The event, co-hosted by The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship, IDEA START, and Partnerships, Knowledge Mobilization and Innovation, brought our UM community together to learn about entrepreneurship in various forms.

After an inspiring welcome from UM Chancellor, David Angus, four faculty members shared their experiences applying entrepreneurship and innovation:

• Associate Professor Kathy Yerex, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, shared about a new module in the Dental Hygiene program to help students develop skills for professional innovation and small business.
• Dr. Wenxi Pu, Asper School of Business, shared about his new research method that uses linguistic analysis of U.S. media, supported by machine learning algorithms and AI, to reveal cultural attitudes about entrepreneurship.
• Dr. Stephane McLachlan shared how his work in Indigenous data sovereignty led him to create a social enterprise that supports an app called Our Data Indigenous.
• Dr. Geoff Tranmer shared about the journey to create Borotherapeutics, an early-stage drug development company that seeks to develop boron-based therapeutics particularly focused on ALS disease.

Attendees also heard brief introductions from the units on campus that support entrepreneurship in all its forms:

• Janine Carmichael, Faculty Specialist, Entrepreneurship, The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
• Debra Jonasson-Young, I.H. Asper Executive Director, Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship
• Moe Levy, Director, IDEA START
• Dr. Loren Oschipok, Director, Partnerships, Knowledge Mobilization and Innovation

November marked the third annual Entrepreneurship & Innovative Thinking Month at the University of Manitoba. Along with the symposium, the month featured events, initiatives and highlights of how entrepreneurship and innovative approaches can support the pursuit of big ideas to help make the world a better place.

Check out the latest Entrepreneurship & Innovative Thinking Report on Activities for 2024/25.

“Art is how some projects need to be realized,” says the assistant professor of occupational therapy. “Creative methods are a versatile way for people to share stories.”

Burghardt, who holds a PhD in critical disability studies from York University, became a faculty member of the College of Rehabilitation Sciences in 2023.

One of her current projects focuses on objects that may hold traumatic memories for formerly institutionalized people with intellectual disabilities.

The objects are artifacts from the Manitoba Developmental Centre (MDC), a facility in Portage la Prairie that closed in 2024, after the Manitoba government issued a public apology to former residents who had been mistreated there.

Through a class action lawsuit filed by former residents, Burghardt was able to retrieve artifacts that were considered to have historical or social value.

Keys that symbolized the control the MDC
staff had over residents.

Over the last year, she’s been working with a group of MDC survivors to decide what to do with the items, such as newspaper clippings, photos, medical equipment, a child’s crib and a leather strap that was used to restrain a person in their bed.

The survivors have responded to the objects through artistic methods such as photography, collage, movement and improvisation.

“One participant picked up this old black phone from the MDC and ‘called’ the institution, improvising with the phone, literally talking back to the institution. And then others followed. It was so powerful.”

Another object that evoked a strong response was a set of skeleton keys that staff carried with them. Burghardt says a local metalworker is collaborating with the group to create a sculpture of a bird, using the keys to represent freedom.

“The keys symbolized the control the staff had. But today they also represent freedom, because the survivors have transitioned to community living and now have keys to their own homes.”

Working with artists Natalie Baird [B.Env.Sc.(Hons.)/14, M.ENV./20] and Toby Gillies [BFA/09], Burghardt and the survivors hope the objects they are “transforming” can one day be shared in a human rights-themed exhibit.

A phone from MDC that a participant used to ‘call’ the facility.

“The participants have been very clear in saying, ‘Our rights were violated,’” the professor says.

Burghardt grew up near Hamilton, Ont., and earned her degree in occupational therapy (OT) at the University of Toronto in 1987.

She started out working with children with disabilities, first in northern Ontario and then in Zimbabwe.

“What appealed to me about OT was it had a real creative element to it. You’re problem-solving to support people in living a meaningful life.”

Burghardt has published research in journals such as the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies. Her doctoral research, which examined the experiences of institutional survivors and their families in Ontario, led her to author a 2018 book, Broken: Institutions, Families, and the Construction of Intellectual Disability.

