in the world studying amyloid formation in diabetes,” she says.

Through more than a decade of intensive study (2008 to 2019), Marzban’s lab was the world’s first to identify the process by which amyloid destroys insulin-producing beta cells in human pancreatic islets.

Those findings have now enabled her team to develop a blood test that detects amyloid formation in the pancreas.

“It’s the first diagnostic tool of its kind that can detect amyloid at a very early stage, before it damages cells,” she says.

Amyloid starts forming years before diabetes symptoms appear, Marzban says. By the time symptoms show up, it’s often too late to prevent significant damage to beta cells.

“Currently, there is no treatment to remove amyloid once it forms. But in our lab experiments with cultured human islets, we have identified several drugs that show promise for limiting amyloid formation.”

For individuals at risk of Type 2 diabetes, Marzban says, early detection and treatment to reduce amyloid formation could help protect insulin-producing cells, potentially delaying the onset and progression of the disease.

For people with Type 1 diabetes who have received transplanted islets from deceased donors, reducing amyloid formation could improve the long-term survival of the transplanted islets, decreasing the need for insulin injections.

Marzban earned her PhD in pharmacology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2001. She later pursued postdoctoral work at UBC, the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the University of Geneva in Switzerland. After returning to UBC, she joined UM in 2019. She is also a researcher with the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba.

“I spend a lot of time with my trainees and students,” she says. “One of the most important parts of my job is preparing the next generation for their future careers as successful scientists.”

Marzban has long studied diabetes in lab animals. In order to investigate the disease’s effects in humans and compare diabetic with non-diabetic individuals, she receives post-mortem pancreatic tissue, for which she is immensely grateful.

“A loved one has just passed away, and the family needs to make the difficult decision of donating their tissue. It’s their sacrifice that has led to all these discoveries.”

Marzban and her team are now preparing for clinical trials and a patent for the amyloid blood test. “We’re confident the test works well,” she says. “Now it’s about bringing it to market and scaling up production.

“Once our strategy is out there, others will build on it, opening the door to new therapeutic strategies.”

Each year, undergraduate students from the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences’ doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program anonymously select instructors for the Outstanding Teacher Awards. The educators with the most votes from first-, second- and third-year classes were recognized at the ceremony.  

Year 1: Dr. Sheila Ng 

Dr. Sheila Ng, a senior instructor, teaches first-year students in the applied pharmacy practice lab. She also teaches in other practice lab and clinical courses across the PharmD program.  

“Sheila has always been caring towards our class and showed how much she wants us to succeed,” said one student. 

“She gave us tons of opportunities to improve and practice … as well as offered great feedback. Sheila has always been approachable, especially when it came to asking for additional help.” 

Ng, who joined the college in 2011, said being recognized by students is “incredibly meaningful”. 

“It tells me the learning environment we work so hard to create is making a positive impact,” she said. “I am inspired to help students develop a strong foundation for delivering compassionate, person-centred care in our communities.” 

Year 2: Kristi Watson    

Dr. Lavern Vercaigne with Kristi Watson.

“Kristi not only empowers her students through her engaging teaching style that pushes us outside of our comfort zone and allows us to grow, she also cares so deeply about each and every student. The program is lucky to have her,” said one of the students who nominated Kristi Watson for the award. 

Watson teaches second-year PharmD students in the applied pharmacy practice lab, as well as first- and second-year students in courses such as clinical therapeutics, toxicology and pharmacology for dental hygiene.  

She joined the College of Pharmacy in 2022 after an 18-year career as an oncology pharmacist – a specialist in medications used to treat cancer – at CancerCare Manitoba. 

“Knowing that I have made an impact on a student’s journey to become a pharmacist is truly special,” said Watson. “It’s a long, tough road for them and we hold them to high standards. I hope they know how much we’re cheering them on and want to see them succeed – not only in school but in their future careers.” 

Watson said she values seeing students engaged in learning and realizing it’s about more than completing assignments or passing exams.  

“They’re preparing to help someone understand a new medication, prevent a life-threatening drug interaction, manage a debilitating side effect or find a dosage form that will allow a child to take a medication,” she said. “I love when that connection to real-life practice is made and it starts to mean a lot more to that student.” 

Year 3: Joanne Johnson 

Joanne Johnson, who teaches third-year students the pharmacy management course and first-year students in the applied pharmacy practice lab, received the award for the first time. 

Joanne Johnson with Dr. Lavern Vercaigne.

“Joanne is a dynamic instructor who engages the classroom with relevant, thought-provoking discussion,” said one of the students who nominated her.  

