The assistant professor of community health sciences has traced the transmission of infections such as COVID-19 and mpox in specific populations.

But his greatest interest is in sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs), such as HIV and gonorrhea. As a social epidemiologist, Shaw aims to understand how social structures influence people’s health in ways that are not equitable.

“STBBIs are infections of inequity,” he says. “They are far more prevalent in groups that are marginalized by factors such as poverty and racism. Examining these inequities and partnering with those most affected can illuminate the public health policies that we need to ensure no one is left behind.”

In a study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, Shaw found that female sex workers in Kenya had widely varying rates of HIV infection, depending on which area of Nairobi they worked in.

“With this kind of knowledge, we can target the specific places with higher prevalence to make the most impact,” says Shaw, who joined the UM faculty in 2021 and holds a Canada Research Chair in program science and global public health.

“Program science” is an approach that embeds research into public health programs so findings can quickly be translated into better care. “This is why we do research, so it doesn’t just sit on a dusty shelf,” he says.

Shaw was five years old when he and his family fled Laos for Canada as refugees. He grew up in Winnipeg and is a three-time UM alum.

As a member of UM’s Institute for Global Public Health, he has collaborated on research in countries such as Colombia, India, Pakistan and Nigeria.

In Manitoba, he has formed relationships and conducted research with non-profits such as Nine Circles Community Health Centre, Sunshine House and Ka Ni Kanichihk.

In a study in the International Journal of STD & AIDS, he compared data from two Winnipeg gonorrhea outbreaks, in 2012 and 2016.

The first outbreak was in areas where gonorrhea was historically recorded. The second took place in those hotspots, but also spread to different areas of the city.

“It was a sign of things to come. We’re now seeing exploding HIV and syphilis rates.”

Shaw is now working with Indigenous partners on a study that focuses on decolonizing gonorrhea epidemiology. Indigenous people in Manitoba have gonorrhea rates eight to 10 times higher than the general population, he says.

“This study has Indigenous community members asking the questions and interpreting the results,” says the professor, who worked for 10 years as an epidemiologist with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

Shaw says one of the best aspects of his job is drawing on multiple fields for his research.

“My work involves understanding history, politics, policy and sociology, which shape the health of individuals.

“As a refugee from war-torn Southeast Asia, I’ve witnessed how forces out of our control can determine our well-being. Through my research, I hope to extend the lifeline that was given to my family and find ways to achieve a more just society through public health policy and programs.”

Dr. Keith Fowke and Dr. Mario Pinto with patient cohort at Nairobi research clinic.

Today, UM research in Kenya includes two major inter-related Rady Faculty of Health Sciences programs led by Keith Fowke, Department Head of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and James Blanchard, Executive Director of the Institute for Global Public Health. Responding to a need for public health advocacy from UM research partners in Kenya, Global Public Health programs expanded to Kenya in 2008 as an extension of successful projects originally started in India.

“Our programs in Kenya are a unique example of how laboratory-based researchers interested in molecules and cells are collaborating with researchers studying issues of stigmatization and together they make meaningful impacts for marginalized people,” said Keith Fowke.

As researchers began working with marginalized patient cohorts, increased need for community-based supports emerged, informing new programs developed by UM researchers Dr. Souradet Shaw Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Program Sciences & Global Public Health, Dr. Marissa Becker, Dr. Lisa Lazarus, Dr. Lisa Avery, Dr. Joshua Kimani, Dr. Larry Gelmon, Dr. Lyle McKinnon, Dr. Julie Lajoie, Dr. Leigh McClarty, Dr. Jason Kindrachuk CRC in Molecular Pathogenesis of Emerging and Re-Emerging Viruses and Dr. Rob Lorway, CRC in Global Intervention Politics and Social Transformation,. 

“When I first came to Kenya in 2009 there was a group of young men who were starting to attend clinics established for female sex workers, many of whom identified as gay and bisexual, which is criminalized in Kenya,” said Rob Lorway. “Some were young students, and some were older or married, but what was important is that they had a high HIV prevalence. They came to us because we provided safe spaces from Kenya’s public healthcare system that can be, at times, quite judgmental.”

