Arsenio [B.Sc./04, PhD/11], a UM Canada Research Chair in systems biology and chronic inflammation and assistant professor of internal medicine and immunology in the Max Rady College of Medicine, and her team recently discovered that immune T-cells in males and females respond differently to chronic infection at an earlier stage of the disease.

“There is an assumption that male and female T-cells, in this context, may behave the same, but we’re finding that they are different,” said Arsenio, also a researcher with Manitoba Centre for Proteomics and Systems Biology.

 “Not only are they different at the response level, but also at the transcriptional level. So, when we look at the molecular programming it’s different between males and females.”

The results of this study will help researchers better understand how to treat and prevent diseases in the future, said Arsenio, who is vice-chair of Women In Science: Development, Outreach and Mentorship (WISDOM).

“We know there are sex biases in response outcomes, and females particularly are understudied in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, so it really brings attention to the fact that there are fundamental differences between the sexes,” Arsenio said.

Understanding sex-related differences is an emerging theme across various disciplines, Arsenio said, because it’s understudied. While her work primarily focuses on chronic viral infection, she is currently working on studies looking at sex-related differences in inflammatory diseases.

“I think our work of trying to understand these differences challenges the way studies have been done,” she said.

This innovative work all started because the environment at UM fostered her spark for science and her development as a trainee during her bachelor of science and PhD, Arsenio said. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California San Diego before returning to UM as an assistant professor in 2017.

Arsenio said it’s an honour to be back at UM as a faculty member because she can now do her part to mentor trainees and help spark their interest in research as well.

“Growing up, I never knew any scientists and through my undergrad and PhD there really was no one else who looked like me,” said Arsenio, whose parents immigrated to Canada from the Philippines. “Now that I’m in my position, I recognize the value of really supporting others who may be able to identify with me.”

CRCs are world leaders in their field funded by the Government of Canada in the areas of natural sciences and engineering, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities. “These symposia were a wonderful opportunity for researchers to get to know each other’s specialties, and to spark new collaborations with students and the wider community,” says Mario Pinto, Vice-President (Research and International). “I thank all the CRCs for their groundbreaking contributions to address the issues faced by society today.”

This thought-provoking look at current UM research is available to view online, each featuring a brief presentation from the gathered CRCs followed by a question-and-answer period with the audience.

CRC Symposium 1, February 2, 2023 – Fort Garry Campus

Featuring presentations from: Heather Armstrong, Chair in Integrative Bioscience; Guozhen Zhu, Chair in Mechanical and Functional Design of Nanostructured Materials; Trust Beta, Chair in Grain-Based Functional Foods; Eric Collins, Chair in Arctic Marine Microbial Ecosystem Services; Britt Drögemöller, Chair in Pharmacogenomics & Precision Medicine; Ned Budisa, Chair in Chemical Synthetic Biology and Xenobiology; Lori Wilkinson, Chair in Migration Futures; Jason Kindrachuk, Chair in Epidemiology and Global Public Health; Sabine Mai, Chair in Genomic Instability and Nuclear Architecture in Cancer; Jörg Stetefeld, Chair in Structural Biology and Biophysics; Carl Ho, Chair in Efficient Utilization of Electric Power; and Nandika Bandara, Chair in Food Proteins.

CRC Symposium 2, February 27, 2023 – Bannatyne Campus

Featuring presentations from: Tracie Afifi, Chair in Childhood Adversity and Resilience; Robert Lorway, Chair in Global Intervention Politics and Social Transformation; Janilyn Arsenio, Chair in Systems Biology of Chronic Inflammation; Puyan Mojabi, Chair in Electromagnetic Inversion for Characterization and Design; Annette Desmarais, Chair in Human Rights, Social Justice and Food Sovereignty; Zulma Rueda, Chair in Program Sciences & Global Public Health; and Kathryn Sibley, Chair in Integrated Knowledge Translation in Rehabilitation Sciences.

CRC Symposium 3, March 28, 2023 – Fort Garry Campus

Featuring presentations from: Ties Boerma, Chair in Population and Global Health; Kiera Ladner, Chair in Miyo we’citowin, Indigenous Governance & Digital Sovereignties; Rotimi Aluko, Chair in Bioactive Peptides; Zahra Moussavi, Chair in Biomedical Engineering; Terry Klassen, Chair in Clinical Trials; and Galen Wright, Chair in Neurogenomics.