She also has a role at the St. Amant Research Centre, where she is currently involved in a project with children’s caregivers in a respite program.

“I hope that these projects will support people with intellectual disabilities to share some of their experiences,” Burghardt says.

“And I hope that my work helps to transform traditional attitudes about people with intellectual disabilities.”

Each year, undergraduate students from the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences’ doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program anonymously select instructors for the Outstanding Teacher Awards. The educators with the most votes from first-, second- and third-year classes were recognized at the ceremony.  

Year 1: Dr. Sheila Ng 

Dr. Sheila Ng, a senior instructor, teaches first-year students in the applied pharmacy practice lab. She also teaches in other practice lab and clinical courses across the PharmD program.  

“Sheila has always been caring towards our class and showed how much she wants us to succeed,” said one student. 

“She gave us tons of opportunities to improve and practice … as well as offered great feedback. Sheila has always been approachable, especially when it came to asking for additional help.” 

Ng, who joined the college in 2011, said being recognized by students is “incredibly meaningful”. 

“It tells me the learning environment we work so hard to create is making a positive impact,” she said. “I am inspired to help students develop a strong foundation for delivering compassionate, person-centred care in our communities.” 

Year 2: Kristi Watson    

Dr. Lavern Vercaigne with Kristi Watson.

“Kristi not only empowers her students through her engaging teaching style that pushes us outside of our comfort zone and allows us to grow, she also cares so deeply about each and every student. The program is lucky to have her,” said one of the students who nominated Kristi Watson for the award. 

Watson teaches second-year PharmD students in the applied pharmacy practice lab, as well as first- and second-year students in courses such as clinical therapeutics, toxicology and pharmacology for dental hygiene.  

She joined the College of Pharmacy in 2022 after an 18-year career as an oncology pharmacist – a specialist in medications used to treat cancer – at CancerCare Manitoba. 

“Knowing that I have made an impact on a student’s journey to become a pharmacist is truly special,” said Watson. “It’s a long, tough road for them and we hold them to high standards. I hope they know how much we’re cheering them on and want to see them succeed – not only in school but in their future careers.” 

Watson said she values seeing students engaged in learning and realizing it’s about more than completing assignments or passing exams.  

“They’re preparing to help someone understand a new medication, prevent a life-threatening drug interaction, manage a debilitating side effect or find a dosage form that will allow a child to take a medication,” she said. “I love when that connection to real-life practice is made and it starts to mean a lot more to that student.” 

Year 3: Joanne Johnson 

Joanne Johnson, who teaches third-year students the pharmacy management course and first-year students in the applied pharmacy practice lab, received the award for the first time. 

Joanne Johnson with Dr. Lavern Vercaigne.

“Joanne is a dynamic instructor who engages the classroom with relevant, thought-provoking discussion,” said one of the students who nominated her.  

“Joanne is one of the pharmacists we are lucky to have in our faculty because of how she inspires people both personally and professionally. Having Joanne as an instructor was a gift!” 

Johnson joined the College of Pharmacy in 2022 after spending 26 years in rural community pharmacy practice. 

“This recognition was incredibly meaningful because it affirmed that the time, care and energy I put into teaching is resonating with students,” said Johnson. “I’m deeply grateful to them for taking the time to nominate me, and I see this award as a shared reflection of the learning relationships we build together.” 

Johnson said transitioning from practice to teaching allowed her to bring real-world experiences into the classroom. 

“My goal as an educator is to share my passion and joy for pharmacy and help students feel confident and excited about the impact they can have as pharmacists.” 

“We have this massive hemorrhaging of young nurses, and we often blame the health-care system for it. But nursing education plays a part,” says Dr. Marnie Kramer, assistant professor of nursing.

“Students come into our nursing program with their cup full. The intensity of the program depletes their cup. If we don’t teach them how to fill it back up, they go to practice with a half-full cup, and then the relentless health-care system drains it. And then we wonder why they leave.”

