This year’s celebration honoured 10 exemplary individuals, including a Chancellor Emeritus and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

Congratulations to all the 2025 honourees.

Chancellor Emeritus

Chancellor Dave Angus and President Michael Benarroch present Anne Mahon with certificate for Chancellor Emeritus.

Ms. Anne Mahon served with distinction as the University’s 14th Chancellor from 2019 to 2025, where she brought compassion, wisdom, and a deep commitment to community to her role. A bridge-builder and philanthropist, Ms. Mahon is known for connecting people and inspiring positive change. Her work at the intersection of storytelling, community-building, and education has amplified the voices of those marginalized and often unheard.

Ms. Mahon has dedicated herself to volunteerism and advocacy, including working closely with United Way Winnipeg, founding and facilitating the Bookmates Book Club at the Women’s Correctional Centre, and volunteering with the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba, Humankind International, and Palliative Manitoba. Her leadership and compassion have left an enduring mark on the University of Manitoba, thereby earning the title of Chancellor Emeritus.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Chancellor Dave Angus and President Michael Benarroch present Leslie Roos with certificate for Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

The University of Manitoba was honoured to confer upon Dr. Leslie Roos the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus. An influential scholar and innovative leader in population health and health policy research, Dr. Roos joined the University of Manitoba in 1973. Over the course of his distinguished career in the Faculties of Administrative Studies (now the Asper School of Business) and Medicine, he helped establish the university as an international centre of excellence in health services research and data-informed policy.

As a founder of the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Dr. Roos led the creation of its internationally respected population health database, enabling groundbreaking studies on the health and well-being of Manitobans. He has played a central role in training and inspiring a generation of researchers whose work continues to shape Canadian health systems and stands among the most influential contributors to health policy research globally.

Professor Emeriti:

• Dr. Harold Aukema
• Dr. Ying Chen
• Dr. Kevin Coombs
• Prof. Herbert Enns
• Dr. Elissavet Kardami
• Dr. Eberhard Renner
• Dr. Wayne Simpson
• Dr. Qiang Zhang

To learn more about the 2025 honourees, please visit the Emeritus/Emerita Titles webpage to read their individual citations.

Emeriti titles are one of several awards given annually by the university in celebrating and recognizing the success of colleagues and other distinguished individuals. Learn about the university awards nomination process.

As the Bingham Chair at UM for the past 15 years, Dr. Charles Bernstein has become a pioneering figure in the field of GI health, particularly in the study of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — a condition affecting more than 322,600 Canadians and one of the most common chronic immune-mediated illnesses in Canada.  

Bernstein’s research, which focuses on unravelling the complex causes and impacts of IBD, has improved the lives of thousands of patients and earned international recognition, including ranking in the top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide.

The distinguished professor of internal medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine has spearheaded numerous outpatient programs designed to provide accessible and holistic care for IBD patients. As a proud born-and-raised Winnipegger, he continues to put Manitoba on the map as a global leader in GI research and patient care.

A visionary in gastroenterology research

Bernstein’s tenure as the Bingham Chair has been marked by an ambitious research agenda that tackles the genetic, environmental and microbial factors contributing to the development and progression of IBD. A strong advocate for multidisciplinary collaboration, he has led initiatives that combine clinical research with innovative public health strategies.

His emphasis on community-based support reflects his deep commitment to improving quality of life for individuals facing chronic GI conditions, a cause affecting nearly one in five Canadians.

Among his many achievements, Bernstein co-founded the UM IBD Clinical and Research Centre, a world-class program that has made pivotal strides in the study and treatment of GI diseases. His research into environmental triggers of IBD, such as diet and antibiotic use, has had a profound impact on understanding how these diseases develop, allowing for more personalized and precise treatment plans.

Bernstein has made several notable contributions to the field of gastroenterology, including:

• Environmental Risk Factors and IBD: Bernstein has led several large-scale studies exploring environmental risk factors for IBD, providing insight into how modern lifestyle factors, such as diet and antibiotic use, influence the incidence and course of GI diseases. His work has highlighted the role of environmental influences on genetic predispositions, offering more comprehensive approaches to prevention and treatment.

• Mental Health and IBD: Bernstein’s research also explores the intersection of mental health and IBD. He has contributed significantly to advancing the understanding of the psychosocial aspects of living with IBD. His work highlights the importance of mental health and quality of life in managing chronic diseases, emphasizing the need for comprehensive care that goes beyond addressing physical symptoms. (To learn more, you can watch UM Knowledge Exchange, where Bernstein and other UM researchers share insights into the fascinating connection between the brain and the gut in the context of health and IBD.)