A legacy of evidence-based support & patient directed research

Four decades ago in the early 1980s, after eradicating an outbreak of the sexually transmitted infection Chancroid in Manitoba, Dr. Allan Ronald was recruited to lead a similar program with the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Francis Plummer, then an infectious disease fellow on Ronald’s team studying with a group of sex-workers, would gain global renown for the discovery of a link between the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Among the patient cohort exposed to HIV/AIDS, Plummer and his team identified a group of women with a natural immunity to HIV-1, the virus that leads to AIDS. Over the following 17 years UM researchers, including Fowke, studied the immune system of these women leading to new approaches to HIV prevention. The women participating in the study had contributed to saving and improving the lives of tens of millions of people living with HIV around the world but continued to live a criminalized lifestyle at the fringes of society.

Dr Elizabeth Ngugi, a local public health nurse working with Plummer in managing the patient cohort in the 1980s and ‘90s, recognized the adversity these women and others like them endured each day. Through advocacy, a new patient-directed research model was developed to foreground the needs and voices of patients as fully recognized research partners, rather than research subjects.

Keith Fowke, who was a graduate student at UM labs in Kenya at that time, recalls of Dr. Ngugi, “she was a very direct and clear-thinking woman. Beginning in 1984, Dr. Ngugi developed a peer educator model to train sex workers and support them as informed and educated leaders within the community. Dr. Ngugi’s influence has been global and has resulted in a deep 40-year relationship with this community which has now evolved into the Sex Worker Outreach Program (SWOP) which has been adopted as a best-practice model by the World Health Organization, UN AIDS and countless others.”

Dr. Julie Lajoie (second from left), Dr. Mario Pinto, Joyce Adhiambo (pictured in SWOP t-shirt) and Dr. Keith Fowke pictured here.

Now in 2024, UM infectious disease research in Nairobi encompasses 10 SWOP clinics providing HIV prevention and care services to more than 30,000 female sex workers, about 9000 men who have sex with men and close to 1500 transgender individuals. Supported by Joshua Kimani and Larry Gelman who follows in the legacy left by Dr. Ngugi, some patient partners are now respected community organizers like Joyce Odhiambo with SWOP Ambassadors, who presented to EU Parliament in Brussels in 2018.

Current clinical programs funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) deliver HIV care and prevention services. However, due to the criminal status of sex work and homosexuality in Kenya, the mere presence of HIV medications or even condoms could provoke harassment or police response.

Members of the patient cohort meet at a Nairobi health clinic.

“In Kenya 4% of the general population is infected with HIV, and in sex workers it’s about 28%,” said Fowke. “Despite these high risks, many women in our cohort choose not to take anti-HIV drugs to prevent infection because of the stigma resulting from their association with being used to treat HIV infection. We are working on providing new approaches to HIV prevention that would be acceptable to these women, including the anti-inflammatory drug, aspirin, which may prevent the immune cell HIV infects from entering the vaginal mucosal environment thereby preventing infection.”

Community empowerment through global public health research

Members of the male patient cohort meet with Dr. Keith Fowke and Dr. Mario Pinto.

“We’re talking about marginalized and stigmatized people, whose lives and livelihoods are criminalized,” said Lorway. “Within the first year of our program 12% of men who have sex with men who originally tested negative for HIV were testing positive. So, despite clinicians doing everything they could at the time – providing risk reduction counseling, supplying condoms and lubricant – HIV infection was growing among these men in our cohort.”

Tourism in Kenya has influenced hotspots where gay and bisexual men can congregate and celebrate themselves. By mapping these hotspots, the Global Public Health team have provided local clinicians and community organizations the ability to establish program catchments and generate their own accurate community health data to inform program coverage targets that guide the funding priorities of donors and the Government of Kenya. Furthermore, by providing training to community leaders so that they can cultivate their own research agenda, now community leaders are coming to Lorway and the team for support with their own investigations.

These expanding partnerships have paved the way for organizations like SWOP Ambassadors, who provides legal aid training and support to sex workers and engages with police to ensure that the right to access healthcare services is respected. The internationally-funded community based organization, HOYMAS (Health Options for Young Men on HIV, AIDS, and Sexually transmitted infections) has now established a clinic in Nairobi which guarantees non-discriminatory care and runs anti-stigma campaigns focused on sexual health and human rights advocacy.

