At a time when people are at their most vulnerable — at the end of their lives — Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov’s work has been there to help them feel comforted. He is one of the most prolific and respected researchers in supportive and palliative care in the world today, and his research-informed best practices are recognized globally for enhancing the psychological well-being and quality-of-life of patients with advanced disease. For all his compassionate, critical and globally renowned work as a pioneer in the field of the emotional dimensions of end-of-life care, Dr. Chochinov is being honoured by UM. 

“I chose to study at the University of Manitoba because Winnipeg was home. I did my undergraduate work here, and then entered the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. After finishing my psychiatry residency, I went on to complete my doctoral studies in the Faculty of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba,” says Dr. Chochinov. “Having been privileged to lecture at academic institutions around the world, I now feel the quality of education at the University of Manitoba is second to none. Our students receive extraordinary medical training, setting them up to pursue whatever goals they have in mind, wherever their professional pathway may take them.”  

Dr. Chochinov has long maintained a connection with UM, where he is currently a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, and has supervised students in the faculties of medicine, psychology, nursing and community health services for more than 30 years. He has also served as a global emissary for UM, delivering more than 500 invited lectures at prestigious institutions ranging from Harvard, Cornell and Johns Hopkins to Stanford and Oxford.  

One of Dr. Chochinov’s most ground-breaking achievements through his research was bringing dignity to patient care in tangible, practical ways. More specifically, Dr. Chochinov’s research has resulted in concrete methods of measuring dignity-related distress, effectively eliciting personhood in clinical practice, and founding Dignity Therapy, a narrative-based psychotherapy technique. Dignity Therapy has undergone 10 systematic reviews, with scores of international clinical trials and publications affirming its merits of mitigating distress and enhancing patient quality of life.  

“At the start of my research career, I learned that loss of dignity was the most frequent reason cited by physicians who had helped their patients end their lives, but nobody had every studied what dignity meant to patients,” says Dr. Chochinov. He and his team discovered that patients’ perceptions regarding how they are seen by their healthcare providers was the most significant predictor of sense of dignity. “This was an epiphany, which said good end of life care was not just about what you did with the patient or what you said to the patient, but fundamentally, was how you saw or appreciated your patient.” 

Dr. Chochinov has closely studied the patient experience in supportive and palliative care, in turn improving psychological well-being and quality of life while reducing suffering and enriching the care of those with advanced illnesses across the globe. As a Senior Scientist at the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute CancerCare Manitoba, he has explored the experience of life-limiting cancer through his research, covering elements including depression, hopelessness, suffering, prognostic awareness, suicidality, desire for death, will-to-live, sense of burden to others, quality of life, dependency, spirituality, and existential distress. He has also researched the patient-healthcare professional relationship, such as: elements of effective communication; issues related to equity, diversity, inclusiveness; and core efficiencies of dignity conserving care.   

“A more recent area I’ve dug into is the idea of the platinum rule, which says do unto others as they would want done unto themselves,” says Dr. Chochinov. “The platinum rule acknowledges that our perception of patients may be skewed or bias. We might, for instance, make assumptions about someones suffering or quality of life, when that is really more about us and our narrow lived experience, and not about the actual patient.” 

As evidenced by the number of firsts he has achieved, Dr. Chochinov has been a trailblazer throughout his career. He was the first Canadian to complete a fellowship in psycho-oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre. He then became the first psychiatrist to receive funding from the National Cancer Institute of Canada and later, the first awarded a Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care.  

Additionally, Dr. Chochnov’s book, Dignity Therapy: Final Words for Final Days (Oxford University Press) received the American Publisher’s Prose Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence in Clinical Medicine. He also co-founded Canadian Virtual Hospice, the world’s largest web-based repository of information and support for people living with advanced illness, their family members, as well as clinicians, educators, and researchers.  

“What I’ve enjoyed about being an academic is the creativity of the process, the rigour that it affords and the opportunity to address large problems that are core to the human experience,” he says. “The thing that I’m aware of now more than ever is that research doesn’t fulfill its full potential if there isn’t uptake. I see the lecturing and teaching I do internationally as an important part of knowledge dissemination. I wouldn’t be where I am if not for the researchers who came before me. I’m so delighted there are now young people engaging with my work and discovering where the field of palliative care will go next.” 

For his work in psycho-oncology and palliative care, Dr. Chochinov has received countless honours. He has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada and was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame. He has Fellowships in the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, as well as Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology and the Arthur M Sutherland Award from the International Psycho-Oncology Society. 

Continuing his list of firsts, Dr. Chochinov is the only psychiatrist to receive the FNG Starr Award, described as the Victoria Cross of Canadian medicine, the O. Harold Warwick Prize, for significant advances in cancer control, and the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance Outstanding Research Award. This year, he will also receive the Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Innovation. 

“It’s wonderful to be recognized by one’s colleagues and by a university that provided me educational opportunities, which have been the foundation for my entire career,” says Dr. Chochinov. “Oftentimes, the feedback one gets is from afar, and it’s gratifying to know that people here at home and at the University of Manitoba have taken notice. I don’t take what the university has given me for granted, and feel proud, honoured and humbled to be the recipient of this award.” 

