Featuring presentations researchers in the early and middle stages of their professional research journey that will highlight important topics representing a wide range of disciplines and Faculties. Hosted by the Vice-President (Research and International) Office, each event will include presentations from five or more emerging experts as well as opportunities for networking and cross-departmental collaboration.

“This event is an exciting opportunity for networking among researchers working to establish new projects and programs at UM,” said Dr. Annemieke Farenhorst, Associate Vice-President (Research).  “Groundbreaking research is taking place every day in our community, and I hope that all researchers will join us to foster new collaborations between our labs and Faculties. I look forward to meeting you there!”

Register by January 24 to join the inaugural Emerging Researcher Spotlight Series:

Thursday February 1, 2024 from 2pm-4pm

Muli-Purpose Room, UMSU University Centre, Fort Garry Campus

Featuring presentations from:

• Lindsay Larios, Faculty of Social Work
• Tara Horrill, College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Akinwumi Ogunrani, Faculty of Law
• Curt McCartney, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
• Chi Liao, Asper School of Business
• Mercedes Garcia Holguera, Faculty of Architecture
• Kjell Anderson, Faculty of Law
• Asher Mendelson, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Future Emerging Researcher Spotlight Events will take place throughout winter and spring 2024:

Session 2, February 27, 2024, 2:00 – 4:00pm, Apotex Centre, room 050, Bannatyne Campus

Session 3, March 28, 2024, 9:00 – 11:00am, Marshall McLuhan Hall, UMSU University Centre, Fort Garry Campus

Session 4, April 23, 2024, 9:00 – 11:00am, Apotex Centre, room 050, Bannatyne Campus

Session 5, May 13, 2024, 9:00 – 11:00am, Muli-Purpose Room, UMSU University Centre, Fort Garry Campus

Session 6, June 17, 2024, 9:00 – 11:00am, Apotex Centre, room 050, Bannatyne Campus

Word cloud of presentation topics at the inaugural Emerging Researcher Spotlight Series, February 1, 2024.

A ventilator, often used in the intensive care unit (ICU), is a bedside machine that mechanically pushes air into the lungs of a patient who needs help breathing. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised the public’s awareness of the machines’ lifesaving importance.

It’s known that being on a ventilator can injure the lungs because forcing air into them causes stretch and strain.

Dr. Asher Mendelson

But why the process – called mechanical ventilation – can damage organs outside the lungs is poorly understood and needs investigation, said the study’s leader, Dr. Asher Mendelson, assistant professor of internal medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine.

The research project has received a one-year grant of $100,000 from The Winnipeg Foundation Innovation Fund, which supports cutting-edge, collaborative medical research in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

“I’m thrilled to receive this funding,” Mendelson said. “I think it demonstrates a huge commitment by The Winnipeg Foundation to scientific innovation. For me as an early-career investigator, this is meaningful support that will go a long way in establishing this research program.”

Mendelson’s previous research revealed that the effect of mechanical ventilation could be detected in the smallest blood vessels of the body, called the microcirculation. This was found by using imaging technology to monitor the quadriceps and bicep muscles in ICU patients.

The new study builds on that research. Mendelson’s team wants to know whether mechanical ventilation causes changes to microcirculation outside of the lungs, which could have negative consequences for skeletal muscle and other organs, such as the brain and kidneys.

To test this hypothesis, the team will image blood flow and vascular function in the skeletal muscle of mouse models. They will also look at biomarkers of vascular injury while monitoring the microcirculation of humans who are on ventilators during surgery.

“We’re hoping to identify the process of injury caused by mechanical ventilation, and by doing that, we might be able to devise new strategies that can prevent injuries from happening,” Mendelson said.

Mendelson, who is a critical care physician, said that because of the pandemic, more people must be put on ventilators and it’s more important than ever to understand the systemic effect of this treatment.

“We really have to understand how mechanical ventilation affects not just the lungs, but all organs in the body,” Mendelson said. “Gaining a better understanding of how mechanical ventilation impacts the organs in the body through the vascular system is going to lead to better outcomes for these patients.”

The research team includes Dr. Andrew Halayko, professor of physiology, Canada Research Chair in lung pathobiology and treatment, and research scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM); Dr. Abdel Soussi Gounni, professor of immunology and scientist at CHRIM; and Dr. Thomas Murooka, professor of immunology.

“One of the things I’m very proud of is the interdisciplinary team that we’ve put together,” Mendelson said. “We’re all contributing our expertise to the project.”