CRC Symposium 4, April 24, 2023 – Bannatyne Campus

Featuring presentations from: Lisa Lix, Chair in Methods for Electronic Health Data Quality; John Ataguba, Chair in Health Economics; Nicole Wilson, Chair in Arctic Environmental Change and Governance; Lorrie Kirshenbaum, Chair in Molecular Cardiology; Meghan Azad, Chair in Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease; and Kristine Cowley, Chair in Function and Health after Spinal Cord Injury.

CRC Symposium 5, May 16, 2023 – Fort Garry Campus

Featuring presentations from: Kristina Brown, Chair in Arctic Marine Biogeochemistry; Nicole Rosen, Chair in Language Interactions; Robert Mizzi, Chair in Queer, Community & Diversity Education; Samar Safi-Harb, Chair in Extreme Astrophysics; and Susan Logue, Chair in Cell Stress and Inflammation.

CRC Symposium 6, June 19, 2023 – Bannatyne Campus

Featuring presentations from: Andrew Halayko, Chair in Chronic Lung Disease Pathobiology and Treatment; Colin Gilmore, Chair in Applied Electromagnetic Inversion; James Blanchard, Chair in Epidemiology and Global Public Health; Marcelo Urquia, Chair in Applied Population Health; and Souradet Shaw, Chair in Program Science & Global Public Health.

This investment will support 251 researchers leading 186 projects at 43 universities across Canada. JELF aims to help universities attract and retain top talent from around the globe by providing researchers with the highly specialized infrastructure they require to be leaders in their field.

“Since 1997, the Canada Foundation for Innovation has been ensuring Canadian researchers have the tools they need to push the frontiers of knowledge in all disciplines,” the minister said. “The stable, long-term funding we are celebrating today will help Canada continue to be an international destination for research and innovation.”

As part of this funding, the University of Manitoba is receiving more than $1.1 million in support of seven projects in areas such as disease, food processing and supercomputers. Dr. Janilyn Arsenio, for example, will use the funding to help with her research in developing new strategies for vaccine design and in improving the treatment of infections, cancer and autoimmune diseases.

“I congratulate these researchers on their exceptional work being recognized today with this new investment. The advancements they make will contribute to health and economic well-being in Manitoba and beyond,” says Digvir Jayas, Vice-President (Research and International) and Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba

The U of M recipients are:

Janilyn Arsenio

Janilyn Arsenio

Canada Research Chair in Systems Biology of Chronic Inflammation, Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, is receiving $156,834 for project titled: Single-cell transcriptomics analysis of the immune system during infection and chronic inflammation.

An effective immune system provides protection against infection and prevents immune dysregulation. Dysregulation can lead to conditions of chronic inflammation. This includes heightened immune responses in autoimmune diseases and transplant rejections, or to a loss of immune function (exhaustion) in chronic infections and cancer. This research aims to understand how single T cells become functional immune regulators. Single-cell transcriptomics will be used to define the molecular programs which form functional versus dysfunctional T cells during infection and conditions of chronic inflammation. Information from this research will be used to develop novel vaccines and immunotherapies to prevent and treat infectious and non-infectious diseases. Advancing single-cell systems based research in biomedicine to be transformative into the development of next generation therapeutic strategies to treat diseases will positively impact the economic, health, and training sectors in Canada.

Meghan Azad

Meghan Azad and Nathan Nickel

Azad is Canada Research Chair in Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Child Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences and Scientist with Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, is receiving $165,464 for project titled: Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre (MILC): a provincial infant feeding database and human milk biorepository.

Nickel is assistant professor, community health sciences; Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

Nathan Nickel

Funds will be used to establish a new one-of-a-kind research centre: the Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre (MILC). MILC will combine a provincial infant feeding database and a human milk biorepository that will be linked with a wealth of health and social services data at the Manitoba Population Research Data Repository.

MILC will provide unrivaled opportunities to conduct interdisciplinary research on the impact of policies on breastfeeding, the biology of human milk, and the influence of social factors on breastfeeding biology and behaviours.

Filiz Koksel

Assistant Professor, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, is receiving $160,000 for project titled: Tailoring quality during processing of protein rich plant-based food materials.

Filiz Koksel

The proposed innovative research program aims to develop techniques to manufacture high quality plant protein-rich foods under a wide range of process conditions and to

formulate nutritionally dense and palatable foods with appealing, novel structures. Through value added processing of Canadian cereals and pulses into products such as meat extenders, meat analogs and protein-rich snacks, the findings of this program will increase the availability of healthy alternatives to animal-based foods. Trainees involved in this research will receive exceptional interdisciplinary training in food engineering and materials science, so they are skilled to non-destructively characterize and assess the structure and texture of foods and then be able to control food quality in real-time during processing.

