Pylypjuk is the 2024 recipient of the Terry G. Falconer Memorial Rh Institute Foundation Emerging Researcher Award in the Health Sciences category, in recognition of her research to improve outcomes for pregnant patients and their babies.  

UM Today caught up with Pylypjuk to learn more about her and the research she is undertaking. 

Tell us a bit about yourself and your research. 

I’m an obstetrician with a subspecialty in maternal fetal medicine, so I do high-risk obstetrics and fetal ultrasound. I’m now an associate professor at the University of Manitoba. I did my undergrad at the University of Winnipeg, med school at UM, specialty training between UBC and Saskatchewan, and a fellowship in Calgary before returning to Manitoba for my final year of training. 

I came to research in a bit of a backwards way. I had a busy clinical practice and was hired when they needed someone to lead the Provincial Rh Program. I became medical director with a three-month-old baby. As a new staff and new mom, I was interested in research—especially because pregnant patients are often excluded from clinical trials and primary evidence is often lacking. I had clinical questions inspired by the families I was working with, but not the research training yet. 

So I did a master’s in epidemiology from the University of London while working as faculty. I finished in 2018 and became one of only two clinician-scientists in our department. My research focuses on fetal ultrasound—using routine scans that most pregnant patients receive to look for markers that are often overlooked but may predict complications during labour or longer-term health risks. 

For example, we’ve found that by mid-pregnancy, babies exposed to diabetes in utero already show differences in kidney volume and fat distribution. These can be early signs of future conditions like diabetes, obesity or hypertension. The goal is to recognize those signs early, so we can better counsel families, plan for delivery and, ideally, intervene before complications arise. 

Why is this research important? 

The biggest thing is prevention. Fetal ultrasound gives us an earlier window and a longer lead time to intervene. And it’s a population that’s often underrepresented in research. 

Longitudinal studies are also hard to do—you need to follow families for decades. But in Manitoba, we have a unique setup. All high-risk pregnancies in the province are referred to our group in Winnipeg for fetal ultrasounds, and we can view those stored images in one place. That gives us a population lens, rather than just studying patients who have the means to attend long-term follow-up visits. It’s a good place to do this kind of developmental cohort work. 

What does the Rh Award mean to you? 

Obstetrics and gynecology in Manitoba has historically punched above its weight. The Rh program that started here has been groundbreaking. We get letters from patients decades later saying, “You saved my brother’s life.” That legacy means a lot to me. 

I was the medical director of that program when I started, and now to be honoured with this award—it’s very humbling. The people who’ve won it before have gone on to do amazing clinical research. And for it to be named after the Rh story, which is so central to maternity care, feels especially meaningful. I don’t know that any obstetricians from our group have received it before. 

What do you hope to achieve in the future? 

We’re still trying to grow our footprint. There probably isn’t a research program at UM dealing with child outcomes, birth outcomes or women’s health that isn’t somehow related to OB-GYN. But balancing clinical and research work is tricky. 

This award gives us more visibility and helps grow support within our department and beyond. I’m hoping it sparks new collaborations and helps people see us as a group they want to work with. We have lots of talented colleagues and trainees, and I’d like to keep building something sustainable and meaningful for the university and beyond. 

What about you might people find surprising? 

Probably my path. I wouldn’t necessarily advise anyone to do it the way I did—faculty first, then research training later. But the benefit is that I really knew what I was interested in. I understood the clinical gaps and understood the existing literature firsthand. 

Also, I come from a small town and grew up on a dairy farm. I was the first person in my family to go to university. One of my parents didn’t finish high school. So now, being associate director of research in our department, it still feels a bit surreal. But if you’re interested in research, and you get along with people and build a team, you can get a lot done. 

Do you have any advice for early-career researchers and students? 

Don’t give up. Find something you’re deeply interested in. My path was clunky, but it feels uniquely my own. If you have a will, there’s always a way. 

People often ask about lifestyle, and it’s true, medicine can be intense. But if you like it, the days go quickly. Academic medicine is still improving, but there’s more flexibility now. Surround yourself with good people. And I think UM is a good place for that—it’s a place that supports diamonds in the rough. 

The postdoctoral fellow in physiology is one of 10 faculty members, students or trainees in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences who have received 2020 leadership development awards through The Winnipeg Foundation’s Martha Donovan Fund.

Rabinovich-Nikitin’s award will fund her to take the online Laboratory Leadership Course offered by the European Molecular Biology Organization.

“It’s a career-development program to help advance a postdoctoral fellow’s next career step in becoming an independent investigator with their own laboratory,” said Rabinovich-Nikitin, whose long-term goal is to lead cardiovascular research on women’s heart health.

“I anticipate learning techniques and tools for leading teams, tailored specifically to the lab and research setting.”

The $250,000 Winnipeg Foundation Martha Donovan Fund was established in 2019 to provide leadership development opportunities for women in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. Up to $50,000 will be awarded annually for five years.

“In this second year of the awards, we received 16 exceptional applications from women at all stages of their academic careers,” said Dr. Sara Israels, vice-dean, academic affairs of the Rady Faculty.

“I was struck by the diversity of academic interests of our awardees, extending from biomedical science to health professions education. We look to these women as future leaders across the full scope of activity in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.”

In light of the pandemic, many of the award recipients will enrol in online leadership programs.

DR. JOANNE PARSONS

Dr. Joanne Parsons, assistant professor of physical therapy in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, will use her award for online training through Academic Impressions, which offers programs for faculty and staff in higher education.

“I anticipate that the training will improve my understanding of leadership styles and principles, with the intention of ensuring that I’m a collegial, effective and efficient leader,” Parsons said. “It will elevate my ability to contribute to service within the university and the physiotherapy profession.”

Dr. Sonia Udod, assistant professor of nursing, will enrol in the Certified Health Executive Program and LEADS Inspired Leadership Program offered by the Canadian College of Health Leaders.

DR. SONIA UDOD

Udod foresees that by expanding her own leadership capabilities, she can disseminate more leadership knowledge to graduate students and build research capacity in the area of leadership.

“I want to learn more about creating a culture of innovation in the master of nursing leadership stream, and about leading organizational and system change to improve patient care,” she said.

Any woman who is a full- or part-time academic faculty member with a primary appointment in a college of the Rady Faculty, or a student, postdoctoral trainee or resident in the Rady Faculty, can apply to the fund to support her pursuit of academic leadership training.

2020 RECIPIENTS:

FACULTY MEMBERS

• Ming-Ka Chan, Pediatrics and Child Health, Max Rady College of Medicine
• Jessica Hartley, Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Max Rady College of Medicine
• Joanne Parsons, Physical Therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences
• Chau Pham, Emergency Medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine
• Christy Pylypjuk, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine
• Sonia Udod, College of Nursing

STUDENTS/TRAINEES

• Jocelyn Elias, College of Nursing
• Kathleen Glover, Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine
• Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin, Physiology and Pathophysiology, Max Rady College of Medicine
• Andrea Toews, College of Nursing