The 2024 University of Manitoba Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration of Excellence presented by TD Insurance will be held September 19, during Homecoming 2024. Get your tickets now as the event is always a sell-out! 

Winnipeg has long been known as the “Gateway to the West,” yet Steve Kroft has shown that our city can be the gateway to the world. He has always aspired for this city and its people to be healthier and more prosperous, and he has inspired Winnipeggers not only through his ambitious entrepreneurship but also through his devotion to community service.  Now he’s being honoured by UM for his impressive body of work.

“I wish it were named the Lifetime-So-Far Achievement award,” laughs Kroft. “Honestly, it’s very humbling. There’s a whole bunch of people behind the scenes who are really doing the heavy lifting, and so there’s always a little bit of guilt with it as well because as they say, it takes a village. I’m very proud that to receive it from my university in my city, so it means a lot.”

Kroft’s first interactions with UM were as a student, graduating from the Faculty of Arts in 1988. “I loved my classes,” recalls Kroft. “I met a professor that I really developed a great relationship with, which is often someone’s story. In my case, it was Geoff Lambert in Politics, who has since passed away. Sounds cliché, but I really broadened my horizons in terms of friend groups. I met so many different people, different kinds of people.”

He also pursued his Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, where he had a successful commercial litigation practice. However, Kroft ultimately decided to leave law and enter business back home in Winnipeg. In 1997, he joined Conviron, a Winnipeg-based company founded by his father that makes controlled environments, providing researchers and entrepreneurs the ability to grow plants indoors. Steve excelled in this new arena. Under his leadership, the company expanded its reach to over 90 countries and was named Manitoba’s Exporter of the Year by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters in 2012. In 2016, it was named Life Science Company of the Year by the Life Science Association of Manitoba.

It was really as a local entrepreneur that Kroft’s connections with UM became more significant, first and foremost as an employer. “I was just always so impressed with, especially in the last several years, the students that we recruited from the University of Manitoba.”

In the community, Steve is Director Emeritus of the Business Council of Manitoba and a member of the Board of Directors of The North West Company and the True North Youth Foundation, where he also serves as Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee. He is also the Past Chair of the Board of CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, and he has served the boards of Manitoba Hydro, Assiniboine Park Conservancy, St. John’s-Ravenscourt, Prairie Theatre Exchange and the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba. In 2022, Steve was the recipient of the Sol Kanee Distinguished Community Service Medal, which is the highest honour bestowed on a member of Manitoba’s Jewish community, recognizing outstanding dedication, leadership and service within the Jewish and general communities over many years.

He has remained connected to UM throughout his life, and he is currently a member of President Benarroch’s Advisory Council and of The Associates of the I.H. Asper School of Business. He is also a former member of The Young Associates and served as a member of President Emeritus David Barnard’s Front and Centre Campaign Team. While Steve was majority owner, Conviron also made generous gifts to the University of Manitoba.

“I learned a lot about the university during that time,” recalls Kroft. “When I was involved as chair of the Business Council, the discussions were around how we can better align graduates with the needs of the business community. We have a very unique situation here, in terms of where we are with reconciliation and Indigenous communities and water. There’s a lot of things that I think the University of Manitoba is extremely well positioned to lead in. It’s an exciting time.”

In every endeavour, Kroft’s aim is to bring the most benefit to others. At Conviron, he dreamed of his family’s firm helping the world address mounting challenges, such as growing food in a rapidly changing climate. He realized on this front the biggest impact he could have would be to let go. In 2022, he sold the family business to Madison Industries because he knew it could do more good for more people if it was bolstered by a much larger company. In 2023, Steve was inducted into the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (Manitoba) Hall of Fame, which celebrates visionaries who have demonstrated leadership in the development of their company(ies) and success in their chosen industry.

“My job is to surround myself in business with people who are smarter than I am and then just provide a bit of direction and get out of the way and let outstanding people do outstanding things. And I I was able to do that in my business, which allowed me to do other things that sort of really fuel my tank. Today, I’m on five different boards. I’ve no intention of stopping that, my commitment to our city and our province is strong.”

Steve Kroft is a big dreamer and devoted Manitoban who has spent his life using his talents to benefit others. The future is no exception.

“American author Dorothy Parker said that ‘curiosity is the cure for boredom’,” says Kroft. “There is no cure for curiosity and so I am a very curious person, so I’m a lifelong learner. I look forward to learning other things. I sort of feel I’ve got another chapter to write.”

The 2024 University of Manitoba Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration of Excellence presented by TD Insurance will be held September 19, during Homecoming 2024. Get your tickets now as the event is always a sell-out!

During the pandemic, hundreds of physicians across this province rose to the occasion. But, there are few physicians in Manitoba for whom this is more true than Dr. Joss Reimer, leader of the Provincial Vaccine Task Force during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.