Lyle McKinnon

Lyle McKinnon

Assistant Professor, Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease with a cross-appointment in Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences is receiving $155,942 for project entitled: Enhancing capacity for cellular phenotyping for HIV prevention and cure research.

Understanding the underlying biology of virus entry at a mucosal level is believed to be key to designing better HIV prevention. This research will focus on defining the cellular determinants of HIV transmission and pathogenesis, with the goal of improving HIV prevention options that are available in the clinic. This research will lead to the training of personnel at multiple levels, from undergraduate students to principle investigators, including Canada’s future leaders in HIV prevention research. The benefits to Canadians and world-wide extend beyond fighting HIV, by increasing knowledge of immunology that is “taught by viruses” — advances in HIV have frequently provided insight into the host immune system that the virus attacks, shedding light on other medical conditions with an immunological basis.

Gerd Prehna

Gerd Prehna

Assistant Professor, Microbiology, Faculty of Science is receiving $159, 028 for project titled: High-yield Protein Production Suite for Structural Biology.

Gram-negative bacteria have evolved a macromolecular machine termed the type VI secretion system (T6SS) to communicate directly with each other, competing micro-organisms, and with eukaryotic hosts. The human gut flora use the T6SS to maintain a mutualistic relationship with their host, whereas pathogens such as Salmonella use it as a weapon. At the molecular level the T6SS is adaptable and modular to allow bacteria to perform numerous functions. As Salmonella species have multiple divergent T6SS adapted for specific hosts (human, chicken, reptile), the research program will investigate T6SS versatility in detail at the molecular level. A detailed molecular understanding of the Salmonella T6SS will not only reveal targets for the development of new antibiotics, but given its versatility further research could allow it to be developed into a tunable drug delivery system.

Robert Stamps

Robert Stamps

Professor and Head, Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science is receiving $114,046 for project titled: Desktop Supercomputers for the Design of Advanced Functional Materials.

This research will create a resource essential for the development of advanced functional materials. The focus will be on materials with potential to enable new opportunities for next generation energy efficient information and communication technologies, nanoscale sensing devices for biomedical applications, and novel quantum technologies. This research will provide needed computational tools for the design of next generation multifunctional and smart materials whose unique electric and magnetic properties do not exist in the current stockpile of material options. Useful models for the design and exploitation of these materials require a multi-scale modelling approach that poses enormous computational challenges. These challenges can be addressed with computational resources recently available in low-cost desktop platforms and moderate sized clusters made possible with accelerations using the multiple cores of high end graphics cards.

Marcelo Urquia

Marcelo Urquia and Alyson Mahar

Assistant Professors, Community Health Sciences and Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences is receiving $240,000 for the project titled: Social Determinants of Health Digital Library.

To effectively address the social determinants of health there is a need for richer information across sectors (combining information from health, education, social services, and the justice systems), a greater focus on families, and development of new analytic tools to optimize the use of the available data.

Alyson Mahar

Urquia and Mahar will create a laboratory to study these important contributors to health and well-being, bringing together new and existing data at the University of Manitoba with key stakeholders to support Canadians who face challenges to achieving optimal health. Urquia will focus on integration to Canadian society, gender equity initiatives, and navigating the health system for Canadian immigrant families working to support the development of solutions to issues affecting their well-being. Mahar will help strengthen Canadian Armed Forces families by studying the short and long-term effects of military service, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, following soldiers’ transition to civilian life. Her program will also work to ensure all Canadians have equal opportunity to benefit from advances in cancer treatment, especially marginalized populations.

Group 4

• Delaney C.T. Coelho, BA (Adv)/11 
• Melinda Fowler-Woods – U of M staff, director, Ongomiizwin (Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing)
• Saroj Niraula – assistant professor, department of internal medicine
• Meaghan J. Pauls, B.Env.D/10, MLArch/16 
• Desiree Scott, BA/16

Delaney Coelho

Delaney Coelho would be very happy to shut down the Manitoba organization she founded.

But for now, she says, there’s a distinct need for Equal Voice Manitoba. It’s the provincial chapter of a multi-partisan national network focused on supporting the participation of women in politics.

“There’s a study out there … that says if things continue to go as they are, it’s going to be another 50 years before we see anything remotely close to [gender] parity,” in politics, Coelho said.

“I’m far too impatient for that. So the hope is that Equal Voice and organizations like Equal Voice can speed that up. I don’t want to be 70 or 80 before parity is achieved.”

