“Congratulations to the successful applicants in the Fall 2020 round of funding. This is an impressive showing by UM investigators,” said Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-dean research of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. 

“Some of these projects focus on improving the lives of people with conditions such as kidney disease, Type 2 diabetes and mental health disorders. Others are lab studies that will advance knowledge about illnesses such as Ebola, leukemia, HIV and metabolic diseases.

“Our researchers are also analyzing data to reveal new evidence about interlinked social and health factors in Manitobans’ lives. And they’re studying areas such as Indigenous-led wellness programs and children’s rehabilitation knowledge sharing in order to identify and build on strengths.”

UM Today recently reported on two of the funded projects, which relate to COVID-19: a randomized trial of a home monitoring platform for patients with chronic kidney disease, led by Dr. Claudio Rigatto, and a study of the lived experiences of families with children who are immunocompromised, led by Dr. Roberta Woodgate.  

Here’s a look at the other projects:

Dr. Clara Bohm, associate professor, internal medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine

Grant: $439,874

Bohm’s team will conduct a randomized trial to assess whether stationary cycling during kidney dialysis treatments reduces heart “stunning” (poor pumping, which can cause heart damage) and improves symptoms such as fatigue. The trial involves participants in Canada, the U.S. and Australia.

Dr. Shay-Lee Bolton, assistant professor, psychiatry, Max Rady College of Medicine

Grant: $100,000

Bolton will evaluate whether a psychotherapy and mindfulness program that is delivered virtually helps public safety personnel, such as police officers and firefighters, cope with stress, maintain mental wellness and remain resilient.

Dr. Dan Chateau, assistant professor, community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; research scientist, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP)

Dr. Marni Brownell, professor, community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; associate director, research, and senior research scientist, MCHP; researcher, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM)

Grant: $432,226

Chateau’s team will use health data to investigate the effects of prescription opioid and psychotropic medication use during pregnancy, looking at patterns of prescription opioid use, short-term effects on children exposed in the womb, and longer-term outcomes for these children.

Dr. David Collister, assistant professor, internal medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine

Grant: $100,000

Collister’s project is a trial comparing oral and topical nabilone (a synthetic form of cannabis) to placebos to determine whether nabilone is safe and effective at reducing itching in patients who are on dialysis for kidney disease.

Dr. Shyamala Dakshinamurti, professor, pediatrics and child health, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $784,125

This study looks at newborn pulmonary hypertension, which prevents some babies from getting enough bloodflow to their lungs. By focusing on a system of signals in the body called the adenylyl cyclase pathway, Dakshinamurti aims to help these infants’ lungs relax and hearts pump strongly.

Dr. Allison Dart, associate professor, pediatrics and child health, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, CHRIM

Dr. Brandy Wicklow, associate professor, pediatrics and child health, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $1,300,500

Dart and Wicklow will study biopsychosocial risk factors for worsening kidney disease in children and teens with Type 2 diabetes. They will also test a skills-based mental health program to help Indigenous youth with Type 2 diabetes manage their emotions and their disease.

Dr. Andrew Hatala, associate professor, community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, CHRIM

Dr. Sabina Ijaz, family physician; Giigewigamig health advisor

Elder Dave Courchene, founder, Turtle Lodge

Grant: $1,748,025

This team will conduct an Indigenous-led study of the Turtle Lodge in Sagkeeng First Nation as a model of Indigenous education, wellness and flourishing. The objectives include developing a framework for stronger relationships between Indigenous Knowledge Holders and biomedical practitioners.

Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, assistant professor, medical microbiology and infectious diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine; Canada Research Chair in molecular pathogenesis of emerging and re-emerging viruses; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $726,750

Kindrachuk’s project focuses on the fact that some men who have recovered from Ebola continue to carry the virus in their reproductive tracts. The study will investigate how the virus persists in the testes and is sexually transmitted. It will also look at Ebola’s long-term effects on reproductive health.

Dr. Ted Lakowski, associate professor, College of Pharmacy

Grant: $699,975

Lakowski’s study aims to develop new cancer therapies that target the specific genes involved in a type of leukemia. These treatments are expected to be more effective and cause fewer side effects than current therapies. The strategy could lead to gene-specific treatments for other cancers.

Dr. Lyle McKinnon, assistant professor, medical microbiology and infectious diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $100,000

McKinnon will study the role of regulatory T cells, a type of immune cell, in controlling female genital inflammation. Because this inflammation puts women at higher risk of HIV infection, the study is relevant to finding better prevention strategies for women who are at risk of HIV exposure.

Dr. Suresh Mishra, professor, internal medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine

Grant: $100,000

Mishra will focus on prohibitin, a protein that plays an important role in sex differences in fat and immune cells. Using mouse models, he will investigate why men and women display differences in susceptibility and resistance to metabolic and immune diseases.

Dr. Rae Spiwak, assistant professor, surgery, Max Rady College of Medicine

Grant: $60,000

Spiwak will use Manitoba data to investigate what social factors place children at greater risk for physical injury. The study will look at a cohort of children who were hospitalized for traumatic physical injury and compare them with uninjured children, examining factors such as parental socioeconomic status and education.