Dr. Reimer reflects on that turbulent and high-profile time. “I think what I’m most proud of is how people have told me that I had a calming effect on them, because people were so scared during the pandemic. There was information changing all the time. And that for the most part Manitobans felt they could trust in what I was saying, that is such an honour, privilege and responsibility, that I will carry that with me for the rest of my life.”

Because of her steadfast courage, more doses per capita of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered into the arms of Manitobans than any other prairie province. From local community groups, counsel from Indigenous leaders, input from medical advisory committees, and by adapting delivery strategies to meet the needs of the people, Dr. Reimer truly brought Manitoba together through her vaccine rollout.

Looking back at the early chapters of Dr. Reimer’s life and story, she always wanted to ‘change the world’, with medicine as her initial driving goal and UM her school of choice.

“The University of Manitoba has a very strong medical school,” says Dr. Reimer about getting her medical degree. “I know in Manitoba we often undersell ourselves, but this medical school is very clearly strong when it comes to training individuals in infectious diseases, training in rural and remote medicine in Indigenous health. I had no doubt I would get good training to become a physician.”

With her passion extending beyond healthcare and her eye-opening discussions with public health care physicians, Dr. Reimer returned to UM once again to complete a Master of Public Health. This passion and training led to a career focused on infectious diseases and drug harms. In this role, she led Manitoba through multiple outbreaks and notably, created a provincial Naloxone distribution program. Dr Reimer excelled in this position and was quickly promoted to Medical Director for Public Health for Winnipeg.

“That’s the kind of thing that I’m really talking about in public health,” says Dr. Reimer. “Where you have to go out and look at the community and see what are the struggles, what are people having a hard time with and then find solutions. So being able to be part of creating the first city-wide Naloxone program and then the first provincial-wide program from Manitoba, was really exciting work – to be able to take a situation where people were literally dying and give them a glimmer of hope, give them a physical solution they could carry around with them.”

Although her work on the Naloxone program was critical, more high profile was Dr. Reimer’s time as the Medical Lead for Manitoba’s Vaccine Taskforce during the Covid 19 pandemic. Dr Reimer worked long hours, 7 days a week for months communicating daily, in multiple languages, with the public and leading the clinical work of the taskforce to ensure that Manitobans had access to both the vaccine and the information they needed.

Dr. Reimer has stayed closely connected to UM throughout the years by teaching the next generation of medical professionals. She’s also been a vocal advocate for mental health, sharing her own experiences and struggles through ‘What’s the Big Idea?’, UM President Benarroch’s podcast.

“At least 20% of Canadians have a mental illness,” says Dr. Reimer. “And while things are clearly getting better, they’re still a lot of stigma. In the medical world, there’s a lot of fear when you’re in the position as a physician to admit any sort of vulnerability. And as I’ve gotten further in my career, the risks for me to admit that kind of thing are much lower. But it’s still risky for people who are earlier in their career in their training, and so I wanted to, you know, use the platform that I have to try to share some positive messages about how you can be successful with a mental illness.”

Dr. Reimer has been one of the most important medical voices in our province, and her leadership continues to result in the saving of lives and long-term health for Manitobans and for all Canadians as the incoming President of the Canadian Medical Association.

“I’ve always wanted to make the world a better place,” says Dr. Reimer. “I want to change things. I want to be part of solutions and what better way than to represent physicians and get to speak to those decision makers at the federal level, but also at all the provincial and territorial levels.”

“I’m really passionate about physician wellness and reducing administrative burdens because that’s the type of work that really leads to burnout,” explains Dr. Reimer. “In Manitoba at least 1/3 of physicians are talking about reducing their hours, retiring or quitting altogether. So, anything we can do to improve physician wellness is going to improve retention, which is even more important than recruitment. Recruitment is wonderful, but we want to keep the people we have here. To represent the voice of physicians – to me means representing the needs of the community as well.”

Dr. Reimer is humbled by the announcement that she will receive the 2024 UM Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Achievement.

“Someone actually told me this is usually an end of career type award,” laughs Dr. Reimer. “I hope that’s not true! I’ve had two degrees through the University of Manitoba, plus finished my residency here. So, this is a really special place. To be recognized by a place that’s been such a part of shaping me and my career – I can’t think of a greater honor.”

The 2024 University of Manitoba Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration of Excellence presented by TD Insurance will be held September 19, 2024, during Homecoming. Get your tickets now as the event is always a sell-out! 

Students become members by signing up in Aurora; you can find more information here.   

In awarding these scholarships to students, the college community will gather on November 5th, including graduating students, alumni, and honorary guests, notably former Mayor Brian Bowman, who will be recognized at our annual convocation.    

Kicking off the day on November 5th will be the Founder’s Day service, where the college will recognize past college members honoring those who are no longer with us. Following this service, the celebrations will continue as the college welcomes alumni into the Robert Schultz Galleria for a luncheon recognizing alumni of 25, 40, 50, and 60 years with a special college gift.    