“The shifting scope of Global Public Health research in Kenya is a strong sign of transformational success,” said Mario Pinto, Vice-President (Research and International). “The work of these dedicated researchers and clinicians to advance health as a human right has empowered these underserved communities, not just in self-advocacy, but as entrepreneurs and leaders in their field on the international stage. We know that when people of sexual minorities live free of harassment and stigmatization, they are more likely to access life-saving medical care and be their authentic selves.”

CFI-Funded laboratory provides much-needed sex worker outreach programs

Dr. Keith Fowke and Dr. Mario Pinto pictured with Dr. Julius Oyugi, Director of the University of Nairobi Institute for Tropical and Infectious Diseases

In Kenya, UM has partnered with the University of Nairobi to build a Canada Foundation for Innovation funded lab on their campus and has now developed 10 different SWOP clinics across the city as part of ongoing sex worker outreach programs. “When we first started this program, there wasn’t much medical research infrastructure in Kenya, now I’m supervising Kenyan PhD students doing cutting edge research projects without having to leave their country and we are able to hire all staff locally through with grants available to African institutions,” said Keith Fowke.

Decades of results in overcoming epidemics and securing international funding from partners including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS has helped to foster good relationships with government. health officials have signaled a willingness to collaborate on efforts to prevent an emerging epidemic of anal cancer among men who have sex with other men resulting from the sexually transmitted infection HPV.

“We have begun addressing an epidemic of cervical cancer resulting from HPV among female sex workers, but a different approach is needed to provide care for men who have sex with men,” said Lorway. “Hate speech almost constantly enters the political theatre during times of economic disruption like the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s often about quiet negotiations with health official — which can be frustrating because of the urgent need for care. Working with our local partners we’ve established new provisions for anal health care for men who have sex with men. Although working in such a prohibitive political climate can be challenging, these partnerships provide the room we need to discretely develop programs without provoking a negative public reaction.”

Research impacts at home in Manitoba

Joyce Adhiambo (left) and Victoria Were (right)

“There is a presumption that access to care and sex worker support programs are less advanced in the global south. However, in Canada, by criminalizing the clients, we push sex works even further underground,” said Lorway. “Criminalizing sex work makes it extremely difficult to deliver health services. In this case we have something to learn from our work in Kenya about how to provide services to those who are hardest to reach.”

Leading the way in sex work advocacy in Manitoba is the Sex Workers of Winnipeg Action Coalition (SWWAC)  who are partnering with UM infectious disease expert Julie Lajoie, to facilitate an ongoing information exchange between the sex worker communities in Nairobi and Winnipeg. Two community leaders came to Winnipeg in 2022 to discuss their role as grant co-applicants and to share strategies on getting organized in the face of criminalization and public stigma.

“In Canada, we have a parallel issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, and tragically, there are commonalities in the experiences of marginalized people on both sides of the ocean,” said Keith Fowke. “In Manitoba we’re at least a decade behind African programs in HIV prevention approaches. There are more new cases of HIV in Manitoba this year than in epidemic of the 1980s and ‘90s, and it’s mainly among women in indigenous communities.  We need to adapt global best-practices to prevent infections in Manitoba.”

The Winnipeg-based community resource center Sunshine House is leading the way in Manitoba by offering HIV and sexually transmitted disease testing services and have held a Science + Supper, often featuring presentations from UM Faculty members.

“Programs like those offered at Sunshine House, SWWAC and SWOP Ambassadors are foundational,” said Lorway. “Something we as researchers can always work toward is the de-monopolization of science, to put the power to make change into the hands of those who most urgently need it.”

The funding for 10 UM research projects was awarded through the CIHR’s Project Grant Program, which is designed to support ideas with the greatest potential to advance health research, health-related fundamental or applied knowledge, health systems, health care or health outcomes.   

“Congratulations to the individuals from the Rady Faculty that secured funding for their important research,” said Dr. Mario Pinto, UM vice-president (research and international). “I’m thrilled to see that three of the teams were ranked No. 1 by their respective peer review committees. This demonstrates the leading-edge health research being conducted at UM.”

Dr. Peter Nickerson, dean of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, said the projects also reflect the diversity of health research taking place at UM.

“The studies are led by scientists from many different fields – from community health sciences to oral biology to pharmacology and therapeutics. This funding will help our researchers carry out their projects which will inevitably have an impact on the health of Manitobans, Canadians and people around the world,” Nickerson said.  