Kramer, who grew up in the Edmonton area, earned her bachelor of nursing and master of education at the University of Alberta, followed by her PhD in nursing from the University of Toronto. She joined the UM faculty in 2020.

As a researcher focused on nursing education, she has explored why students fail exams and courses, and strategies for helping them to rebound and succeed. Increasingly, she is interested in learners’ emotional needs and responses to stressful situations.

“We have to start teaching students to think about how they’re coping and what they need,” she says. In 2024, Kramer led a study of coping by fourth-year nursing students. She had each student take an inventory to identify their style of handling stress.

“We found that knowing whether a student is a task-based coper, an emotion-based coper or an avoidance-based coper helps the instructor to better support the student, and helps the student to recognize their own patterns and needs,” the professor says.

One of Kramer’s current studies aims to understand young nurses’ “attributions” when they’re new to practice – their beliefs about what’s causing their distress at work. “If they’re in a situation they think they can’t control, they’re more likely to leave,” she says.

Kramer hopes to follow up the study by creating an attributional retraining program for nurses, aiming to encourage more resilient ways of thinking about challenges.

UM recognized Kramer with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Teaching Scholar award for 2024-2025. It funded her for a study of teaching a challenging nursing course using novel approaches, including “mastery learning.”

“Mastery learning is when you’re allowed to struggle with something until you learn it,” she says.

UM is becoming known as a centre for excellence in nursing education research, she says.

Kramer has collaborated on several studies with colleagues Dr. Nicole Harder [BN/96, MPA/02], an expert on learning through clinical simulation, and Kim Mitchell [BA/92, BN/97, MN/02, PhD/21], whose area is literacy in nursing.

“We have graduate students coming to UM now who want to specialize in nursing education research,” she says.

Kramer’s own experiences have shaped her drive to equip students to handle setbacks. “I struggled with medication math in nursing school,” she remembers.

“I had to take remedial math, but I ended up being an intensive care nurse. I can calculate really complex medical drips. All those little failures, if you have the ability to keep going, they just build you. And then you have empathy when others are struggling.”

Dr. Jithin Sreedharan started his five-year term as department head on Nov. 24. He received the PhD from the Srinivas University in Mangalore, India. 

Before joining UM, he served as assistant professor and head of the RT department at the University of Doha for Science and Technology in Qatar for two years. He spent over a decade at the Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences in Saudi Arabia, serving in multiple leadership and academic roles.  

He also has extensive clinical experience in Singapore and in his home country, India. 

Sreedharan is considered an RT pioneer in India and was a founding member of the Indian Association of Respiratory Care, where he helped launch the Indian Journal of Respiratory Care. He also served as governor representing India on the International Council for Respiratory Care from 2020 to 2023. 

He has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications, 14 book chapters, and is currently editor and co-editor of two forthcoming books focused on allied health education and respiratory care. 

We recently spoke with Sreedharan about his vision for the RT department. 

How did you get started in your career? 

Respiratory therapy was fairly unknown in India in 2004, when I started my bachelor’s degree. The first training programs were established in 1995, so it was still a new stream. Many people did not know what it was. I was posted in one of the emergency departments and that gave me a lot of opportunities and hands-on experience. I met with researchers that gave me a real interest to go further in the profession. Gradually, I started realizing that there was a real need for progression of the career.  

What attracted you to come to UM for this next chapter? 

I decided to join the university because of the uniqueness of the RT program, its strong legacy spanning many decades, and the opportunities it offers for the future. This is the only university in Canada offering an English-language bachelor’s degree in RT, making it an ideal foundation for developing advanced programs such as a master’s or PhD, with significant visibility and impact. 

Respiratory therapists are in extremely high demand in the region, with an expanding scope of practice and significant research potential. There is tremendous opportunity to develop degree advancement options, micro-credentialing and specialty tracks. When the dean, Dr. Reg Urbanowski, shared his vision for the program, I was immediately inspired, and this was further reinforced through my interactions with the broader leadership team and the exceptional faculty. 

What vision do you have for the department? 

My vision is to enhance our global visibility, increase research output and elevate the program as a referral centre for excellence in respiratory care. 