Following a morning of conversation and delicious food, the formal convocation will begin where the following individuals will be recognized:   

• 2022/23 Scholarship and Bursary Award Winners    
• Brian Bowman – Doctor of Canon Law – Honorary Degree    
• Senator Patricia Bovey – Doctor of Canon Law – Honorary Degree    
• Vincent Soloman – Honorary Fellowship    
• Dr. Brenda Cantelo – Retired Fellow – Fellows Recognition Award 

The college looks forward to celebrating the success of our students, fellows, and alumni on November 5th in the Robert Schultz Galleria and St John’s college chapel. 

Read more about our scholarship and bursary opportunities for UM students. 

UM Alumni Book Club
Looking for some literary lustre? Read A Gentleman in Moscow with us. From New York Times bestselling author Amor Towles, and set in 1920s Russia, it tells the peculiar tale of Count Alexander Rostov, who is sentenced to house arrest in the luxurious grand Metropol Hotel. Join host Chancellor Anne Mahon and a network of over 800 UM alumni, friends and fellow book lovers to connect and discuss ideas, literature, lifelong learning and more. Everyone is welcome to join at any time. This program is generously sponsored by the UM Alumni Association.
Ongoing until March 10 | Free 
Join

UM Theatre Program presents Unity (1918) by Kevin Kerr
Watch Unity (1918) a mainstage production about the story of the last great pandemic as the “Spanish Flu” hits the town of Unity, Saskatchewan while soldiers are returning from the Great War. The story is both far away and very close, as we see the community experience fear, panic, and caring and masking, distancing, and conspiracies. It is very resonant and also full of love and loneliness, sex and death, hope and fatalism.
February 2-5, 7:30 p.m. | Free
Watch

Promises to Keep: Cree Treaties, Cree Ceremonies and Pathways to a Shared Constitution
Faculty of Law Distinguished Visitors Lecture Series
Be part of the conversation with Dr. Darcy Lindberg, mixed-rooted Plains Cree, with his family coming from maskwâcîs (Samson Cree Nation) in Alberta and the Battleford-area in Saskatchewan. Darcy was called to the British Columbia and Yukon bars in 2014 and practiced in the Yukon Territory with Davis LLP.  His research focuses on nêhiyaw law, ecological governance through Indigenous legal orders, gender and Indigenous ceremonies, comparative approaches in nêhiyaw and Canadian constitutionalism, and Indigenous treaty making.
February 3, 12-2 p.m. | Free
Register

TD Building Wealth Webinar
We know that financial health is increasingly important and top of mind for many right now. That’s why we’ve partnered with TD Financial to help you get the right knowledge, tools and advice to make more confident financial decisions. Jeff Myall, Assistant Branch Manager and the LGBTQ2+ Market Lead for TD Bank, will deliver this free financial education webinar. Take advantage and get money smart!
February 7 | 6-7 p.m.| Free
Register

Inchoate Citizens: Black Canadians, Law and the Racial State
13th annual Delloyd J. Guth Visiting Lecture in Legal History: Dr. Barrington Walker
This presentation draws from published work and works in progress. It explores the Canadian racial state formation, law and the Black Canadian experience over time. The talk will begin with a discussion of slavery, law and the question of freedom. It will move to a discussion of Black Canadians and citizenship in the post slavery era and the law’s role in both supporting the conditions of Black unfreedom and providing an avenue for contesting it.
February 10, 12-2 p.m. | Free
Attend

The Coronation of Poppea
Desautels Faculty of Music
Watch the Desautels Chamber Opera Group’s electrifying performance of Claudio Monteverdi’s opera “The Coronation of Poppea” .
February 10, 7:30 p.m.-10 p.m. | $10
RSVP

Writer-In-Residence Welcome Event
The Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture
Join Ariel Gordon (she/her), a Winnipeg/Treaty 1 territory-based writer, editor and enthusiast. Her most recent books are Treed: Walking in Canada’s Urban Forests, a collection of essays that combines science writing and the personal essay, and TreeTalk, a public poetry project where Ariel hangs poems in trees and asks passersby to add their thoughts, ideas and secrets. She is also the ringleader of Writes of Spring, a National Poetry Month project with the Winnipeg International Writers Festival that appears in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Special guest reading by Alison Calder, an award-winning poet. She is the author of Wolf Tree and In the Tiger Park, and she lives in Winnipeg where she teaches Canadian literature and creative writing at the University of Manitoba.
February 11, 10 a.m.-11:15 a.m. | Free
Email ccwoc@umanitoba.ca for the Zoom link to attend

Virtual Fireside Chats
Learn from Elders and community members every second Tuesday as they come together to share Indigenous knowledges in this long-running series.
February  15, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Free
Learn more

Adjudication and Mediation are Cousins Playing in the Same Sandbox: Reflections on Mandatory Mediation
Faculty of Law Distinguished Visitors Lecture Series
Dr. Nayha Acharya from Schulich School of Law will discuss how adjudication and mediation should come together to form a holistic, legitimate civil justice system.  Acharya’s premise is that a legitimate civil justice process will demonstrably recognize and uphold, equally, everyone’s human dignity. That is at the core of a valid legal system that deserves the authority that it asserts. She questions how mandatory mediation fares in terms of upholding these central values of equality and human dignity through three related lenses.
February 15, 12-2 p.m. | Free
Register