One of the UM grant recipients is Dr. Soheila Karimi, professor of physiology and pathophysiology, Max Rady College of Medicine, and founding director of the Manitoba Multiple Sclerosis Research Centre. She and her team received $1,143,675 over five years to study what could one day be a new treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

“MS happens when the body’s immune system attacks and damages myelin, a protective layer around nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord. My research group has identified that Neuregulin-1, which is an important protein for proper function of the brain and spinal cord, is depleted in MS lesions. We have strong evidence that Neuregulin-1 holds promise as a potential treatment to promote myelin repair in progressive MS when repair fails, resulting in increased neurological impairments,” said Karimi, who is also a researcher with the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM).

Karimi’s project will evaluate Neuregulin-1 as a future treatment to prevent the progression of MS and support tissue repair. A new treatment is much needed, Karimi said, because Canada is home to the world’s highest prevalence of MS and current medications are minimally effective for the progressive phase of the disease.

“We are really hoping that this research will set the groundwork for conclusive findings which would justify going to clinical trials, especially for progressive MS, because there is a critical treatment gap,” Karimi said.

Learn about the other UM projects funded through the latest round of CIHR’s Project Grant Program. More information about the research teams and the work they’ll be doing is available here.

Dr. Tracie Afifi, professor of community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; Canada Research Chair in childhood adversity and resilience; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $100,000 (one year)

Afifi will focus on updating and expanding her 10-year-old study related to child maltreatment across Canada. The team will update national and provincial prevalence of child abuse statistics and aim to understand the experiences of child abuse among those with different gender and sexual identities and how this impacts mental health and substance use outcome across age groups.

Dr. Heather Armstrong, assistant professor of internal medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine; Canada Research Chair in integrative bioscience; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $814,725 (five years)

Armstrong’s team will study the reasons why some dietary fibres are not well tolerated in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). She hopes these findings support development of personalized dietary fibre guidelines for IBD patients, based on the individual’s gut and microbiome health to ensure only safe fibres are consumed, therefore promoting improved microbe and gut health.

Dr. Prashen Chelikani, professor of oral biology, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry

Grant: $1,319,625 (five years)

Chelikani and the team will work to understand why some dental fungi are associated with tooth decay in preschool children and the local environmental factors that might influence them. This research on the dental mycobiome associated with severe tooth decay will assist with the development of new tooth decay prevention strategies for young Indigenous children.   

Dr. Keith Fowke, department head and professor of medical microbiology and infectious diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine

Grant: $956,250 (five years)

Fowke will partner with organizations and community members in Nairobi, Kenya, to better understand the immune system among women who clear human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. The project aims to identify the immune cells that are important in the natural clearance of HPV with the goal of identifying these HPV clearance associated immune factors that are important for a therapeutic HPV vaccine to mimic.

Dr. Nathan Nickel, associate professor of community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; director and senior research scientist, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $577,574 (three years)

In partnership with the Manitoba Métis Federation, Nickel and his team’s study will shed light on whether a Manitoba Health campaign that promoted the importance of childhood vaccinations improved childhood vaccination among Métis families. The study’s findings will support the development of strategies aimed at keeping childhood vaccination rates high in Manitoba as well as nation-specific strategies for Red River Métis citizens.

Dr. Christopher Pascoe, assistant professor of physiology and pathophysiology, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, CHRIM

Grant: $784,125 (five years)

Pascoe seeks to better understand why exposure to diabetes during pregnancy makes airways twitchier in asthma. The team will learn whether reducing blood glucose levels during pregnancy is an effective way to prevent changes from occurring and this information may allow them the ability to stop asthma in children exposed to diabetes from developing before it’s a problem that requires treatment.

Dr. Joel Pearson, assistant professor of pharmacology and therapeutics, Max Rady College of Medicine; researcher, Paul Albrechtsen Research Institute, CancerCare Manitoba

Grant: $983,025 (five years)

Pearson will lead a study aimed at understanding the underlying causes of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and how non-small cell lung cancer can change to SCLC. This research will help them identify new and improved treatments for SCLC so patients living with this cancer will have longer lives and better outcomes.