To that end, Coelho, 30, founded Equal Voice Manitoba in 2016. It offers a range of programming for women interested in politics — either running as candidates themselves or working in roles such as campaign management. That includes full-day “campaign schools” that focus on tangible skills as well as networking.

The idea is to counter the under-representation of women in all levels of politics — something Coelho saw herself when she worked as a staffer for Manitoba’s previous NDP government.

“In my experience, I’d often be … the only woman in the room, or be at events with ministers from across the country where there were no women or people of colour represented,” said Coelho, who now works with Manitoba’s Human Rights Commission.

“It definitely feels isolating — like maybe your perspective isn’t being presented  or if it is [kind of the burden is on your shoulders to be the only one to speak for all women.”

That’s a problem, she says, when “obviously, women are pretty diverse in their perspectives and ideas, and if you’re kind of the spokesperson for all women, that’s maybe not the greatest fit.”

Equal Voice, she says, also has a role to play in fighting the harassment of women in politics — many instances of which have come to light in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

“One of the things we’ve tried to do is create a community in Manitoba, and more broadly, where people can speak up about these situations that are happening, and bring them … to the forefront. They’ve always been happening and continue to happen, but they maybe haven’t been talked about,” she said.

“And then also just creating a greater conversation about how, as the electorate, we’re just not going to accept that any more. It’s completely unacceptable to have an environment where … 51 per cent of the population is made to feel that they don’t belong.”

Meaghan Pauls 

Meaghan Pauls strives to create a community that is loving, accepting and one that creates space for otherness and difference.

Five years ago, she founded the Bell Tower Community Café. She describes the café as an urban food bank wrapped in a community café. By combining a food bank with a coffee house, she has helped create the most human food bank experience possible.

In addition to running the Bell Tower Community Café, she also volunteers at Madison House, St. Benedict’s Church and on the board for the housing co-op through All Saints Church, and is a successful professional designer.

Desiree Scott 

Winnipeg-born Desiree Scott is well known as one of the most decorated Canadian soccer players of her generation.

She played for multiple youth Canadian national teams before coming to the University of Manitoba to play as a member of the Bison women’s soccer team, having an illustrious five-year university career (2005-2009). She proved her fierce determination as a midfield asset and earned the nickname “The Destroyer.

In 2010, Scott was named to the Canadian women’s soccer national team and since then has appeared in 135 international matches. She has demonstrated her outstanding skills, earning back-to-back Olympic bronze medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics. She has also attained the highest level of women’s professional soccer playing for various international clubs.

An outstanding ambassador of our city, province and country, she has been an athlete ambassador for the Homeless World Cup and KidSport Winnipeg for several years and also makes frequent visits to clubs, schools, and other sports organizations. 

Additionally, she has taken several volunteer assistant coach positions for the clubs and teams she was a part of growing up. She also served as the honorary chair of the 2017 U Sports women’s soccer national championship, which was hosted by the University of Manitoba for the first time in our province since this prestigious tournament launched nearly three decades ago.

Group 3

• Kobra Rahimi [JD/17]
• Derrick Sanderson [BSc(Pharm)/08]
• Dayna Steinfeld [BA(Hons)/09, JD/12]

Kobra Rahimi

Kobra Rahimi lived the first 14 years of her life in a refugee camp in Iraq. Since arriving in Canada, she has committed herself to turning her family’s struggles into opportunities to be a positive addition to the Winnipeg community. 

Passionate about higher education, Rahimi completed a degree at University of Winnipeg and then moved on to study law at the University of Manitoba. She received the Emerging Leaders Award for displaying exceptional leadership qualities within the university community.

In the past few months, she has become both a lawyer and mother, receiving her call to the bar in June following articles at Legal Aid and celebrating the birth of her daughter in October. 

Rahimi sits on boards including the Social Planning Council and Islamic Social Services. In 2014, she co-organized a rally of over 1,000 people to demand clean drinking water for Shoal Lake 40 First Nation.

In 2016, she co-ordinated student placements at Welcome Place to assist asylum seekers, a program that continues. 

She regularly speaks at community events about her family’s story of displacement, loss and finding home and stability in Manitoba. Through her accomplishments, advocacy and daily work, Rahimi is an inspiration to young newcomer refugees.

Derrick Sanderson

Derrick Sanderson demonstrates exemplary leadership within the pharmacy profession.

As the regional pharmacy director of the Northern Health Region, he is one of only five pharmacy directors in the province and has many responsibilities looking after the large region. He has been in this role since April 2016 and he tirelessly advocates for health equity in the north.