Indigenous Scholars Speaker Series
The Indigenous Scholars Speaker Series highlights the research and expertise of Indigenous scholars, while providing new opportunities to learn about Indigenous perspectives and knowledges. In this talk, hear from Heather Souter, instructor in the department of Indigenous studies, as she addresses the goals of language proficiency, community-building and capacity to promote and participate in language revitalization among learners of Michif.
February 17, 12-1 p.m. | Free
Attend Zoom event

We Need a New Story: Walking and the wâhkôhtowin Imagination
Faculty of Education Dean’s Lecture Series: Dr. Dwayne Donald
Inspired and guided by the nêhiyaw (Cree) wisdom concept of wâhkôhtowin, Dwayne Donald, professor, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, frames walking as a life practice that can teach kinship relationality and help reconceptualize Indigenous-Canadian relations on more ethical terms. A significant curricular and pedagogical challenge faced by educators in Canada today is how to facilitate the emergence of a new story that can repair inherited colonial divides and give good guidance on how Indigenous peoples and Canadians can live together differently. In his experience, Donald believes the emergence of a new story can be facilitated through the life practice of walking.
February 17, 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Free
Register 

Kaffeeklatsch: Aganetha Dyck, Reva Stone and Diana Thorneycroft in conversation
School of Art Gallery
Join internationally renowned artists Aganetha Dyck, Diana Thorneycroft and Reva Stone for the fourth installment of Kaffeeklatsch. Sharing a studio for 27 years and a friendship that spans even longer, this trio will converse about the ways in which their relationship has supported pivotal moments of their life and art practice. Dyck, Stone and Thorneycroft bolster practices that are uniquely complex and evocative yet all critique contemporary societies’ practices and histories.
February 18, 12-1 p.m. | Free
Details

Workshop: How to Talk to Bees with Aganetha Dyck
School of Art Gallery
In this workshop, Aganetha Dyck will use her art practice to exemplify the ways in which she has approached and has collaborated with bees to create her sculptural works. She will go into depth on how beekeepers have guided her to successfully and safely collaborate with honeybees, as well as her ventures working with different scientists all over Canada and abroad on cutting edge research on the preservation of honeybees. Please have handy: paper & a pencil/pen and a favourite, typical kind of bread* that you identify as a part of your family/home/culture/community.
February 19, 1-2:30 p.m.| Free
Learn More

What’s new on LinkedIn this year?
Take your LinkedIn profile to the next level with this free webinar! LinkedIn is always changing – and the savviest job-seekers change right along with it. Join former LinkedIn insider, Omar Garriott, to discover new tools to explore which careers match your skills best, based on data from 700 million professionals.
February 28, 7-8:30 p.m. | Free
Register

For more events: University of Manitoba events calendar

The Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize graduates who are outstanding in their professional and personal lives, and who have been an inspiration to fellow alumni, current students and the community.

“I am constantly impressed by the accomplishments of our graduates,” says David Barnard, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba. “The alumni recognized this year are some of the most dedicated pioneers and innovators ever to hail from the University of Manitoba, whose efforts have generated positive change in the lives of people not only here in Manitoba, but around the globe.”

The 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are:

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Edward Lyons, OC [BSc/63, BSc(Med)/68, MD/68] Doctor. Renowned researcher. Visionary.

Dr. Edward Lyons helped to make ultrasound one of modern medicine’s most widely used diagnostic tools. As a U of M medical student in the 1960s, he was among the first to use the technology to detect blood clots and brain tumours, and in the decades since became a global expert. His groundbreaking work also helped to show ultrasound is safe for fetuses and mothers, influencing hospitals around the world to adopt the technology. The renowned radiologist worked with manufacturers and shaped the evolution of ultrasound machines—once the size of refrigerator and now no larger than a cell phone. Lyons was inducted as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2007.

Read more.

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
Emmie Leung [BComm(Hons)/76] Entrepreneur. Industry leader. Pioneer.

A pioneer in the waste and recycling industry, Emmie Leung sees possibility everywhere—even in garbage bins. With her University of Manitoba commerce degree, she started a one-woman recycling operation and grew it into a $100 million family of companies that’s shaped how we protect the planet for future generations. Coming to Winnipeg from Hong Kong on her own as a young student, Leung forged her own path, surviving off rice and Cheese Whiz. Now, Emterra Group employs close to 1,000 people and sells more than 500,000 tonnes of recycled commodities annually.

Read more.

SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
The Hong Kong Alumni Association
Community builders. Volunteers. Mentors.

To its members, this alumni association feels like family. For more than three decades the group in Hong Kong—home to one of the largest alumni populations outside of North America—has celebrated their alma mater and the ways the University has shaped them. The Association brings together generations of alumni and fosters meaningful, long-lasting connections to the U of M and to one other. They are dedicated mentors to new alumni returning to Hong Kong, offering guidance and a network of expertise from which graduates begin successful careers. The tight-knit community also enriches the international student population, encouraging the best and brightest to experience the U of M, and then supporting them on their journey.

Read more.