Dr. Souradet Shaw, assistant professor of community health sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine; Canada Research Chair in program science and global public health

Grant: $883,576 (four years)

Shaw’s study seeks to develop a deeper understanding of trends, determinants and responses to sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections (STBBI) in Manitoba over a 30-year period. Collaborations between community, public health and academics will be at the forefront of this project, with the goal of co-learning and co-designing interventions to ensure no one is left behind while addressing current and future STBBI outbreaks.

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

Grant: $768,824 (four years)

Woodgate will lead a study to gather evidence to inform the co-design of policies and research priorities meant to enhance the health and well-being of young people who care for family members or other loved ones. Young carers will co-design the policy recommendations and research priorities by gathering evidence grounded in their experiences and providing them with a leadership role in the process.

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.

UM has an allocation of 50 CRCs funded by the Government of Canada in the areas of natural sciences and engineering, health sciences, and social sciences and humanities. CRCs are frequently recognized in Manitoba and around the world, for their leadership in wide-ranging fields, such as maternal and infant health, in Canada and the United States, and overseas in Uttar Pradesh, India.

“Researchers are motivated by the impacts of their work to improve lives of people in our communities, and around the world,” says Mario Pinto, Vice-President (Research and International). “These symposia are an opportunity to spark new and exciting collaborations across disciplines between researchers, students, and the wider community. I hope that everyone will join us for this thought-provoking look into the groundbreaking research taking place every day at UM.”

RSVP by June 15 to join the sixth CRC Symposium

Monday June 19, 2023, at 2pm

Theatre C / Buhler Atrium, Basic Medical Sciences Building, Bannatyne Campus

This is a hybrid event, with both in-person and online options to attend. All are welcome.

Presenters at the upcoming June 19 Symposium will include:

• Andrew Halayko, Tier 1 Chair in Chronic Lung Disease Pathobiology and Treatment, Max Rady College of Medicine (Physiology)
• Colin Gilmore, Tier 2 Chair in Applied Electromagnetic Inversion, Price Faculty of Engineering (Electrical & Computer Engineering)
• James Blanchard, Tier 1 Chair in Epidemiology and Global Public Health, Max Rady College of Medicine (Community Health Sciences)
• Marcelo Urquia, Tier 2 Chair in Applied Population Health, Max Rady College of Medicine (Community Health Sciences)
• Souradet Shaw, Tier 2 Chair in Program Science & Global Public Health, Max Rady College of Medicine (Community Health Sciences)

Molecular epidemiological tools are gaining popularity among researchers as they can identify previously unlinked transmissions. The anonymized data can offer many insights, but the data is far removed from the lived experiences of those hindered by the disease, so any program developed from this data may not fit the “real world” circumstances of those needing help.

Robert Lorway, Co-Principal Investigator and professor of community health sciences and Canada Research Chair in Global Intervention Politics and Social Transformation.

Lyle McKinnon, Co-Principal Investigator and an associate professor in medical microbiology and infectious disease.

But for the UM team, led by Lyle McKinnon, an associate professor in medical microbiology and infectious disease in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, the big question is the ethical questions that emerge from using such tools, and how these can be harnessed to guide HIV programs. 

“Do these new powerful techniques for identifying transmission patterns represent a major breakthrough to effectively tackle HIV epidemics, or do they signify the emergence of a highly intrusive surveillance regime in HIV science,” he asks.

This new study, which received $250,000 in support from Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration, opens a critical and engaged dialogue with a vibrant local activist community in Kenya, Nairobi, and will offer insight into the potential uses and anticipated abuses of using such information to sharpen the focus of HIV epidemic prevention. The outcome of this process holds major importance to the development of policy frameworks that will guide the next generation of the global response.

The UM team has used such molecular tools to analyze several hundred HIV sequences within a large sex worker prevention program and noted several large, mixed transmission networks. Now, with co-lead Robert Lorway, they are directly engaging communities of male and female sex worker activists living in Nairobi, Kenya, in a critical knowledge exchange process. This will answer how, or if, these data can be ethically used to inform existing programs.

The UM has long been a trailblazer in many areas of HIV/AIDS research, including the search for a vaccine against its spread, and this project builds upon this legacy of community partnership to bolster global public health.

