Genome Prairie has announced a $7.2 million investment through Genome Canada and partners to improve health-care delivery and patient outcomes in the Prairie provinces. Over the next four years, researchers will conduct the largest genomics study ever undertaken in the region, analyzing the DNA of more than 3,000 individuals from Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

This ambitious project will place the Prairies at the forefront of cutting-edge medical research and innovation, uncovering life-changing insights into genetic and molecular drivers of disease.

Beyond scientific advancement, PrairieGen aims in the long term to save lives, improve patient outcomes and alleviate pressures on the health-care system through earlier detection and targeted treatments.

Using genomics to drive meaningful impact

Dr. Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg

Distinguished professor Dr. Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg and Dr. Athanasios Zovoilis from the Max Rady College of Medicine in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba are leading the initiative.

Rockman-Greenberg is a member of the Shared Health Program of Genetics and Metabolism, professor of pediatrics and child health, as well as a researcher with the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM).  Zovoilis is an associate professor of biochemistry and medical genetics, researcher with CHRIM and a senior scientist at the Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute at CancerCare Manitoba.

“This is about using cutting-edge science to make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Rockman-Greenberg. “By studying the genetic makeup of our population, we can identify health risks earlier, tailor treatments to individual patients, and ultimately improve patient care across the Prairie provinces.”

Researchers will not only study DNA, but also analyze how genes interact with lifestyle, environment and other factors. PrairieGen will integrate Manitoba and Saskatchewan data into the Pan-Canadian Genome Library, ensuring the Prairies play a leading role in national and global genomic advancements.

Changing lives through precision medicine

PrairieGen research team

For many families, this research could lead to life-changing medical advances in the long term. By identifying genetic markers linked to diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia and metabolic disorders, the project will help doctors provide earlier diagnoses and more targeted treatments.

“Imagine a future where a simple genetic test can tell someone if they are at risk for a serious illness – before they even show symptoms,” said Rockman-Greenberg. “That knowledge can empower patients to take preventive action, and it allows doctors to intervene earlier with more effective treatments.”

Children with rare genetic conditions, individuals with a family history of chronic illness, and many other Prairie residents will benefit from PrairieGen’s discoveries. By creating a secure, ethically governed genomics data source, the initiative will also provide a critical foundation for future research, clinical applications and data-driven health-care policies.

Strengthening local research and innovation

Beyond the promise of long-term patient benefits, PrairieGen is strengthening Manitoba’s leadership position in national and global genomic and bioinformatics research. The initiative will enhance sequencing and bioinformatics infrastructure at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences (RFHS) and CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB).

The project implementation will take place at the Statistical Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Platform (SGB) at RFHS and at the Bioinformatics Core Platform at CCMB, ensuring that the province remains competitive in the rapidly evolving field of precision medicine and AI-driven health-care innovation.

Dr. Athan Zovoilis

Zovoilis, project co-lead and director and co-director of the CCMB Bioinformatics Core and SGB, respectively, sees PrairieGen as a transformative step in building capacity in bioinformatics, AI-driven genomic tools and precision medicine in the province.

“We’re not just conducting research – we’re building a lasting resource and capacity in Manitoba that will help doctors and scientists improve health care for generations to come,” said Zovoilis. “The insights we gain today will shape the treatments of the future and put Manitoba at the epicentre of next-generation sequencing technologies and AI-driven genomic medicine.”

A future shaped by precision medicine

PrairieGen represents a shift toward a more personalized, proactive health-care system. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, doctors will increasingly be able to tailor treatments to individual patients based on their unique genetic profiles. This not only improves patient outcomes but also reduces health-care costs by minimizing ineffective treatments and hospital visits.

“AI-driven tools for genomics is the future of medicine,” said Zovoilis. “With PrairieGen, we will be supporting the development of such tools and bringing that future to Manitoba and Saskatchewan, ensuring that our communities benefit from the latest scientific breakthroughs available.”

“The passion and commitment shown by our community of physicians and researchers is a great source of pride to the Max Rady College of Medicine and to UM as a whole,” said Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost (health sciences) and dean of the Max Rady College of Medicine and the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. “This honour not only recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of our University of Manitoba alumni and faculty members but also underscores UM’s dedication to nurturing generations of influential physicians and innovative researchers. Together, we continue to shape the future of medicine, making a lasting impact on health in Canada and beyond.”

On Nov. 18, University of Manitoba alumni, partners, faculty members, learners, and friends of the college will come together to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Max Rady College of Medicine at a gala at the RBC Convention Centre. The event will raise funds for MD and grad student bursaries and serve as an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of all its members.