COMMUNITY SERVICE
Karen Beaudin, OM [BA/92, BSW/11] Métis Leader. Advocate. Defender.

Karen Beaudin strengthens community wherever she goes. As a tireless volunteer and proud Métis woman, Beaudin champions Indigenous youth, believing in their potential and shared right to opportunity. She brings her positivity to everyone she meets—whether she’s coaching soccer or teaching square dancing to Indigenous kids. With University of Manitoba degrees in arts and social work, Beaudin supports downtown and Elmwood neighbourhoods as a community resource coordinator for the City of Winnipeg. Both personally and professionally, she steps forward to help the city’s most vulnerable. Beaudin received the Order of Manitoba in 2015.
Read more.

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI
Diana Nicholson [BSc(BioE)/06] Engineer. Global partner. Innovator.

Diana Nicholson is unafraid to go where she’s needed most and work with people in crisis, including those surrounded by disease, disaster and armed conflict. Partnering with Doctors Without Borders, the engineer has been to turbulent refugee camps in Chad, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, and to the frontlines of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. As a water sanitation specialist Nicholson designed and built structures to bring clean water—along with hope and dignity—to communities in turmoil. She’s spent a combined two years overseas, building latrines, assembling piping networks—even building a water treatment plant in only a few days to serve 50,000 refugees.

Read more.

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI
Gary Wong [PhD/14] Scientist. Disease fighter. Trailblazer.

As a U of M graduate student, Wong was part of a Winnipeg team that discovered a treatment for Ebola and saved lives during the outbreak in West Africa. It was Wong who first showed the effectiveness of antibodies derived from the tobacco plant. Fellow scientists say his intuition and diligence in the lab has revolutionized the treatment of infectious diseases. His findings not only conquered Ebola but inspired the development of antibody therapies for other deadly viruses, including HIV. Wong is now lending his expertise to China, helping the country set up their own infectious disease network.

Read more.

Kim Metcalfe, President of the University of Manitoba Alumni Association, notes: “With more than 132,000 alumni worldwide, their impact is being felt each and every day. The alumni recognized this year represent only a fraction of the tens of thousands of our graduates whose passion and dedication are making a real difference in people’s lives.”

The awards will be presented at the Distinguished Alumni Awards Celebration of Excellence on May 5, 2016. The inspiring evening will feature performances by students, alumni and faculty, followed by a reception.

Thank you to our generous sponsor: The Personal

Lyons helped to make ultrasound one of modern medicine’s most widely used diagnostic tools. As a U of M medical student in the 1960s, he was among the first to use the technology to detect blood clots and brain tumours, and in the decades since became a global expert.

His groundbreaking work also helped to show ultrasound is safe for fetuses and mothers, influencing hospitals around the world to adopt the technology. The renowned radiologist worked with manufacturers and shaped the evolution of ultrasound machines—once the size of refrigerator and now no larger than a cell phone. Lyons was inducted as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2007.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

In almost 50 years we’ve gone from an image that looked like a snowstorm, to being able to look inside the body with exquisite detail at all the major solid organs, to lifelike 3-D images of fetuses. I didn’t know that [in 1964]. Nobody knew. The 1970s was the onset of the rapid evolution of computers. Medical imaging and the medical applications skyrocketed as computer hardware and software evolved.

In 1978 I published the first color atlas of sectional anatomy, complete with a set of slides for teachers. This was done with the help of the anatomy department and was a compilation of hundreds of body slices in different planes. With the advent of sectional imaging, there was now a need for an annotated anatomical reference guide. Prior to that, anatomists and surgeons dealt only with gross anatomy, visible to the naked eye, and had no need for cross sectional imaging, which allowed for viewing inside the body.

I was a traveller on a stream of new imaging technology that for me was not only fascinating but life and career altering.

People open doors and not everyone walks through, but I chose to explore the opportunities that were available to me.

I always liked technology, especially new technology. I did all kinds of experiments with this technology. In the ’70s we started to look at pregnancy especially the early developing fetus. Of course the big question is: You can see things but are you harming anyone? I did experiments on chicken eggs to see if excessive exposure to ultrasound would result in abnormal chickens. We found no abnormalities, nothing, and there were many studies done. The healthy chickens from the experiments were donated to my wife’s Grade 5 class—a homemade coop and all. They were a big hit with the children.

I was lucky to get into the field at that time. Had I come in 10 years earlier or 20 years later, I would have missed the boat and the chance to do some of the early work, meet and work with other international ultrasound pioneers and in some way, help to influence the field.

I was able to ride the wave of technology and work very closely with international imaging companies. We had a big established ultrasound lab very early on; we were the first lab in Canada doing general ultrasound. Companies were looking to work with labs doing clinical work to test and then highlight their technology at various imaging meetings. Our ultrasound team was more than willing to do that: to be able to use the latest technology to realize better imaging of all organs. This was in return for spending a little more time or doing things slower in the lab. Ultimately, I spent a lot of time lecturing on the new technology I had an opportunity to use. In 1985 we were the first lab to use a newly developed probe that could be placed within a few centimeters of a developing embryo. These images of a 3mm, six-week embryo were mind-blowing.