I aim to empower our faculty, providing guidance and inspiration for research at all levels – from foundational studies to high-impact projects. By doing so, we will bring recognition to our faculty, attract collaborations with internationally renowned universities and position our department as a hub for innovation in respiratory care. 

Increasing awareness of RT as a career is also a key priority. Many people outside the health-care system are unfamiliar with the profession, and I want to highlight the opportunities it offers, particularly among Indigenous communities, demonstrating the potential for fulfilling and impactful careers. 

Collaboration will be central to achieving this vision. I plan to work closely with Manitoba’s clinical community, leveraging their expertise to support clinician-led research and community-based initiatives. This will also open avenues for research grants, funding opportunities and resource development, directly benefiting clinicians, students and communities. 

That would explain why the photographer’s lens is typically trained at the roots instead of angled toward the treetops.

By nature and through nurture, Ciurysek’s practice is terrestrially bound.

“I have more of a familiarity or comfort with being outside, just lying down on the ground. I always had a desire to put my hands in the dirt or just lie down in the grass,” says Ciurysek, an associate professor in the School of Art at the University of Manitoba.

Compelled to touch grass — to silence urban and technological distraction to reconnect with the natural world — Ciurysek often heads to the forest, an environment that served as an inspiration for her solo exhibit Through, and through, on view at the Platform Centre for Photographic and Digital Arts (100 Arthur St.) until Nov. 15.

At Platform on Friday at 6 p.m., Ciurysek will be joined in conversation by hannah_g, a local writer and the curator of the Galerie Buhler Gallery, to discuss the exhibition as part of Platform’s active research lecture series. The event is free to the public.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to The Free Press.

“Representation alone is not enough,” said Dr. Angie Bruce, vice-president (Indigenous) of UM. “We must move beyond tokenism and towards a genuine commitment to inclusion, belonging and respect.” 

Bruce was a keynote speaker at the day-long symposium on the Bannatyne campus on the theme “Reimagining the recruitment and retention of Indigenous scholars in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.”  

The event was co-chaired by the Rady Faculty’s Dr. Peter Nickerson, dean, and Dr. Marcia Anderson, vice-dean, Indigenous health, social justice and anti-racism. 

Reflecting the fact that about 20 per cent of Manitoba’s population is First Nations, Métis or Inuit, the Rady Faculty’s goal is for 20 per cent of faculty members to be Indigenous, Nickerson said. 

Indigenous scholars will soon be hired for a new endowed professorship and chair, both in Indigenous health, he said. 

In her address, Bruce said First Nations, Métis and Inuit faculty members often feel isolated and become exhausted from fighting to create space for Indigenous knowledge.   

Some at UM, she said, have been criticized by their departments for incorporating Indigenous content into the curriculum. Yet at the same time, they have been pressured to teach Indigenous courses that are outside their academic discipline. 

“Leaders must ensure that Indigenous faculty are not only welcomed, but are respected for their academic expertise,” Bruce said. 

The current metrics used for academic promotion and tenure tend to disadvantage Indigenous scholars, speakers said. Giving faculty members credit for community service was suggested as one way to address this imbalance. 

Indigenous academics who attain leadership roles become mentors who “light the way” and help newer Indigenous scholars to navigate the complex university bureaucracy, speakers said. 

(Left to right): Panelists included physician Dr. Sara Goulet, occupational therapist Braydn Matheson, nurse Shayna Moore and pharmacist Derrick Sanderson.

Symposium panelist Shayna Moore, a Cree nurse who graduated from UM last year, recalled being inspired by Maori nursing leaders during an experiential learning trip to New Zealand.   

“Their instructors were Indigenous, and their researchers. It allowed me to see myself in a position like that,” said Moore, who is now a coach for Indigenous students at the College of Nursing. 

Many Indigenous scholars experience a “push and pull” between their academic responsibilities and their community obligations, speakers said. 

Panelist Braydn Matheson, a UM-educated occupational therapist with ties to Peguis First Nation, said that during her studies, she had to take responsibility for a child from her community. She was fortunate, she said, that Indigenous faculty members were supportive. 