“Joanne is one of the pharmacists we are lucky to have in our faculty because of how she inspires people both personally and professionally. Having Joanne as an instructor was a gift!” 

Johnson joined the College of Pharmacy in 2022 after spending 26 years in rural community pharmacy practice. 

“This recognition was incredibly meaningful because it affirmed that the time, care and energy I put into teaching is resonating with students,” said Johnson. “I’m deeply grateful to them for taking the time to nominate me, and I see this award as a shared reflection of the learning relationships we build together.” 

Johnson said transitioning from practice to teaching allowed her to bring real-world experiences into the classroom. 

“My goal as an educator is to share my passion and joy for pharmacy and help students feel confident and excited about the impact they can have as pharmacists.” 

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.

Each person’s experience with MS is different, due in large part to factors like their gender, age, ethnicity and if they live in a city or not. Together, these factors contribute to a person’s diversity, yet researchers are unsure which of these put people at the greatest health disadvantage.

With almost $2 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the interdisciplinary team at Dalhousie University, the University of Manitoba, Queen’s University and the University of Waterloo, will examine that relationship to improve the health of people with MS who have historically not been part of past studies.

The team will develop ways to test how biological factors, like genetics, age and sex, contribute to health outcomes in people with MS. That will involve recruiting 500 diverse people with MS to look at how a person’s biology, lifetime experiences and environment affect their health. And, the research will test ways to best support people with MS who experience health disadvantages because of their experiences and environments.

The researchers, co-led by Dr. Kaarina Kowalec, associate professor in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences‘ College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, will work closely with people living with MS in Manitoba as well as health-care providers, advocacy groups and health policy decision-makers. Other co-principal investigators include Dr. Ruth Ann Marrie, professor at Dalhousie University, and a long-time UM MS researcher.

“We are taking an inclusive approach to ensure our research findings are meaningful, equitable and actionable,” said Kowalec. “Understanding diverse life stories and biological differences can help advance effective care and support for everyone living with MS.”

If interested in participating, please visit the study site or contact: msepidemiology@nshealth.ca

For Daryl Fediuk [B.Sc.(Pharm.)/03, PhD/12], it all started 24 years ago with a summer job in a UM lab.

Fediuk, who had grown up in the Westwood neighbourhood of Winnipeg, was two years into his bachelor’s program in pharmacy – a field that appealed to him because he loved math and chemistry and wanted to help people.

“When I looked for a profession where I could have a direct impact on prolonging someone’s life, I knew pharmacy was the best fit for me,” he recalls.

Dr. Xiaochen Gu, who is still a professor at the College of Pharmacy today, welcomed Fediuk into his lab as a summer research student. There, Fediuk was captivated by two aspects of pharmacology: pharmacokinetics (how a patient’s body handles a drug) and pharmacodynamics (how a drug works in the body), often abbreviated PK-PD.

“I became fascinated by the research that happens behind the scenes, before medicines arrive at the pharmacy,” he says.

Fediuk went on to earn his PhD in pharmaceutical sciences at UM, with Gu as his advisor. He then completed a two-year PK-PD postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina, sponsored by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.

“From there, the opportunities were endless,” he says. He joined Pfizer’s Connecticut facility in 2014. Ten years later, he and his family moved to the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, where they currently live.

There are two main parts to Fediuk’s role at Pfizer as a clinical pharmacology lead, he says. “One is strategic – designing and planning clinical trials. Then there’s the mathematical side – analyzing data to understand how a drug behaves in the body and determining the best way to dose it.

“I answer questions like: Should patients take the drug once or twice per day? How is the compound absorbed, distributed, metabolized and excreted by the body? We study that in healthy participants, but we also assess how the compound behaves in special populations, such as those with liver or kidney impairments.”

The scientist is proud to have been part of the team that brought a prescription medicine for Type 2 diabetes to market seven years ago. “Our studies for this particular medicine were reviewed by regulatory agencies around the world,” he says.

Fediuk’s research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development.

Looking back on his career path, he says networking played an important role while he was still at UM.

“Through conversations at scientific conferences, I learned what it’s like to work in different settings – whether at a university, in the pharmaceutical industry or with government.”

Among all his experiences at UM, he says, receiving unwavering support from Gu stands out the most.

“He wasn’t just a supervisor and mentor – Dr. Gu treated me like family,” Fediuk says.

“He’s like a parent who has been there for me throughout my career, from the time I joined his UM lab to applying for my fellowship program and joining Pfizer. His feedback and recommendations helped open doors for me.”