I loved doing what I was doing. I love medicine. My role model was my father, Dr. Ruvin Lyons, a dedicated obstetrician and community leader. He practiced for 50 years and retired at age 82. He loved medicine and his patients idolized him. And I saw that and it inspired me.

My parents, my wife Harriet, my son Sami, his wife Rose, my daughter Mara, her husband Sheldon, and our four granddaughters also played a major role in supporting and encouraging me throughout my career.

I loved working with new technology. I loved dealing with patients. I loved working with clinicians to solve difficult problems. It was an exciting time and still today I love it just as much.

The future? We still haven’t realized it. As I say in my lectures to first-year Medicine, I show people what the technology used to be, what it is today, and what it could be tomorrow when they have these ultrasound machines in their pockets instead of a stethoscope. Whether they are in a high-tech environment like Winnipeg or a low-tech environment in some rural communities, they should be better able to evaluate their patient’s problems.

The best part of my day is when a clinician calls me and says, “Ted, I have a problem. Can you help me?” And I do what I can do using ultrasound technology to help them out. It’s something I find very rewarding.

My advice to medical students is that medicine is a never-ending journey of listening, learning, practicing and helping. Enjoy your journey. I certainly have. If you can, find a role model and follow his or her path.

Read more #UMDAA2016.

Thank you to our generous sponsor: The Personal.

A pioneer in the waste and recycling industry, Leung sees possibility everywhere—even in garbage bins. With her University of Manitoba commerce degree, she started a one-woman recycling operation and grew it into a $100 million family of companies that’s shaped how we protect the planet for future generations.

Coming to Winnipeg from Hong Kong on her own as a young student, Leung forged her own path, surviving off rice and Cheese Whiz. Now, Emterra Group employs close to 1,000 people and sells more than 500,000 tonnes of recycled commodities annually.

IN HER OWN WORDS

I’m the type of person that if I want to do something, nobody can stop me.

If you want to do something and you are determined to do something, you find a way to overcome all obstacles and that’s what I always tell my children. First of all, you need to find what you want to do and once you set your goal, don’t stop. Just go for it.

Coming to Canada what I experienced was a culture shock. It is really, really cold and my first weather air outside the airport, the chill went through my nostrils right into my head. That was a real culture shock. I had a warm jacket but I didn’t realize the cold air would be that cold in September.

The people are so nice in Winnipeg. I was brought up in a big metropolitan area, Hong Kong. You don’t talk to strangers and you don’t venture out at midnight as a woman. You just feel a wall. Here in Manitoba, every place I go to they open their arms and welcome me.

I overcame the hardship. It was tough. But I tend to say is ‘the hardship is bygone’. What I cherish is the future. And this is how I live my life.

If you have a set-back, you just stay on the course.

People tell me ‘You’re very stubborn’. I say, ‘Yes, you better believe it.’

The determination to go for your dreams—I think that is the most important thing in anybody’s life. If you have a dream, go for it and do it. Don’t stop. And overcome whenever it throws an obstacle in your way. This is very important.

My mother had very little means. She did not have an education but she made it work to make a nice home for us, a warm and caring home. My mother is a great inspiration to the way I conduct my life.

The waste industry is a very macho industry.

I believe that women need support in terms of peer groups and financing. We find that just because women are the minority, the bank and the financial institutions don’t really want to take risks with them. So some support in that area is important. Particularly for starting out. I have had a hard time at that time myself. I work around it. I work through it.

Learn as much as you can so you have a bag of tricks in your life that you can pull out when you need it. I enjoy learning. Everyday, I love to learn and every day I like to improve things.

Fun, to me, is the doing.

When I started this business, it was purely a means to make a living.

When I started my first plant [in 1980], I thought ‘Wow, I process it, I touch it, I ship recyclables.’

In the second year, I lost money and the bank called the loan. That was a big ‘wow’ to me. Setbacks are very important. I believed that I learned from it.

The biggest challenge in this business is finding the people with the right minds. Find a leader, find the right mind and the commitment and work together.

You need to inspire people.

I love to see my employees able to expand their horizons, to do the best they can whether with or without the company—at home, or if they go for another job. Because this is the talent that they have and they should use it and benefit themselves and benefit the economy, the world, society.

When I see some waste, my mind is sort of moving: How can we reuse it? What are the possibilities?

I would like to do more.

The constantly trying to find answers—it’s in me.

I see a lot of young ladies coming in to our field and lots of young ladies in business in the environmental field but again we still have the CEO, the president, the COO—all of these senior level positions—with a lack of ladies. They are in middle management—hey, nothing wrong with that—in 10 more years down the road, they will be at the senior level. That’s what I’m hoping for.

If you have a dream, go for it. Don’t stop.

Read more #UMDAA2016.

Thank you to our generous sponsor: The Personal.

To its members, this alumni association feels like family. For more than three decades the group in Hong Kong—home to one of the largest alumni populations outside of North America—has celebrated their alma mater and the ways the University has shaped them. The Association brings together generations of alumni and fosters meaningful, long-lasting connections to the U of M and to one other.