Several speakers talked about masking their authentic identities in order to feel accepted in academia.  

“I feel, every time I walk in this building, like I need to be somebody I’m not,” said Dr. Sara Goulet, a UM-educated Métis family doctor who is associate dean (admissions) of the Max Rady College of Medicine.  

Goulet credited her success as a leader to support from other Indigenous faculty. “It is so important for us to have each other,” she said.  

Derrick Sanderson, a UM pharmacy alum who is a member of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, said all UM students in the health sciences need to learn about the holistic Indigenous view of health. 

The event’s second keynote address was given by two leaders from the University of Winnipeg (U of W): Dr. Pavlina Radia, provost and vice-president (academic), and Dr. Chantal Fiola, associate vice-president (Indigenous engagement).  

They spoke about U of W’s recent “cluster hire” of nine Indigenous scholars. 

That process, they said, included ensuring that hiring committees were trained in unbiased practices and cultural sensitivity; circulating job postings widely within Indigenous channels; verifying Indigenous identity as a condition of employment; and providing “wraparound support” to Indigenous hires.  

Radia and Fiola said that in the future, they hope to see Elders and Indigenous community members represented on hiring panels. That’s currently not permitted under the U of W and UM faculty collective agreements. 

Panelists Dr. Wanda Phillips-Beck, Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing and Seven Generations Scholar at the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, and Dr. Linda Diffey, director of Ongomiizwin – Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing – Research, said the highest priority for many Indigenous scholars is to do research or clinical work that centres on their community’s needs. 

“A lot of scholars want to have direct relationships and ties to their communities,” Phillips-Beck said. 

The panelists called for transformative policy change at UM so professionals across all health disciplines can maintain clinical roles in communities while simultaneously holding faculty positions. Currently, only medical professionals have such flexibility.  

For Indigenous alumni in professions such as nursing, working as a mentor, coach or preceptor (professional who supervises learners) in an Indigenous community could serve as a gateway to a Rady academic appointment, suggested panelist Melanie MacKinnon, executive director of Ongomiizwin. 

“I wonder if … we have an opportunity to reframe what we mean by ‘faculty,’” she said. “We can start bringing them into our university community when they’re practising in community.”   

The insights and ideas that were shared at the symposium will be used in formulating a strategy for the recruitment and retention of Indigenous scholars in the Rady Faculty, organizers said. 

Gaboury, often celebrated as the province’s greatest architect, was known for his masterful use of light in buildings such as the St. Boniface Cathedral and Precious Blood Church. He passed away in 2022, but his influence continues to shape Diallo’s work.

“It’s a meditation on life, on the journey of life, the cycles of life and time and perhaps memories as well,” said Diallo, whose exhibition Heliophile features glass sculptures, installations, and projections — her first time working in this medium.

The exhibition draws on themes of family, memory, and place, while paying tribute to Gaboury’s artistry and Métis heritage.

Heliophile runs until August 22, 2025, at Galerie Buhler Gallery in Winnipeg.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to CBC Manitoba.

This recognition for studio-based research celebrates the importance of material culture and craft history. It also marks a turning point for creative research at the University of Manitoba.

“Receiving the SSHRC Insight Grant means a lot because it is still challenging for research-creation to receive funding at this level, particularly in Manitoba,” said Nickel. “It wasn’t long ago that creative activity wasn’t widely recognized as a viable category of academic research at UM. Now that we’re starting to see studio faculty successfully competing for SSHRC grants, it shows that old, restrictive attitudes toward what constitutes scholarly research are shifting—and the ceiling is being lifted.”

Nickel’s SSHRC-funded project is both deeply personal and broadly impactful. At its core is a rigorous study of Anabaptist/Haban ceramics, an area often overlooked in art history and contemporary ceramic pedagogy.

“Filling this knowledge gap and creating a body of work informed by the Anabaptist/Haban tradition is what excites me most,” she said. “This branch of ceramics, practiced between the mid-15th and late 19th centuries, connects to my own cultural heritage. That makes it personal and allows me to study my own history while developing new work and bringing greater awareness to the Anabaptist/Haban tradition.”

