“Even if I was reluctant at first, over the 21 years I had been working in nursing, I had fallen in love with the profession and so it only made sense for me to pursue my master’s degree,” said Van Haute. “Out of all the mainstream health professions, to me, nursing offers the most holistic patient-centred and family-centred lens on how to care for people and how to design and plan health systems and that’s what I’m really interested in.”

Having completed her master’s, she jokes that she is now in nursing school for the fifth time as she works to complete her PhD. Her research, concentrated in Churchill, Manitoba, focuses on incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing to guide health systems planning, including the use of traditional healing practices into the health system. Her project, tied directly to truth and reconciliation, asks what it means to privilege Indigenous ways of knowing and doing alongside more mainstream health services.

“The goal is to bring together Indigenous community members, Knowledge Keepers, and health facility staff to have conversations around where we’ve been, where are we now, and where we want to go in the future. By creating spaces for dialogue on how to bring together different and sometimes opposing worldview, we can find a way to move forward collectively. Then [we will] hopefully apply these learnings across Canada, but especially to the larger part of the health system here in Manitoba,” she said.

Van Haute wanted to pursue a PhD because she saw it as an opportunity to promote Indigenous health equity, an area of study she’s passionate about. Wanting to honour that with as much time and space as possible, and recognizing the intense mental focus and concentration completing a PhD requires, she applied for and received the 2023-24 Indigenous Doctoral Program Fellowship and the 2023-24 Foundation for Registered Nurses of Manitoba Inc. Graduate Scholarship and Award.

“I am so grateful to receive these awards because they’ve allowed me to carve out some time to give myself and others the gift of doing my dissertation work in a good way,” she said. “Throughout my academic career, I have always worked close to full-time while also being a full-time student. My goal for when I completed my coursework for my PhD program was not to work so that I could devote my time to my research and to the community of Churchill.”

Another reason Van Haute wanted to pursue a PhD is because she knows that social advancements rooted in political activism also require support from structures such as academia to bring meaningful and systemic change. This research is a great example of that because it allows for the centering of the voices of Indigenous community members working alongside Indigenous and non-Indigenous clinicians and health leaders, who may have previously not been able to influence changes to the health system. By using her own and others’ lived experience, she can uncover where the health system’s priorities have conflicted with the community’s and support the community to move forward together.

“While I’m truly grateful and feel honoured for the scholarships and fellowships I’ve received, I believe this funding is about so much more than just me,” she said. “Scholarships, like I’ve received, are about supporting students that are going to be carrying this forward for the next generation. In turn, they will pass it on again, hopefully toward the advancement of society as a whole.”

As a Métis woman from the Red River Métis settlement here in Treaty 1 Territory, Van Haute is also thankful for the opportunity to connect with her Indigenous community.

“I’m learning how beautiful reclamation of culture and reclamation of ceremony can be and what that can mean for people in the community,” she said. “Coming out of Africa, working in famine, working with war zones, I was carrying a large amount of vicarious trauma and not realizing the impact it was having on me. I wasn’t born in culture, so when I started healing and connecting to my culture through my ceremony family, it shifted the way I understood things and brought together my nursing experience with traditional health and healing practices.”

The new fellows come from across UM, representing both the Faculty of Science and Faculty of Arts, and include a former Warden and Vice-Chancellor of SJC.

We caught up with them to see what joining the St John’s community means to them. 

Jenna Tichon: Faculty of Science, Department of Statistics

Dr. Jenna Tichon focuses her research on experimental design, where she looks to find optimal split-plot designs for industrial and agricultural experiments. Jenna uses programming and simulation to develop a deeper understanding of statistical concepts, data visualization, and creating accessible research.

Jenna shares her excitement about learning from other academics and making new connections.

“I’m most excited about meeting and working with new people, learning about their research, and contributing to making the University of Manitoba a more vibrant and friendly place to work and learn. Every fellow speaks about what a strong community they felt at the College and how much they learned by sharing experiences with colleagues from all around the university.” 

Aleeza Gerstein: Faculty of Science, Department of Microbiology and Statistics

Before moving back to her hometown of Winnipeg, Aleeza studied in the Zoology Department at the University of British Columbia, where she focused on evolutionary genetics using the budding yeast, and held a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota.