Participants may be receiving care in hospitals, outpatient clinics, long-term care facilities or through their family doctor. A physician referral is required to join. 

This study aims to address a common problem many patients face: finding the right medication. 

Why finding the right medication is challenging 

More than 25 per cent of Manitoban adults live with mental illness, according to a Manitoba Centre for Health Policy study. 

Many people with moderate to severe mental illness are prescribed psychotropic drugs such as antidepressants, antipsychotics or anti-anxiety medications, either alone or in combination with therapy. 

“Imagine taking a medication you’re hoping will improve your mental health, but then you start getting unwanted side effects or it doesn’t work at all,” said Dr. Jitender Sareen, professor and head of psychiatry at the Max Rady College of Medicine in UM’s Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.  

“Many get frustrated and give up on taking medications. That frustration can delay recovery and, in some cases, lead to more serious outcomes such as hospitalizations or suicidal thoughts. It can take months or even years to find the right medication.” 

How genetic testing can help 

“Pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing analyzes genes to help predict how a person’s body may respond to certain medications,” said Dr. Abdullah Maruf, assistant professor in UM’s College of Pharmacy and researcher at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. 

“Specifically, it looks at how genetic differences may affect the way the body metabolizes medications, which can influence drug levels in the body.” 

That’s where the PGx-SUPPORT (Pharmacogenomics-Supported Psychotropic Prescribing Trial) study, led by Maruf and Sareen, comes in. The goal is to bring PGx testing into Manitoba’s public health-care system and improve mental health support across the province. 

Through PGx-SUPPORT, 200 Manitobans can receive a free PGx test – valued at about $500 if done privately – that may help personalize their treatment. Participants and their doctors will get a report showing how genetic differences may affect medication response. 

Why it matters 

Sareen said precision medicine approaches like PGx testing could play a vital role in improving – and potentially saving – the lives of people living with mental illness.  

“PGx testing can make medicine more personalized,” Sareen said. “It could help guide physicians on which medications may be safer or better tolerated, and what steps to take next.” 

Beyond improving care, PGx testing could also reduce costs. Depression care costs an average of $8,244 per person per year in Manitoba.  

“Much of that comes from trial and error – trying different drugs until something works,” said Mahin Hasan, a PhD student at the College of Pharmacy and research assistant on the study. “PGx testing can help reduce health-care costs.” 

A study in British Columbia estimated PGx testing could save the health system $956 million over 20 years.  

Inspired by such potential benefits, Maruf said PGx-SUPPORT could pave the way for Manitoba’s first publicly funded PGx testing facility.  

“While PGx testing is already in use in health-care systems in the United States and Europe, it has not yet been implemented in Canadian public health settings,” Maruf said. 

“We want to show policymakers why this will benefit Manitobans. Will physicians use it to personalize medication for their patients? Will it reduce hospitalizations and rehospitalizations? Improve patient outcomes? Shorten inpatient stays?” 

How to participate 

Manitobans aged 18 and older who are starting or changing mental health medication may be eligible.  

To join: 

1. Ask your physician to send a referral to pharmpgxlab@umanitoba.ca 
2. Complete a consent form and short survey 
3. Provide a saliva sample 
4. Receive personalized test results for free within two weeks of the research team receiving the saliva sample 

Learn more about PGx-SUPPORT at maruf-lab.org/pgx-support or call 431-294-7781. 

Now in his fourth year in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences’ doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program, Salvador recently completed an experiential rotation at L’Oréal Canada.   

All second- and fourth-year PharmD students do rotations that provide them with hands-on experience under the guidance of preceptors (pharmacists who supervise learners) in settings such as hospitals, pharmacies and primary care centres.  

Landing the L’Oréal rotation  

While most experiential rotations are in Manitoba, students can apply for out-of-province internships.  

Salvador attended the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns’ Professional Development Week last January, where he approached a L’Oréal booth and asked if the company would take UM students. Six months later, he and three UM peers were off to Montreal for a two-month rotation.  

“It was such a big dream come true,” said Salvador. “L’Oréal was a cool experience and a fantastic rotation to be in.”   

Inside the industry  

A window display at L’Oréal Canada’s Montreal headquarters.

Gloria Lee, also in her fourth year, said pharmacy students rarely get exposure to industry roles.   

“I used to think companies like L’Oréal were only focused on selling products and making a profit,” she said. “But I learned how much they value having pharmacists on their team, and how much of their budget and effort goes into research.”  

Lee said L’Oréal pharmacists – who work on skin-care brands such as CeraVe, La Roche-Posay and Vichy – provide professional opinions on their products.  