Please enjoy these snapshots of the remarkable UM faculty and alumni named laureates of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame who have helped the Max Rady College of Medicine make its mark at home and around the world.

Biographies of our CMHF laureates:

2022 – Dr. Noralou Roos

Unlocked the potential of big data systems analysis to clarify the social determinants of health helping inform effective policies in support of universal health care

Dr. Noralou Roos, a pioneer in big data analysis for health care, co-founded the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy with her husband Leslie Roos. Over five decades, their initiative tracked the health and health care utilization of one million Manitobans, creating a valuable data resource linking health-care system use with actual needs. Dr. Roos’ innovative approach in gathering and analyzing administrative health-care data has set global standards, enabling post-market pharmaceutical safety assessments, data-informed resource allocation (especially in children’s health care) and more effective poverty alleviation strategies. Her pioneering work has gained international recognition and established large-scale data analysis as a cornerstone of effective population health-care management. Through her EvidenceNetwork.ca project, she shares authoritative health-care information with the public, utilizing media to enhance understanding of health-care issues. Dr. Roos has been transformative in reshaping health-care analysis and policy development.

2020 – Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov

A champion of personalized and dignified end of life care

Harvey Max Chochinov [MD/83, PhD/96], a distinguished professor of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and senior scientist at the Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, CancerCare Manitoba, is a leading advocate for personalized and dignified end-of-life care. His pioneering work has improved palliative care for those facing life-limiting conditions, addressing distress, depression and the desire for death, while promoting vulnerability recognition. Dr. Chochinov’s research provides guidelines for psychosocial intervention and enabling individuals to approach their end-of-life with dignity. Throughout his career, he has touched the lives of thousands with the life-affirming principles of Dignity Therapy.

2019 – Dr. Naranjan Dhalla

A champion of Canadian cardiovascular research on the international stage

Naranjan Dhalla, a prominent figure in Canadian cardiovascular research, holds the title of distinguished professor of physiology and pathophysiology at the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine. He is a founding leader of two global cardiovascular science organizations: the International Society of Heart Research (ISHR), emphasizing fundamental cardiovascular research, and the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences (IACS), committed to promoting cardiovascular health education and community involvement. These organizations have fostered international collaboration, bringing together countries and regions worldwide to advance cardiovascular knowledge and health. Dr. Dhalla’s contributions have earned him 177 honours and awards from organizations globally.

2018 – Philip Berger [MD/74]

A renowned leader in health promotion, illness prevention and care

Philip Berger [MD/74], an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and former chief of the department of family and community medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital (1997-2013), is a prominent leader in health promotion, illness prevention and compassionate health care. He’s been a staunch advocate for various marginalized groups, including refugees, the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with HIV/AIDS, those battling addiction, homelessness and poverty. Dr. Berger has actively promoted initiatives like methadone treatment, needle exchanges, recognition of torture survivors’ needs, academic infirmaries for the homeless and clinical AIDS treatment in Africa, often in the face of indifference or opposition.

2018 – Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg

A trailblazer in genetic identification and treatment for rare disorders

Dr. Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg, a pioneer in rare disorder genetics, discovered her passion for these conditions early on, shaping her career in pediatrics and medical genetics. As an academic clinician, she specialized in applied molecular genetics, uncovering the genetic roots of disorders prevalent in unique populations. Notably, she delved into hypophosphatasia (HPP), a metabolic bone disorder and glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1), a complex organic acid metabolism disorder affecting Mennonite and Indigenous communities. Dr. Rockman-Greenberg has collaborated closely with these communities, bridging the gap between research facilities at major universities and the people who rely on advanced knowledge and skills for their care.

2017 – Estelle Simons, [MD/69] FRCPC

An icon in the field of allergy and immunology

Professor emerita Dr. Estelle Simons [MD/69], an icon in allergy and immunology, is renowned for her lifelong research on managing allergic diseases like asthma, allergic rhinitis and anaphylaxis. Over the years, she led groundbreaking clinical pharmacology studies, correlating blood concentrations with organ effects to confirm dosing rationale for new medications. Many of these drugs have stood the test of time, remaining globally utilized and proven safe. Dr. Simons also collaborated with immunology experts to uncover allergen sensitization mechanisms and explore novel agents for immune modulation.

2013 – Arnold Naimark, OC, [MD/57]

An outstanding leader and academic builder

Arnold Naimark [MD/57], a remarkable academic leader, joined the University of Manitoba in 1963, swiftly ascending to the role of dean of the faculty of medicine by 1971. As dean, he transformed the university’s medical programs, revitalizing departments like physiology and social/preventive medicine (later community health sciences) and spearheading the creation of the Northern Medical Unit. His innovative leadership extended to national and international medical education and research organizations. In 1981, he became the University of Manitoba’s ninth president and vice-chancellor, addressing broader university matters while continuing to advance medicine and health sciences.