Her research applies evolutionary principles and statistical methods to understand the factors that influence how and why fungal populations evolve.

About joining St John’s, Aleeza says, 

“I greatly welcome the opportunity as a Fellow to form additional relationships with others across the university community. Creating and fostering community is an overarching thread that has driven much of the service I have undertaken as a faculty member.”

Gregg Olsen: Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology and Criminology

As an esteemed sociologist, Gregg Olsen has spent over three decades researching socio-economic inequality and strategies to eradicate it. A recipient of the Arts Award in Internationalization, he has given public addresses and conducted research in over twenty nations. His cross-national approach has furthered his understanding of why inequality varies dramatically across countries and time.

Murdith McLean: Former Warden and Vice-Chancellor of St John’s College 

Murdith McLean is no stranger to St John’s College, having served as Warden and Vice-Chancellor from 1980 through 1997. He was also an adjunct professor in the UM Department of Philosophy and served in several important roles at the University. He was a Senate appointee to the Board of Governors, and member of the President’s task force on strategic planning. 

The former Warden returns to St John’s College as a retired fellow.

To learn more about St John’s College fellowship, visit our website. 

The Fellows in Equity, Anti-Oppression and Social Justice program aims to ensure student voices, vision and experiences are valued and embedded into institutional initiatives for social justice, equity, accessibility and anti-oppression at the University of Manitoba.

The program will provide up to five paid fellowships for students from diverse backgrounds to advance the collective work at University of Manitoba of identifying and narrowing systemic inequities. Each placement will be 6 to 9 months in duration, providing experiential and work-integrated learning in key areas such as anti-ableism, anti-racism, social justice, 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, age-inclusivity, as well as equity, diversity and inclusion.

“These fellowships are a great opportunity for student learning and involvement as we take action on UM’s commitments to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. This program also builds institutional capacity for transformative systemic change at UM,” says Tina Chen, Vice-Provost (Equity).

This program is open to undergraduate and graduate students from all faculties.

Applications are open now, with a deadline of February 23, 2024. Learn more and apply at the Fellows in Equity, Anti-Oppression and Social Justice webpage.

Iqbal is a 2023-24 recipient of a Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics (CPAE) Graduate Fellowship. The centre offers annual fellowships to both academics, faculty and instructors, and graduate students at UM. CPAE’s mandate is to promote interdisciplinary research on applied ethics in all areas of practical and professional life. The fellowships are open to individuals from all fields and all faculties, and this year’s application deadline is February 28, 2024.

Nabil Iqbal

The fellowships aim to support researchers in the field of ethics and to encourage those in other fields to consider the ethical implications of their work, to integrate ethics into their research and to promote understanding of ethics as it relates to their areas of study.

Iqbal’s present research is his third exploration into the theme of climate refugees. Previously, he has looked at the lack of legal protections under human rights law for climate refugees in Kiribati, an island country in Micronesia that may potentially be the first country to be swallowed into the ocean as a result of rising sea levels due to climate change.  

Iqbal sees a gap in fairness and protection for people displaced by climate change. “Normally, refugees escaping persecution get protection under international law,” explained Iqbal. “Surprisingly, climate refugees don’t have that safety net, and they end up being sent back or put in detention camps, facing more problems and rights violations.”

The ethical piece of his research is “pushing for fair treatment and legal protection for these vulnerable individuals” by looking at “why the current international refugee and human rights laws aren’t protecting this group and what changes are needed to the laws so climate refugees can be protected.”

The $3,000 graduate student fellowship allows Iqbal to focus on his work without financial worries. But, just as importantly, he notes that it is the support from the researchers, fellow students and professional connections in the CPAE network that serve as a “crucial catalyst for my academic journey and career development.”

Iqbal hopes that his research will raise awareness of the challenges climate refugees face, as well as ultimately contribute to making the rules fairer and more protective for those displaced by climate change. “I hope my research can help others by showing them how they can be legally protected,” he shared. “For example, someone in Kiribati might learn from my work how to successfully move to a new country for safety and support.” Iqbal also hopes his research can influence future policy, strengthening refugee and human rights law to better address the specific challenges faced by the growing number of climate refugees across the globe.