He is a part of many provincial groups, including the group that helped to equalize the services received by care homes in the north, and the group that monitors and manages critical drug shortages for hospital patients. In 2014, he was elected to the board of the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba. He works diligently with the other board members to ensure that the mandate of public protection through safe pharmacy practices are met.

In an effort to decrease the opioid epidemic in Manitoba, Sanderson and the board made exempted codeine products (for example, Tylenol 1) available by prescription only and were awarded the Patient Safety Award in 2018.

He returned to his hometown after completing his pharmacy degree at University of Manitoba and has worked at The Pas Health Complex since 2008.

Dayna Steinfeld 

Dayna Steinfeld is a lawyer at Fillmore Riley LLP who uses her legal knowledge to give back to the community and to champion human rights. She practises in the areas of regulatory and administrative law and civil litigation, but she also makes the time to do pro bono work.

She’s currently acting as legal counsel for a coalition of organizations representing persons living in poverty, urban Indigenous people, persons living with mental illness and persons experiencing homelessness in the Supreme Court of Canada case R v. Le.

As a law student, Steinfeld was involved in the organization of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s first national event. Her brilliant legal mind led her to being chosen in the highly competitive process to work as a law clerk to a justice of the Supreme Court.

She now teaches a course on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms at the University of Manitoba law school.

Her passionate commitment to human rights and social justice issues will have a far-reaching impact for individuals in our community.

Group 2

• Janilyn Arsenio [BSc(Maj)/04, PhD/12], assistant professor, department of internal medicine and immunology, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Derrek Bentley, master’s student in Peace & Conflict Studies
• Pamela Delisle [BFA/04, BSW/06]
• Angeline Nelson [BSc/09]
• Alex Singer, associate professor, department of family medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Amy Tung [BHEcol/07]

Janilyn Arsenio

Janilyn Arsenio is a scientist, Filipino-Canadian, devoted mom and wife. After completing her PhD at the University of Manitoba, she pursued post-doctoral training at the prestigious University of California San Diego, before returning back to the University of Manitoba. She is now an assistant professor in the university’s departments of internal medicine and immunology.

Her scientific expertise is with a cutting-edge technology that can investigate gene expression in a single cell. As the first person in Manitoba to use single-cell genomics, she is using her skill to study the function of immune cells and how they develop into specialized cell types like immune memory cells or the killer cells that attack cancers.

Her research will help to develop new strategies for vaccine design and in the treatment of infections, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. She is already having a broad impact on biomedical science in Manitoba. She has garnered recognition in the form of many local and national awards she has won as a young investigator.

Recognized as an emerging leader, Arsenio has been nominated for a prestigious Canada Research Chair. She is also passionate about diversity and inclusion in science. She is the vice-chair of the initiative WISDOM: Women in Science, Development, Outreach, and Mentorship, at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. She is a member of the Association for Women in Science (U.S.A.), and the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology. Through these venues, she works to promote greater engagement of women in science. 

Derrek Bentley

Derrek Bentley has devoted his life to social justice, education and helping others. While growing up francophone in Manitoba, he has dedicated his free time to bringing awareness to important causes. He founded the project A Homeless Night, which raises awareness of homelessness in Manitoba.

He continues to volunteer in many grassroots organizations, such as Conseil Jeunesse Provincial, and as a board member for Canadian Parents for French National, all while completing his master’s degree in peace and conflict studies. He works full-time at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights as an assistant manager, further educating the public on crucial social issues.

Bentley has accomplished all of this while trying to heal after the murder of his brother in 2014. Long before that, and ever since, he has dedicated his life to promoting peace and social justice.

Bentley’s passion for others truly fits the definition of perseverance and selflessness. He is just getting started.

Pamela Delisle

More than 1,700 gifts ago, Pamela Delisle founded You Can’t Spoil a Baby — a 100 per cent volunteer-operated project that provides custom-made gifts to Manitoba families in need after the birth of a baby. It started small — with giving away her own children’s outgrown clothes — and has grown into a team of over 75 volunteers co-ordinated by Delisle who collect, create and deliver beautiful custom gifts to new parents.

These gifts are not just newborn items — they include clothing and items for the first year of a baby’s life. Delisle saw a gap and she has worked tirelessly since 2011 to help close it to the benefit of those 1,770 babies.