Dr. Elizabeth Wall-Wieler, assistant professor, community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; research scientist, MCHP; Canada Research Chair in population data analytics and data curation

Dr. Marilyn Bennett, assistant professor, Faculty of Social Work

Dr. Marni Brownell, professor, community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; associate director, research, and senior research scientist, MCHP; researcher, CHRIM

Dr. Marcelo Urquia, associate professor, community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; research scientist, MCHP; Canada Research Chair in applied population health

Grant: $393,976

Wall-Wieler’s team will analyze Manitoba data to determine whether parents with specific health conditions are more likely to have a child taken into care, and how having a child taken into care affects parents’ health. The study will compare First Nations, Métis and all other Manitoban parents.  

Dr. Jun-Feng Wang, associate professor, pharmacology and therapeutics, Max Rady College of Medicine

Grant: $623,475

Wang will investigate the role of a protein, Txnip, in chronic stress-induced neuronal dysfunction. The research will use an animal model for depression, aiming to determine if inhibiting Txnip could be used in treating human depression.

Dr. Brandy Wicklow, associate professor, pediatrics and child health, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $100,000

Wicklow will examine beta cell and kidney function in First Nations children whose mothers were diagnosed as children with Type 2 diabetes. The offspring will be studied in early childhood and compared with children not exposed to Type 2 diabetes in the womb. The results will contribute to strategies for early intervention.  

Dr. Kristy Wittmeier, assistant professor, pediatrics and child health, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $100,000

Wittmeier’s team will study how knowledge about research and treatments is shared via networks between researchers, therapists and families of children with development or rehabilitation needs. The goal is to identify strengths and gaps in these knowledge-sharing networks and make recommendations to improve them.

Dr. Roberta Woodgate, distinguished professor, College of Nursing; Canada Research Chair in child and family engagement in health research and healthcare; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $761,176

Woodgate’s study will involve young immigrants and refugees in co-designing culturally sensitive mental health supports for youth like themselves. Parents and community-based organizations will also participate. The researchers will develop a digital mental health self-management prototype.

Tell us about your research.

In my research, I use health and social data sources to look at maternal and child health. Most of the data I use was collected for administrative purposes, like medical claims, pharmacy dispensation records, and foster care case files. In my work around data curation, I am interested in making these data sources easier to use for research purposes, and bringing in new data to complement  data that we already housed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. These population-level data can then be analyzed to gain insights into people’s lives, and to understand how we can improve their health and social outcomes. My research is significant to Canadians in several ways. First, the applied work that I do aims to improve outcomes for moms and kids, which make up a large part of our population. Second, I am working to make the population-based data that I use easier to use for other researchers, so that even more researchers can use these data to look at how we can improve the health and social circumstances of all Canadians.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I started my position at UM in September of this year. My journey to this new CRC role started more than a decade ago. I began working on data analysis during my undergrad at the U of W, where I majored in Statistics. I then did my MSc and PhD at UM, where I conducted my research using the whole-population data housed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy to examine a wide range of health and social research questions. During my PhD, I had the opportunity to work with the population data in Sweden, and during my postdoc, I worked with population-based data in the United States. Through these experiences, I not only developed a strong appreciation for population data analytics and data curation, but also came to understand just how incredible the data is that we have here in Manitoba. I was doing my postdoc in California when I saw the posting for this position, and jumped at the chance to come back to Manitoba and continue working with the incredible data and amazing people at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and in the department of community health sciences.

What does CRC funding mean to you as a researcher?

Having CRC funding means that I can spend more time building my lab and my program of research in these critical first few years of my faculty position. It allows me to hire students, access data, and buy equipment that I need for my lab to be successful.

How did you feel when you learned you were awarded your Canada Research Chair?

I was very excited and honored when I learned that I had been nominated by UM for the CRC position; these feelings were even stronger when I found out earlier this year that the nomination was successful.

What inspires you? 

I was inspired to do the work that I do by a many different teachers and mentors that I’ve had along the way. I became really interested in data analytics and epidemiology through professors I had during my undergrad. But without a doubt, the most influential person in my work has been Dr. Leslie Roos. I started working with him as a research assistant when I was finishing my undergrad, and continued to do my MSc and PhD under his supervision. Dr. Roos is one of the founders of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, and has been working with population-based data for a long time. His enthusiasm for the work and his consistent encouragement to follow my interests were critical in me finding my passion for population data analytics and data curation.

What about you would people find surprising?

Many people may not know that I am an immigrant – my family moved to Canada when I was seven. I grew up in a conservative Mennonite household; low German was my first language and continues to be the primary language spoken in my parent’s home.

Do you have any advice for students/young grad students starting their career?

I would advise students starting graduate school to work with people you like and who are invested in your success, and to work on a project that you really care about. There are a lot of hurdles along the way – papers and funding applications get rejected, the data you are working with has limitations you didn’t anticipate, events in your personal life take up a lot more time than you had anticipated, etc. Without supportive advisors, these setbacks can feel bigger than they are.