They are dedicated mentors to new alumni returning to Hong Kong, offering guidance and a network of expertise from which graduates begin successful careers. The tight-knit community also enriches the international student population, encouraging the best and brightest to experience the U of M, and then supporting them on their journey.

IN HER OWN WORDS

Rita Mui Goodridge [BComm(Hons)/82] is President of the Hong Kong Alumni Association, and regional vice president of sales for Fox Network Group in Hong Kong.

Most of the time it’s relationship building, helping out new students coming back if they need career advice or connections. It’s almost like a family.

It was important that the founding group were professionals, successful people and genuinely nice. The connection then was helpful to a newly returned graduate.

I came back to Hong Kong in 1982. I knew Judy Cheung who was the first president. She asked me to be involved—that’s how I started my involvement with the alumni.

It was nice to get to know the graduates whom we did not know at university. Many returned graduates were more senior than me and they were successful in their lives, in their career or family. It was an inspiration to me.

The first alumni I met were the founding members of the Association—they were open and kind and they just wanted to create a University of Manitoba Hong Kong community. They did a good job to start this. And they still continue to support the alumni when we organize events.

There is strong bonding when you have a common background. We all came from the University of Manitoba. The university had shaped us into what we are today and we often talk about the university days. There is gratitude and lots of unconditional friendship.

My memories of Winnipeg have always been good because I was very lucky—I made good friends there. I guess what I am today is what I learned at different stages. Life in Canada shaped me, gave me some fundamental base to be who I am today. I have very good memories of my time in Canada.

We focus on encouraging alumni to stay active and try to connect to newly returned graduates through information shared from the External Relations office. We reach out to them whenever we have a U of M event.

We offer mentoring and career advice. In Hong Kong it is all about contacts and networking, and sometimes we are able to give them pointers and hopefully guide them through crossroads.

It is very satisfying if you think you can help and make a difference. The idea is not for them to do things through a short cut. They still need to learn from mistakes and grow from there. But we are here to share our thoughts and open their minds broader and wider and embrace new things and new ideas.

We genuinely care about this friendship and bonding. The group then becomes bigger and bigger and the support is always there.

Read more #UMDAA2016.

Thank you to our generous sponsor: The Personal.

She strengthens community wherever she goes. As a tireless volunteer and proud Métis woman, Beaudin champions Indigenous youth, believing in their potential and shared right to opportunity. She brings her positivity to everyone she meets—whether she’s coaching soccer or teaching square dancing to Indigenous kids.

With University of Manitoba degrees in arts and social work, Beaudin supports downtown and Elmwood neighbourhoods as a community resource coordinator for the City of Winnipeg. Both personally and professionally, she steps forward to help the city’s most vulnerable. Beaudin received the Order of Manitoba in 2015.

IN HER OWN WORDS

Don’t let people tell you that you can’t do something.

I think a good role model walks the talk. A lot of people just talk the talk but they don’t follow through. I try to do the right things and I try to be honest and be a good example.

Community is people trying to work together and look after each other.

I work with the positive and try to get the negative out of my sight.

When I applied for the community development job at the City of Winnipeg I didn’t know what community development was. [The woman] who interviewed me told me I was already doing it: bringing communities together. Now I understand it but back then I didn’t. Once I got in to the position it was easy to get to know people and have people get involved.

Growing up I didn’t know who I was. I just knew I was dark-skinned, a bit darker than other people. But I think as you get older you better understand your identity. I started up the Manitoba Métis Federation local in St. Eustache. You could really see the pride of people.

People should know their history and go back to it. For example, Residential Schools—knowing helps people understand why we have the issues we have in our community: the gangs, the drugs, child welfare. I think it is important to share that history and people need to be informed. A lot of people don’t know.

I like to listen to the Elders because it is grounding. I like being part of things where an Elder is present.

I was teaching square dancing at Turtle Island and this little guy used to come all the time, then he didn’t come one Thursday. I asked where he was and was told he went into [Child and Family Services]. One day he showed up—I guess he had ran away—and I said, not even thinking, “If I can get you to come stay with me, will you stay with me?” And that’s how I got into fostering.

The university course I had the most fun in was a feminist perspectives course—such an awesome course. They kept bringing up [Manitoba politician] Muriel Smith. I knew I needed to talk to her so I called her.

One of my biggest role models was my uncle Phil. He’s a teacher. He is smart and was probably the only one from my family who worked in a field where you had to go to university to get that degree. He’s a very good storyteller—whether it was about my family, the past or older people. I’d have a cup of tea with him and ask him questions.

I don’t like controversy unless it is going to resolve something. I don’t react right away. I need time to process things. People may see it as a downfall but I don’t want to blurt something out that I’d regret.

People need to be supportive of each other, help when you can, and find out what the real issues are. Know the facts because that’s the biggest thing. You don’t know their stories. Sometimes the stories are not very nice.

If I had a magic wand I don’t know where I’d start.

Read more #UMDAA2016.

Thank you to our generous sponsor: The Personal.