2012 – John Dirks, OC [MD/57]

An exemplary builder in health research and innovation and committed global health advocate

John Dirks [MD/61], a clinician-scientist and global health advocate, has made remarkable contributions to health research and innovation. He excelled in renal physiology and held leadership roles in Canadian medical faculties. His passion for global health developed during his time at the Aga Khan University in Pakistan. However, Dr. Dirks’ most enduring achievement is transforming the Gairdner Foundation and its awards into the renowned Canada Gairdner Awards. These awards celebrate exceptional biomedical research. His visionary leadership revitalized the organization, boosting its global recognition and ensuring the lasting impact of these awards.

2011 – Allan Ronald, OC [MD/61]

An internationally respected expert in infectious disease and a pioneer in HIV/AIDS research and control

After international training, Allan Ronald [MD/61] returned to Winnipeg in 1968 to set in motion the creation of the Manitoba Infectious Disease Program. It soon became internationally recognized and has been acknowledged as Canada’s centre of excellence in the research and training of infectious diseases. As part of his commitment to global infectious disease research and treatment, Dr. Ronald assisted the University of Nairobi in creating one of the premiere initiatives in health collaborations between northern and southern institutions: the University of Manitoba/University of Nairobi WHO Research and Training Program in Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

2010 – James Hogg [MD/62]

A passionate and innovative scientist in the field lung research

James Hogg [MD/62], a dedicated and innovative scientist in lung research, has significantly shaped our understanding of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma. His pioneering work on airway inflammation has transformed how scientists and physicians view COPD. Throughout his extensive career, Dr. Hogg has consistently focused on exploring the mechanisms and anatomical aspects of obstructive lung diseases. His contributions have established him as a leading authority in these fields, profoundly impacting the medical community’s knowledge of COPD and asthma worldwide.

2003 – Charles Hollenberg [MD/55]

A leader of the Canadian academic medical community

After receiving his MD from the University of Manitoba and pursuing post-graduate training in internal medicine, Charles Hollenberg [MD/55] turned to a life of academic medicine and leadership. Dr. Hollenberg’s academic career began at McGill University in the 1960s, where he conducted an active program of research in fat metabolism and actively promoted the growth of scientific medicine at the Montreal General Hospital. The following decade he spent as chair of the department of medicine at the University of Toronto, where he was successful in furthering the mission of the department in all areas, including teaching, administration and research.

2001 – Henry Friesen [MD/58]

A transformative influence on health research in Canada

Dr. Henry Friesen [MD/58], a pivotal figure in Canadian health research, began his journey in 1965 at McGill University’s department of medicine. There, his pioneering work on human growth hormones enabled effective hormone replacement therapy for children with deficiencies. He later achieved a breakthrough in endocrine research by isolating and purifying prolactin. Beyond his research, Dr. Friesen demonstrated remarkable administrative leadership, notably as president of the Medical Research Council of Canada. He successfully navigated the council through challenging periods with remarkable competence and diplomacy, and his vision and advocacy played a key role in transforming it into the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. His contributions have left an indelible mark on health research in Canada.

1995 – Bruce Chown, OC [MD/22]

An expert clinician, diagnostician, innovator and teacher

Dr. Bruce Chown [MD/22], a highly skilled clinician, diagnostician, innovator and educator, dedicated his career to researching erythroblastosis fetalis, commonly known as “Rh disease.” This condition occurs when a pregnant mother’s Rh factor differs from her unborn child’s, leading her immune system to harm the baby, potentially causing severe complications in vital organ development and even fetal or postnatal death. Dr. Chown went on to establish a facility in partnership with Connaught Laboratories for producing Rh immune serum. His groundbreaking work significantly reduced the incidence of Rh disease in Canada and globally, protecting countless pregnancies and newborns from this condition.

A Winnipeg doctor whose research focuses on figuring out what causes rare genetic disorders within certain populations in Manitoba is one of three people in the province to be among the newest recipients of the Order of Canada.

Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg said she was sitting at her desk, surrounded by students and colleagues at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute, when she got the call telling her the news about two weeks ago…

Two other Manitobans were also given the honour: Louis-Frédéric Paquin, for his contributions to francophone culture through the creation of Franco-Manitoban television and documentaries, and Janice Sanderson, for her leadership within Manitoba’s public service by promoting improved quality of life and health for children.