Applications to the CPAE Ethics Graduate Fellowships and Research Fellowships for faculty are due February 28, 2024.

Over time, he found he was most drawn to the content taught in moral philosophy and ethics classes. He became particularly interested in human rights, the nature of rights and the justification that humans have for the existence of rights considering rights seem to be immaterial or intangible entities.

Dimitar Tomovski

Tomovski is a 2022 recipient of a Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics (CPAE) Graduate Fellowship. The centre offers annual fellowships to both academics, faculty and intructors, and graduate students at UM. CPAE has a mandate to promote interdisciplinary research on applied ethics in all areas of practical and professional life. While Tomovski is a philosophy graduate student, the fellowships are open to individuals from all fields and all faculties.

The fellowships aim to support researchers in the field of ethics and to encourage those in other fields to consider the ethical implications of their work, to integrate ethics into their research and to promote understanding of ethics as it relates to their areas of study.

After taking a human rights seminar in the first year of his master’s program, Tomovski began to wonder which non-human beings could also have rights.

“The focus of my thesis is to understand in what ways non-sentient beings can have rights and what these rights tell us about human rights,” explained Tomovski. “While it is widely accepted that sentient beings such as humans and most animals have rights, it seems less intuitive that beings without sentience can possess rights as well. I hope to show how we can intuitively assign rights to organic non-sentient beings such as the Great Barrier Reef, inorganic non-sentient beings such as the Mona Lisa and immaterial beings such as endangered languages. My hope is that more people will recognize that certain entities have value outside of the benefits that they bring upon people and that certain non-sentient beings ought to be treated as bearers of rights.”

Tomovski was grateful to receive the $3,000 graduate student stipend. “The fellowship has allowed me to pursue my research with a lot more financial freedom,” he shared. “Thanks to the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics, I have been able focus a lot more of my time and attention on doing research and actually writing my thesis. This year, I did not have to worry about the costs of textbooks or sources and I was able to purchase all of the texts that would be relevant to my research topic. I thank CPAE for this wonderful opportunity and for their confidence in me and my research topic.”

Applications to both the CPAE Ethics Graduate Fellowships and Research Fellowship for faculty are due February 28, 2023.

To bring momentum to the TRC’s Calls to Action, the alumni couple have established a fellowship to reward the academic achievements of UM graduate students pursuing research in the area of Truth and Reconciliation.

“We have been appalled for many years by the treatment of Indigenous people in Canada,” explains the Dewars. “The Truth and Reconciliation Commission addressed many of these in their 94 Calls to Action and we are concerned that many will gather dust on a shelf. A graduate student’s thesis is a way of evaluating and implementing a course of action for one or more of the calls.  Hopefully they will be a role model for researchers or activists to follow in the future.”

The Dewars are no strangers to graduate work and its impact. In 1972, both earned their master’s degrees from UM – Catherine in human nutritional science and Malcolm in sociology. They describe themselves as “firm believers in serendipitous discovery” and the value research can provide to solving problems in society.

“This gift is generous, meaningful, and a big step in building healthier relationships between Indigenous communities and Canadians because it allows for a focused, nuanced, and thorough approach by those with the most to inherit from reconciliation today,” says Niigaan Sinclair, professor in Native Studies at UM and member of the fellowship’s selection committee.

Beginning in the 2020-2021, the fellowship will award $8,000 to a graduate student who is undertaking or plans to undertake research focused on the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action. They must also have self-declared as a First Nations, Métis, or Inuit person from Canada and have a direct family connection (intergenerational or otherwise) to a Residential School.

The Malcolm & Catherine Dewar Truth and Reconciliation Fellowship adds to the diverse body of Indigenous scholarship and research already being done at UM including in the areas of Indigenous governance, education and legal reconciliation.

Sinclair encourages students to consider Truth and Reconciliation research as an opportunity to help chart a path forward for all Canadians. “To students interested in applying I say: believe in yourself and others do too. Apply, succeed and never forget how important your voice is.”