Not only is she an innovator, an advocate and an inspiration, she is also warm, kind and compassionate. Her background as a social worker in the women’s health field, her commitment to environmentalism and her determination to help marginalized families feel valued and cared for was the perfect combination to grow YCSAB into the dynamic volunteer network it is today.

She is proof that one simple idea acted upon can create countless opportunities for an entire community.

Angeline Nelson

Angeline Nelson is a Muskego Anishinaabekwe from Bigaawinashkoziibiing, Roseau River Anishinaabe First Nation. Her interest in science, specifically in chemistry, from a young age led her to earn a bachelor of science in chemistry and zoology.

She has always wanted to create opportunities for other Indigenous youth to be engaged in science, have an opportunity to practise hands-on experiments and recognize their own potential. 

She considers herself a lifelong learner of Midewiwin teachings, Anishinaabemowin and cultural knowledge and the strength, resiliency and humility of Indigenous people who have a strong connection to who they are as Indigenous people. This has helped her to focus her efforts on language revitalization, creating opportunities for learning about culture, learning and teaching regalia making, and ensuring that programming for Indigenous youth is “Indigenized.”

Today, both her cultural connection and fascination with science have led her to her current role as the new director of community learning and engagement at the University of Winnipeg.

Nelson ensures that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth have multiple opportunities to be engaged in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) programming from a young age, and that Indigenous people have opportunities to learn Indigenous languages and have a space to call their own on a university campus. Last year, she developed free women’s self-defence programming to create change for Indigenous women, especially for those who may be experiencing or have experienced violence. 

Dr. Alex Singer

Dr. Alex Singer is an associate professor in the department of family medicine at the University of Manitoba, where he leads the quality improvement and informatics curriculum. He trained at McGill University (Montreal) and University College Dublin (Ireland) before being recruited to Manitoba in 2010. 
 
Singer is Manitoba’s leading expert in electronic medical records (EMR). He is director of the Manitoba Primary Care Research Network, where his team is developing new ways of using EMR data to improve health-care delivery and advance health research in our province. For example, his team is using EMR data and cutting-edge machine learning technology to better define and treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans, families of military service members and the general population. He is also using EMR data to track and study chronic disease, and to support the Choosing Wisely campaign for responsible testing and prescribing patterns. 
 
Since 2014, Singer has served as the Manitoba eHealth Family Physician Champion, representing the needs and interests of all Manitoba family physicians and reporting directly to the chief medical information officer of Manitoba. 
 
Singer is known among his colleagues for his boundless energy and “out of the box” approach to tackling big problems and hard questions in health care. Through his multiple roles and tireless dedication as a practising physician, clinician-teacher, eHealth Champion and director of the MaPCReN research program, he is paving new ways to improve health for all Manitobans. 

Amy Tung

Amy Tung is an inspiring young woman spreading love throughout Winnipeg.

Through her volunteer work at West Broadway Youth Outreach and Big Brothers Big Sisters Winnipeg, she found many non-profit organizations lack funding, awareness and engagement. In early 2018, she took matters into her own hands and started a business that will sustain itself and support Canadian charities — the I Am Love Project.

Every month, volunteers come together to create crystal intention bracelets in support of a charity that is making a big impact in the community. They select a new charity on a monthly basis. The I Am Love Project hosts pop-up yoga classes featuring different local teachers and venues and at the end of the month they deliver all proceeds to their chosen charity.

Within the last four months, we’ve raised over $10,000 for the Women’s Health Clinic, Turning Pages of Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba, Make Music Matter and Westman Dreams for Kids Foundation.

“We create the chain of love with no beginning and ending. Love and support is continuous.”

Group 1

• Lyle McKinnon [PhD(MedMicro)/09], an assistant professor in the department of medical microbiology and infectious diseases
• Nathan Nickel, an assistant professor in the department of community health sciences 

Lyle McKinnon

Dr. Lyle McKinnon, born and raised in Winnipeg, is an assistant professor of in the departments of medical microbiology, infectious diseases and community health sciences at the University of Manitoba. He has made significant contributions to HIV-transmission research, including an assessment of HIV risk and incidence in male and female sex workers. He has published on specific immune responses to HIV crucial to HIV vaccine and disease progression research.

His body of research represents over 10 years of contributions to HIV immunology, particularly relevant to initial HIV infection with important implications for HIV prevention. Dr. McKinnon has published several research manuscripts in prestigious research journals in his field. He is currently studying HIV prevention and inflammation which has implications for inflammatory bowel disease.