Rockman-Greenberg, who is a clinician scientist at the research institute and a distinguished professor at the University of Manitoba, said she only planned to stay in Winnipeg temporarily when she came here after finishing school in Montreal over four decades ago.

“I thought I would stay six months, but I have been here for 41 years,” she said. “It’s been a perfect fit.”

Rockman-Greenberg’s research has involved screening newborns for genetic disorders to detect them before symptoms appear. It also places an emphasis on working with the people involved to make sure the patient stays at the centre of any healthcare recommendations.

Read more on the CBC story here.

Healing Lives: A Century of Manitoba Jewish Physicians has a free, public launch on Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. at the Berney Theatre on the Asper Jewish Community Campus. It also has a launch on Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. at McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park.

Published by the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada, the book is the product of several years of information-gathering and fundraising by a committee from the Jewish community. It includes a foreword by distinguished Jewish Canadian historian Irving Abella. 

“In the first half of the 20th century, and even later, Jewish physicians had to overcome prejudice,” says Dr. Jo Swartz, an anesthetist and U of M faculty member who was active on the committee and whose father, Dr. Mel Swartz, was a well-known urologist.

“They were so dedicated,” Swartz says. “They persisted and they excelled. They treated their patients with compassion.  And many of them explored the edges of science and medicine.”

With the goal of documenting the more than 400 Jewish physicians who have practised in Manitoba since 1881, the book committee received research assistance from the Jewish Heritage Centre, and from University of Manitoba medical archivist Jordan Bass.

A U of M website was established so that anyone with information or archival material could submit it. Eva Wiseman, an accomplished Winnipeg author, was hired to conduct further research and write the history.

Dr. Arnold Naimark, who was named the first Jewish dean of medicine at the U of M in 1971 and went on to become university president, also served on the book committee. It was important, Naimark says, that the publication be more than a who’s who.

“It’s not only about who these physicians were, but what they contributed, and how that played out in a social, political and economic context,” Naimark says.  

The book recounts how, from the 1880s through at least the first half of the 20th century, Manitoba Jews faced overt discrimination. They were excluded from many careers, but medicine was open to them. Although many encountered obstacles in obtaining internships and hospital appointments, practising medicine fit with the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, or “repairing the world.”

By the 1920s, Jews were well represented as students at the U of M medical college. Then, in the early 1930s under a bigoted dean of medicine, the college introduced a covert quota system to exclude many Jewish and other minority students. 

In 1943-44, a U of M mathematics lecturer named Shlomo Mitchell led a small group of Jewish students in gathering evidence of the quota system. Mitchell’s whistle-blowing cost him his job. But he and his group succeeded in ending the quota by exposing it to the Manitoba government.  As Abella writes, “It was the opening skirmish in the fight against anti-Semitism in Canada in the 1940s.”

Today, as Wiseman notes, the once-discriminatory college is named the Max Rady College of Medicine in honour of a Jewish physician. Rady graduated from the U of M in 1921 and was known – like many Jewish doctors of the pre-medicare era – for treating patients regardless of their ability to pay.

The social conscience of the Jewish medical community is a strong theme in Healing Lives, from the founding of the free Mount Carmel Clinic – which some dreamed would become a Jewish hospital – to a groundbreaking health-care scheme introduced in the late 1940s.

Under this plan, Winnipeg garment factory owners paid into a health fund. Garment workers also contributed a small percentage of their wages. The Mall Medical Clinic, which had been founded in a socialist spirit by predominantly Jewish doctors, was then paid by the fund to provide health services to the workers and their families.

It was, Wiseman writes, “the first union-industry prepaid medical plan in Canada, and perhaps in all of North America.”

Healing Lives profiles trailblazers such as Dr. Jack Hildes, the hero of Winnipeg’s 1953 polio epidemic and founder of the U of M’s Northern Medical Unit; Dr. Lyonel Israels, a hematologist who was the patriarch of cancer care in Manitoba; and Dr. Mindel Cherniack Sheps, one of the few Jewish women admitted to the medical school under the quota. Sheps, a public health expert, moved to Saskatchewan to advise the government on introducing medicare.

Other notable figures include, to name only a few, palliative care innovator Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov, renowned geneticist Dr. Cheryl Rockman-Greenberg, inflammatory bowel disease specialist Dr. Charles Bernstein and children’s health champion Dr. Dorothy (Osovsky) Hollenberg, a member by marriage of Winnipeg’s Hollenberg medical dynasty.

“Jewish physicians have taken their place in every aspect of the medical profession,” says Naimark.