“They provide evidence-based educational information to health-care providers, helping them make informed recommendations,” she said.  

Behind the scenes  

During their first month, the students researched publications, guidelines and product ingredients. In the second month, they shifted from research to creativity, writing scripts and recording themselves on camera to produce educational videos for community pharmacists across Canada.   

These videos will form part of L’Oréal Canada’s national awareness campaign, which includes conferences, training sessions and pharmacy education initiatives.  

Gloria Lee at the Old Port in Montreal.

Lee’s topic was the importance of sun protection. “The videos start with sun-care recommendations from the Canadian Dermatology Association (CDA). I also incorporated my other research on why we should be recommending sun care to patients. 

“Then we go in depth. For example, we ask, ‘Did you know half of the drugs you dispense on a daily basis can cause phototoxicity – skin reactions triggered by sunlight when certain medications are present?’  

“At the end of the video, we recommend L’Oréal products and how they meet CDA’s criteria.”  

Lee said these videos help community pharmacists explain their product recommendations to patients.   

Another highlight of the students’ stint at L’Oréal, Lee said, was their daily coffee chats, where they networked with employees in different roles.  

A turning point  

Salvador spent weeks analyzing eczema treatments and sunscreen formulations, turning complex data into practical advice for pharmacists.  

“In pharmacy school, we’re taught to recommend moisturizers – often Glaxal Base – to help prevent eczema. But effective eczema care is more than just picking a moisturizer,” he said.   

“Cleansers are often overlooked, yet choosing one with the right pH and hydrating ingredients is just as essential for managing eczema. That’s why in my video, I focused on recommending cleansers as part of effective skin care.”  

The experience motivated Salvador to consider a career in the skin-care industry.  

“I was genuinely inspired by my experience with L’Oréal. Beyond the pharmacists’ critical role in ensuring the quality of skin-care products, the flexible and collaborative environment really stood out to me. I also didn’t realize pharmacists could work from home until this rotation,” he said.  

“It was a turning point for me. L’Oréal showed me there are far more options than I ever expected.”  

***  

Learn more about experiential learning opportunities in the College of Pharmacy: umanitoba.ca/pharmacy/programs-of-study/experiential-education   

Dr. Kaarina Kowalec, associate professor at the College of Pharmacy, led a study that was recently published in Annals of Neurology and could pave the way for more personalized treatment strategies.  

“A lot of people with MS end up having depression as well,” said Kowalec. 

“Treating depression is essential, but genetics can offer deeper insights into MS and help guide future care. Genetics are an ideal biomarker because they’re set at birth. Unlike blood proteins, which can vary from hour to hour, your genetic code stays the same.” 

The research involved collaborations in Canada, Sweden and the United States. The Canadian and Swedish patient cohorts were part of research studies, while the U.S. cohort came from clinical trials. This work is among the first of its kind in Canada.  

What the study uncovered 

The team examined depression polygenic scores – a measure that combines thousands of genetic markers across the genome to estimate a person’s genetic tendency toward depression. 

Dr. Kaarina Kowalec at the Apotex Centre on the University of Manitoba’s Bannatyne campus.

“We found that people with a higher genetic risk for depression were more likely to experience relapses and, in some cohorts, faster worsening of MS symptoms and disability,” Kowalec said.  

“Importantly, a high genetic risk doesn’t guarantee someone will develop the condition. Depression results from a mix of genetics and environment.” 

What surprised researchers was that this genetic risk didn’t just matter if someone developed depression – it had its own direct link to MS outcomes.  

“Even if someone never develops depression, having a high genetic risk for it still increases their chances of MS relapses and faster disability progression,” Kowalec said. 

Why this matters 

While this research is still in early stages and not ready for clinical use, Kowalec believes polygenic scores could eventually help clinicians identify patients who need closer monitoring or stronger treatments sooner – potentially preventing disability before it occurs. 

“We wanted to see if, in the future, we could create a test for clinics to identify people with MS who carry these genetic markers,” said Kowalec. 

She encourages clinicians to “think outside the box” about what might be driving MS progression, beyond what’s typical or immediately visible. 

For people living with MS 

MS is a condition with no cure. Patients often face uncertainty about symptoms and treatment outcomes. Kowalec emphasizes the importance of self-advocacy.  

“If you experience depression, seek help – it matters for your overall health. MS may feel like the biggest challenge, but depression can make both conditions worse if untreated. The same applies to other health issues like heart disease or cancer.” 

**** 

Read the full study in Annals of Neurology: Depression Polygenicity and Disease Activity and Disability Worsening in Multiple Sclerosis 

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.” 

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