The awards were announced today by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. The new UM CRCs will receive $6.4 million over the next five to seven years.

“Our government is taking action to attract and retain the world’s brightest and most distinguished researchers,” said Bains. “For over 20 years, the Canada Research Chairs Program has been mobilizing Canada’s most esteemed academics to train and mentor the next generation of researchers and pursue ground breaking research that responds to society’s economic, social and health needs.”

Ten of the UM CRCs have been awarded to early career researchers and one prestigious Tier 1 chair to an established UM clinician-scientist. The CRC Program provides funding to universities to recruit and retain Canada’s knowledge leaders. Tier 1 chairs are acknowledged by their peers as world leaders in their fields and are appointed for seven years, receiving $1.4 million in funding over their terms. Tier 2 chairs are exceptional emerging researchers in their fields, appointed for rive years, receiving $500,000 in funding over their terms.

“I congratulate this amazing group of research leaders in being awarded Canada Research Chairs,” said Dr. Digvir Jayas, vice-president (research and international) and Distinguished Professor. “It is a significant career milestone to receive such recognition of excellence by Canada’s research funding program.”

The new UM CRC’s are:

Nandika Bandara (Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Food Protein Processing & Bioproducts

Kristine Cowley (Physiology and Pathophysiology, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Function and Health after Spinal Cord Injury

Britt Drögemöller (Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Pharmacogenomics & Precision Medicine

Danielle Gaucher (Psychology, Faculty of Arts) Tier 2 CRC in Social Inequality, Gender and Public Policy

Terry Klassen (Pediatrics & Child Health, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences/ Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba) Tier 1 CRC in Clinical Trials

Robert Mizzi (Educational Administration, Foundations & Psychology, Faculty of Education) Tier 2 CRC in Queer, Community and Diversity Education

Zulma Rueda (Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Sexually Transmitted Infection – Resistance and Control

Souradet Shaw (Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Program Sciences & Global Public Health

Elizabeth Wall-Wieler (Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Population Data Analytics and Data Duration

Nicole Wilson (Environment & Geography, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources) Tier 2 CRC in Arctic Environmental Change and Governance

Galen Wright (Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) Tier 2 CRC in Neurogenomics

The CRC program recognizes that diversity is indispensable to research excellence and is committed to working alongside Canadian institutions to achieve its equity targets and reflect the diversity of Canada’s population by 2029. Among the 259 Canada Research Chair recipients announced today, 26% self-identified as racialized minorities, 5% as Indigenous Peoples, 10% as persons with disabilities and 51% as women.

Dr. Elizabeth Wall-Wieler is the recipient of a University of Manitoba Distinguished Dissertation Award for her work looking at the outcomes of mothers whose children were placed in foster care.

“It’s a huge honour,” said Wall-Wieler, who completed her PhD last year in the department of community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine and conducted her research with anonymized data housed in the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP). “I know that there’s a lot of people doing amazing work in the other departments. It’s great to see a social epidemiology study being highlighted this way.”

The Faculty of Graduate Studies hands out six dissertation awards annually, one in each of the following categories: applied sciences, humanities, interdisciplinary science, natural sciences, social sciences – and the area Wall-Wieler won – health sciences. The award comes with a $3,000 prize.

Wall-Wieler’s dissertation found that mothers whose children are placed in foster care face many challenges in the years leading up to custody loss. However, these challenges become substantially worse after they lose custody, including increased mental illness and a higher risk of premature mortality, mainly due to avoidable causes such as death by suicide, she said.

Wall-Wieler examined whether there were changes in the health outcomes of mothers in the two years after their child was placed in care compared to the two years before. The most significant differences she saw were increases in diagnoses for substance use disorder and anxiety.

In the two years before their children were placed in care, 14 per cent of mothers had a diagnosis for substance use disorder, she said. In the two years after, almost twice as many mothers (28 per cent) had a substance use disorder diagnosis. Wall-Wieler also found that 17 per cent of mothers had an anxiety diagnosis in the two years before, and 23 per cent of mothers had an anxiety diagnosis in the two years after.

Dr. Hope Anderson, vice-dean, graduate studies, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, congratulated Wall-Wieler on behalf of the Rady Faculty.  

“This prestigious award is yet another achievement of many that demarcates the distinguished nature of her dissertation research,” Anderson said. 

Wall-Wieler believes she won the award because her dissertation was fresh and the research leaves an impact on people when they hear about it.

“There had been a couple of smaller qualitative studies, but no one had ever done this at a population level, so that was novel,” she said, adding she received great mentorship and support from her colleagues in MCHP. “I think it’s a story that people can understand relatively easily. It’s something that when you actually think about it, it makes sense that losing your child to child protection services is really traumatic.”

Wall-Wieler is currently a post-doctoral research fellow at Stanford University’s School of Medicine in the department of pediatrics. Although she’s enjoying the sunny Californian weather, she wants to return to Winnipeg.

“I want to do at least another year of postdoc,” she said. “At that point, I would like to get a tenure track position, go into academia and continue doing research with large data sets. I would love to come back to the University of Manitoba.”