This study will draw upon a community based participatory approach employed by feminist and postcolonial scholars. Its multidisciplinary team of basic and social scientists, policy-makers, and local community health activists will 1) work through lay technical summaries of the molecular data to explore the possibilities and limitations of employing network interventions, 2) co-design and test, under carefully controlled conditions, a targeted pilot intervention that combines molecular network data with community knowledge and 3) critically assess and identify the emergent ethical issues, advantages and disadvantages of the tested intervention (when compared to conventional approaches).

Opening up a critical and engaged dialogue with a vibrant local activist community, will offer insight into the potential uses and anticipated abuses of using such information to sharpen the focus of HIV epidemic prevention. The outcome of this process holds major importance to the development of policy frameworks that will guide the next generation of the global response.

Research team includes:

• Robert Lorway – Co-Principal Investigator, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Global Intervention Politics and Social Transformation, Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine
• Souradet Shaw – Co-Applicant, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Program Sciences and Global Public Health, Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine
• Parinita Bhattacharjee – Co-Applicant, Senior Technical Advisor, Partners for Health and Development in Africa, Technical Support, Kenya
• Joshua Kimani – Co-Applicant, Clinical Director, Partners for Health and Development in Africa, Key Populations Research, Kenya
• Marissa Becker – Co-Applicant, Associate Professor, Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine
• Marianne Mureithi – Co-Applicant, Lecturer, University of Nairobi, Medical microbiology, Kenya

Tell us about your research.

I’m a social epidemiologist – epidemiology being the study of patterns of health-related events in specific populations, and then applying this knowledge to try and control the spread of disease. The “social” part is about moving beyond looking at individual behaviours, and really trying to understand what it is about people’s context – things like where people live, and to whom they are connected– and then to examine how that contributes to their vulnerability to adverse health conditions. My main field of study is sexually transmitted and blood borne infections. My PhD research looked at developing a framework, which tied together evidence from different levels – geographical, molecular and individual behaviour, for example, in order to understand why these infections seemed to persist in the same groups over space and time. At the end of the day, what I am hoping to achieve is to inform ways of reducing avoidable illnesses and deaths. The issues that some populations face have nothing to do with how people behave, and have everything to do with how society is structured. Invariably, people fall through the cracks, sometimes systematically so. In addition to understanding patterns of disease in new and innovative ways, I am hoping to understand the systems that leave some people behind, and then find ways to work with communities, and scientists, and those in charge of delivering healthcare to mitigate avoidable mortality and morbidity.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Although I’m not originally from here, Manitoba is where I grew up, and it is home. UM, despite its smaller size, has a large footprint when it comes to research in global public health. And what UM does really well is to not conduct research for research’s sake, but to try and make a difference in people’s lives. I originally started my research career in Dr. John Wylie’s laboratory, examining the impact of social networks on risky behaviours associated with HIV and other blood borne infections. I did my Master’s degree with Dr. Lisa Lix at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, and ended up on the global public health work with Dr. James Blanchard. This CRC is a natural extension of this work, and I am excited to work on the projects and the collaborators that have been established by Dr. Blanchard and others at the Institute for Global Public Health.

What does CRC funding mean to you as a researcher?

It really means the world to me. It allows me to hit the ground running, so to speak, when it comes to establishing a career as an independent researcher.  

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

Extremely relieved, and then utterly grateful to all the folks who have supported me, mentored me, and have guided me down this path.

What inspires you?

I’d say there were a number of people who inspired me, probably too numerous to name. Locally, Drs. James Blanchard and John Wylie were highly influential, and internationally I’d list Drs. Sevgi Aral, Sandro Galea, and Martina Morris as inspirations. The commonality amongst each of these scientists is that they are all creative and innovative thinkers, and they all pushed the boundaries of epidemiology, and the way scientists understand how infectious diseases are transmitted, and sustained in populations. And I think this is what I love about what I do – uncovering mysteries, thinking about problems in ways that are probably a little unconventional, and finding solutions that chip away at the disproportionate burden of disease carried by those whom society makes most vulnerable.

What about you would people find surprising?

There are probably several things – how about that I used to play in a rock band in Winnipeg? Although I feel being in a band is sort of a badge of honour for anyone who grew up in Winnipeg.

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

I’d say find a good fit, when it comes to finding mentors, and seek opportunities, when they’re presented to you. Some folks have their lives planned out in minute detail. For others, like myself, you never know which opportunities and skills that you’ve picked up along the way will turn out to be your passion.

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.