Among the many technical explorations involved in the project is an ongoing search for the elusive “heavenly blue,” a distinctive glaze colour associated with Haban ceramics that is especially difficult to replicate using contemporary methods.

A selection of hand-built ceramic test forms, developed through surface and glaze experiments exploring the visual language of Haban/Anabaptist ceramics, including the elusive “heavenly blue.”

The multi-faceted initiative will culminate in a major exhibition, a print catalogue, a lecture and workshop series, and the creation of a publicly accessible online resource featuring historical and technical data. Together, these outcomes aim to expand the knowledge and visibility of a tradition that continues to resonate in contemporary ceramic practices.

This summer, Nickel has been working closely with Undergraduate Research Award (URA) recipient and recent 2025 BFA Honours graduate Abtahi Hassan. Together, they’ve been conducting foundational research through both traditional and experimental methods.

“Working on Professor Grace Nickel’s project through the URA has been an incredible experience,” said Abtahi. “The focus on Haban/Anabaptist ceramics, a largely forgotten technique, challenged us to think outside the box to replicate the process and the distinctive colors and surface finishes, especially the marbling.

“Marbling is a technique I’ve explored in my ceramic practice for years, so being able to combine that experience with the historical knowledge we uncovered was encouraging. Collaborating with Grace, whose deep understanding of historical materials and methods is so inspiring, pushed my skills to develop exponentially.

“It was also amazing to experiment with a wide range of tools, like 3D printing, which opened up even more possibilities in my practice.”

Grace Nickel and Abtahi Hassan with an array of surface tests developed through the Undergraduate Research Award program.

For Nickel, the mentorship has been equally rewarding:

“Working with Abtahi Hassan through the URA program has been remarkable. We have both learned a lot, and Abtahi has been indispensable in helping me move through the highly ambitious agenda I set for my studio research and creation this summer.

“His insights, tireless energy, and positive presence have been a gift. Through the program, Abtahi has also had the opportunity to develop his own practice, delving into the potential of 3D digital technologies and experimenting with innovative methods in clay.”

Their work also highlights the impact and potential of the URA program, which supports undergraduate students in hands-on research alongside faculty members. As Abtahi notes, the program is still gaining awareness among fine arts students, something both he and Grace hope to expand through visibility and example.

Four in-progress cameo forms out of twenty-two total being created for an installation piece titled “In Search of Heavenly Blue” developed as part of the SSHRC-funded project.

With this SSHRC-funded project, Nickel is bringing together academic research, historical inquiry, and contemporary creative practice in ways that challenge disciplinary boundaries and create new models for collaborative research in the arts.

Congratulations to both Grace and Abtahi on the current and continued success of their hard work.

____

About SSHRC

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is the federal research funding agency that promotes and supports research and research training in the humanities and social sciences. Established in 1977, SSHRC plays a vital role in Canada’s research landscape by supporting knowledge creation, fostering innovation, and investing in the next generation of scholars and creative thinkers.

Through a range of grants, fellowships, and scholarships—including the Insight Grant awarded to Professor Nickel—SSHRC enables Canadian researchers to explore pressing social, cultural, and historical questions. SSHRC is part of the Innovation, Science and Economic Development portfolio and also administers national research initiatives on behalf of Canada’s three federal research agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and SSHRC.

Learn more: https://sshrc-crsh.canada.ca/en/competition-results.aspx

To help clarify what can and can’t be shared, the Copyright Office has updated the UM copyright guidelines. These updates are here to support students in making informed choices.

The university is committed to supporting a respectful academic environment and protecting the rights of professors, instructors and fellow students. 

Please remember: sharing, recording or uploading course content without permission — including distributing lecture materials or recordings without permission — is not allowed and may have serious consequences under UM’s Student Discipline and Misconduct procedures.

For more information, please review the Student Non-Academic Misconduct and Concerning Behaviour Procedure and the Student Discipline Bylaw.

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