While working in Kenya and South Africa, Dr. McKinnon engaged key populations around HIV research and prevention activities and as a result increased awareness of HIV risk and prevention measures. These outreach activities have brought international students to Manitoba, which increases the profile of medical microbiology research in Manitoba at the global level.

As a new investigator, Dr. McKinnon has already made leaps and bounds in our understanding of HIV risk and prevention and is rising star in the Canadian and international medical microbiology field.

Nathan Nickel

Dr. Nathan Nickel is an internationally recognized expert in population health research. As a scientist at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy within the University of Manitoba, he uses big data to understand what works to promote health and well being among Manitobans. Dr. Nickel is the Population Health co-lead for the Manitoba DEVOTION Network, a team of researchers dedicated to understanding how early-life experiences shape lifelong health.

He developed an innovative new system to monitor and study infant feeding practices across Manitoba. He is a lead researcher for the Pathways to Health and Social Equity for Children (PATHS) program, studying over 600,000 children born in Manitoba over the past 30 years to understand the impact of social programs like full day kindergarten, social housing, and the Healthy Baby program.

Dr. Nickel is directing groundbreaking studies on substance use disorders and addiction. He led a 25-year study to inform Manitoba’s new mental health and addictions strategy, and is the Manitoba lead for the Canadian Student Tobacco Alcohol and Drug study.

He is currently leading a study of the health and social impacts of cannabis legalization. In 2017, Dr. Nickel was recognized as one of North America’s leading population health researchers with the Chipman Award for Health Research from the University of North Carolina. He serves on the executive council of the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s health equity committee.

Canada Research Chairs (CRC) improve our depth of knowledge and quality of life, and attract graduate students from around the world to Manitoba, helping drive our economy by fuelling discovery.

Seven of the 10 chairs named at the U of M will be held by women and two of the researchers joined Minister Duncan: Trust Beta, CRC in Grain-Based Functional Foods, and Nancy Kang, who comes to Manitoba from the United States to become a CRC in Transnational Feminisms and Gender-Based Violence.

“The future of research and science in Canada will be led by the next generation of talent,” Minister Duncan said. “That’s why it is so important that we support our early career researchers today. There’s is no better place than Canada to be a scientist. That’s why Canada Research Chairs come here from diverse backgrounds and choose Canada to pursue their ambitious research goals, build their teams and maintain Canada’s position as a global leader in research excellence.”

Digvir S. Jayas, Vice-President (Research and International) and Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba, echoed the Minister’s sentiments.

 “I congratulate these 10 researchers on their success in earning these competitive funds,” he said. “They are trailblazers in their fields and will enrich our community with their ideas and discoveries.”

The 10 new and renewed chairs will receive an investment of $9.5 million from the CRC program.

The Nov. 14, 2018 Canada Research Chairs announcement.

The 10 CRCs

Janilyn Arsenio.

Janilyn Arsenio, internal medicine
Chair in Systems Biology of Chronic Inflammation

Heterogeneity in T cell fate and function is required for effective immune responses and the prevention of immune dysregulation. Dysregulation can lead to over-activated immune responses in autoimmune diseases and transplant rejections, or to a loss of immune function, termed exhaustion, in chronic infections and cancer. Arsenio’s research will define the molecular mechanisms underlying T cell differentiation into functional regulators of the immune system. This knowledge is essential for the development of novel therapies to effectively treat infectious and non-infectious (autoimmune and cancer) diseases and to enhance our understanding of immune responses during transplant rejections.

Trust Beta.

Trust Beta, food and human nutritional sciences
Chair in Grain-Based Functional Foods

The health care issues associated with North American diet and lifestyle include obesity, several forms of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In order to counteract diet-related diseases, research in the area of functional foods is essential to allow development of accessible whole grain foods that will have a positive impact on the health of Canadians. Beta’s research addresses unique and critical questions relating to the extent to which constituents in foods can confer health benefits by scavenging excessive free radicals, inducing antioxidant defenses, reducing lipid oxidation, lowering LDL cholesterol, and inhibiting cancer cell proliferation following consumption of whole grain-based products.

Nediljko Budisa.

Nediljko Budisa, chemistry
Chair in Chemical Synthetic Biology
Coming from Technische Universitat Berlin, Germany

Modern genetic engineers aim at building living systems in order to establish technologies to produce virtually every imaginable medically or industrially interesting substance. The long-term objective of Budisa’s research is to create highly modular bio-inspired materials useful for both academia and (bio)industrial purposes. Budisa will achieve these objectives by 1) developing protein-based natural polymer materials with the potential to revolutionize bone surgery and wound healing; 2) engineering biological alternatives to conductive carbon nanotubes for use in energy storage, water filters, bio-electronic devices and more.