The first recipient of the Malcolm & Catherine Dewar Truth and Reconciliation Fellowship is Robin Neckoway. Robin is an intergenerational Survivor, with family members on both parents’ sides having attended Residential Schools. Robin obtained a BA in Economics from the University of Winnipeg in 2011 and is currently obtaining his MA in History at UM.

Robin’s research looks at the colonial experiences surrounding hydro development in Northern Manitoba and examines the power that records have in restoring relationships between Indigenous Peoples and the state.

Robin’s research aligns directly with the Calls to Action which address the governments and call for the implementation and adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Moreover, it is related to the restoration of treaty relationships, the call for a greater control of resources and a call for governments to affirm the rights of Indigenous Self-Determination.

We congratulate Robin Neckoway on receiving this award and wish him luck as he pursues this exciting and important research.

The 2021-2022 award is now open for applications. To apply, visit the NCTR website: nctr.ca

While these intensely sweet compounds are generally considered safe, we still know very little about their impact on pregnant women and their babies. With the prevalence of artificial sweetener consumption during pregnancy nearing one in four women, we need to better understand the impact of these compounds on infants. Research has indicated the consumption of artificial sweeteners during pregnancy can increase the body weight of offspring, putting them at risk of obesity related complications later in life. Another report has suggested the consumption of artificially sweetened food during pregnancy could increase a child’s risk for developing asthma, but it is unclear how or why this may occur.

To better understand the cause-effect relationship between artificial sweetener exposure during pregnancy and lung health in children, we turned to a novel animal model developed in the lab of Andrew Halayko (Canada Research Chair in Chronic Lung Disease Pathobiology and Treatment Physiology) lab at the Max Rady College of Medicine, with funding from the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship and Developmental Origins of Chronic Disease in Children Network (DEVOTION).

Dr. Christopher Pascoe

With this model, we can assess how consuming artificial sweeteners, like aspartame or sucralose, during pregnancy changes the sensitivity of the offspring to common allergens in asthma. We can also determine if exposure during pregnancy or breastfeeding is more important for asthma risk and therefore, allow us to develop preventative strategies to limit new cases of asthma. This model can be applied to other environmental exposures (marijuana, air pollution, dust) thought to increase a child’s risk for asthma in order to gain a better understanding of the origins of asthma and allow us to develop strategies aimed at decreasing the incidence of asthma in Canada.

I chose to come to the U of M and the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (an affiliated research partner of the university) for my post-doctoral training because the institute has a strong group of lung researchers that are renowned for their training and mentoring skills. Securing the prestigious Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship is a testament to the impactful mentorship and guidance I have received in my time at the university. It is my desire to continue researching treatment options for lung disease that are based on the natural history of the disease and to eventually prevent lung disease in people by understanding its origins. This way, we may one day see a world in which young children are not hindered in their daily activities by a difficulty to breath.

To learn more about the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship program visit umanitoba.ca/banting

HTFC has specialized in Indigenous Design and Planning since the early 1970s, working closely with communities across Manitoba and Canada on a variety of work from land claims and traditional knowledge studies to the design of culturally significant public spaces such as the Oodena Celebration Circle at the Forks. “Part of our responsibility as an established firm is to support the next generation of Landscape Architects and Planners,” said Managing Principal Glen Manning. “We need to foster up-and-coming talent to ensure that Indigenous planning and design is at the forefront of our professions”.

The fellowship will be offered annually for five years, and will be distributed based on established criteria including a demonstrated strong commitment to Indigenous design and/or Indigenous planning, research goals, and volunteer and community service activities related to these interest areas.

Information regarding the eligibility, criteria, and application deadline for students can be found online.

About HTFC Planning & Design:
Founded in 1969, HTFC Planning & Design (formerly Hilderman Thomas Frank Cram), offers an uncommonly broad range of planning and environmental design services from its offices in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. The firm has been recognized nationally and internationally for its collaborative planning processes and innovative design solutions aimed at creating vibrant, sustainable and inclusive communities.

For more information, visit the ACU website:  

https://www.acu.ac.uk/scholarships/fellowships/blue-charter-fellowships/