Annette Desmarais.

Annette Desmarais, sociology and criminology
Chair in Human Rights, Social Justice and Food Sovereignty (Renewed)

The goal of this research program is to advance research on the conceptual framework, practice, politics and potential of food sovereignty to build ecologically sustainable, socially-just, and healthy food systems. The objectives of the proposed research are: 1) to investigate the role of land tenure dynamics in enhancing and/or hindering the implementation of food sovereignty in Canada and beyond; 2) to conduct a gender analysis of member organizations of La Vía Campesina and its international strategies and structures; and 3) to analyze the experiences and challenges of youth entering agriculture and engaging in food system transformation.

Colin Gilmore.

Colin Gilmore, electrical and computer engineering
Chair in Applied Electromagnetic Inversion

Gilmore’s research program will advance the art and science of Applied Electromagnetic Inversion (EMI), which uses electromagnetic waves to quantitatively image internal properties of objects and inaccessible regions of interest. The objectives are to: 1) develop new EMI systems to improve imaging sensitivity and resolution; 2) advance the algorithms that create the images from the data; and 3) develop entirely novel systems (hardware and algorithms) for imaging remote targets. This research program will have immediate impact on food security, cancer diagnosis and monitoring, and arctic science and geo-prospecting.

Nancy Kang.

Nancy Kang, women’s and gender studies
Chair in Transnational Feminisms and Gender-Based Violence
Coming from the University of Baltimore, USA

Kang’s research will interrogate how black, Indigenous, and Asian-descended women in Canada and the United States articulate their experiences with gender-based violence in situations of mass oppression, or what may be termed inter-ethnic/inter-racial nodes. Nodes are clusters of historical experiences within which manifestations of violence—especially gender and sexuality-based—exist and flourish, often through state sanction. The research compares and contrasts transnational textualities (both lived and imagined) by using a postcolonial feminist-of-color lens. Such nodes as slavery, residential/boarding schools, incarceration, and immigration illustrate the need for multi-faceted dialogues between and about women of color.

Kiera Ladner.

Kiera Ladner, political studies
Chair in Miyo we’citowin, Indigenous Governance & Digital Sovereignties

Focusing on theoretical and community-based research, this program of research will deepen understanding of decolonization, reconciliation, and resurgence within Canada and Anglo-settler societies. Ladner’s research program will interrogate and pursues miyo-we’citowin, governance and community-based research through four major projects: 1) a comparative project on treaties which focuses on treaty narratives and their potential for decolonization; 2) a comparative constitutional law and Indigenous politics participatory digital archive project seeking to radically transform data collection and knowledge mobilization; 3) a collaborative Indigenous archives project addressing intellectual sovereignty and community-based research; and 4) a research and community outreach initiative on decolonizing governance and rebuilding communities. 

Lorenzo Livi.

Lorenzo Livi, computer science
Chair in Complex Data
Coming from the University of Exeter, UK

Many natural and man-made systems are now observable with a high level of detail, allowing us to investigate and understand phenomena with an unprecedented level of sophistication. However, data describing such systems require complex representations encoding both temporal and spatial information. Livi’s research program will: 1) design data-driven methods to process spatio-temporal information represented as evolving graphs; 2) unravel the inner mechanisms explaining the functioning of (artificial) recurrent neural networks; 3) apply data-driven methods in structural biology and computational neuroscience for solving basic scientific problems having impact on society and health care.

Lisa Lix.

Lisa Lix, community health sciences
Chair in Methods for Electronic Health Data Quality

Electronic health databases, which contain digital information about an individual’s health and health care use, have significant potential to improve the population health. However, the accuracy and completeness of data in electronic medical records, registries, and administrative databases poses an ongoing challenge. Dr. Lix’s research will develop methods to measure and improve the quality of electronic health databases for studying chronic health conditions and predicting disease risk. Her research will lead to better health information systems for health care decision-making.

Sabine Mai.

Sabine Mai, physiology and pathophysiology, Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, CancerCare Manitoba
Chair in Genomic Instability and Nuclear Architecture in Cancer

Global incidences of cancer are expected to increase by 68 per cent between 2012 and 2030, according to Cancer Research UK. The genomic complexity of cancer requires new insights to provide treatment decisions that are truly personalized for each patient. Dr. Mai’s novel and transformative research will focus on genomic instability and alterations in nuclear genome architecture followed by the translation of these findings into the clinic to achieve personalized medicine solutions.