• Long-Term Impact of IBD: Through his research into the long-term effects of IBD, including cancer risk, fatigue and the impact on work-life balance, Bernstein has provided crucial data that guides clinical practice, improving the lives of patients with chronic conditions. He was also instrumental in leading population-based studies that track the prevalence and incidence of IBD over time, providing valuable data to global health organizations.

• Outpatient Programs: Understanding the need for specialized care outside of hospital settings, Bernstein initiated several outpatient programs aimed at providing continuous, personalized care for IBD patients.

Shaping the future of GI research at UM 

While Bernstein’s work has already had a transformative impact, there is still much to learn about IBD and gastrointestinal diseases. His research continues to focus on discovering new therapies, refining treatment protocols and finding ways to improve early diagnosis.

Supporting the Bingham Chair in Gastroenterology contributes to a brighter future for health care, advancing essential research that impacts the lives of countless people worldwide who live with IBD and other gastrointestinal disorders.

At the University of Manitoba, Bisons are at the centre of health care, finance, Reconciliation and so much more. Wherever there’s a challenge, you’ll find UM alumni leading the charge. Explore the Bisons at the Centre campaign and meet the alumni shaping Manitoba and beyond.

Learn more about how donor support is making an impact at UM.

You can watch more at CTV Winnipeg.

This June however, he will step out onto the catwalk to try his hand at modelling.

Diabetes Canada presents the 2024 Pump Couture Fashion Show, an evening dedicated to changing the conversation around the stigma of living with diabetes through a fun night of fashion and fundraising. Six shows have been scheduled for across Canada, with one in Winnipeg planned for June 20. We caught up with Dylan to learn more about his involvement with the event.

What is the Pump Couture Tour?

It is a tour of fashion shows in various cities across Canada that feature models who live with diabetes and fashions that show off and normalize the medical devices people with diabetes often have attached to their bodies, like continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and insulin pumps. The fashion shows raise money for D-Camps, which are a program run by Diabetes Canada where kids with type 1 diabetes can experience summer camp, but in a safe where there is medical supervision and other kids who live with type 1 diabetes.

What is your connection with diabetes?

I actually diagnosed myself with diabetes when I was 13. I saw a Diabetes Canada ad in the newspaper and told my mom I thought I had diabetes. I had just finished drinking 2 liters of water when I saw the add, and I was still thirsty, the add said “are you thirsty all the time?” because this is a symptom of diabetes. I went to my family physician the next day and they did a test and my life changed.

How has this shaped your education/career path?

I think having type 1 diabetes strongly influenced what I do. I do nutrition research in humans and my research focuses on chronic conditions like diabetes. I think having a chronic condition myself gives me a uniquely person-centered perspective on my research and I also think it pushes me to not just do the research but to advocate for things that will improve the lives of the people who live with the conditions that I research.

Why is this event important to you?

I think being in a fashion show as a middle-aged dad is going to be a lot of fun. Also, I never went to sleep away summer camps as a kid, and I would imagine it would have been very dangerous after I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, so I think the idea of D-camps is amazing, not just for the safety and camp experience, but to be surrounded by other people with type 1 diabetes that you could learn from.

How can people participate?

People can buy tickets and come watch the show. It is in The Leaf at Assiniboine Garden this year on June 20. If people can’t make it to the show they can donate to the models in the show; the proceeds go to help funding D-camps this year.

Who are you wearing?

We don’t have our fashion designers all matched yet, but they will all be local Winnipeg designers that we will be wearing and the goal will be for the fashion to either directly show off the medical devices or be designed with accommodating medical device in mind. I am looking forward to seeing what I will be wearing, my pump and CGM are stuck to my body so I might have to be showing some skin.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Over the past couple of years, Armstrong, assistant professor of internal medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine and UM Canada Research Chair in integrative bioscience, and her collaborators have discovered that a more personalized approach should be taken when it comes to diet and IBD, which is a chronic inflammation of tissues in the digestive tract.

Dr. Heather Armstrong

“Historically, clinical studies have assessed all IBD patients together, treating them as similar,” said Armstrong, who is also a researcher with the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba. “We can’t expect diet to work the same for everyone, and as our studies and others have shown, there is a need to push towards personalizing these approaches.”

Armstrong received two prestigious awards last year for her research developing and investigating personalized approaches.

She received the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Women in IBD Emerging Researcher Award and received $15,000 to support her team’s continued progress toward personalized nutritional interventions. The honour acknowledges an outstanding female researcher who has served as an inspirational leader and role model in IBD research.

She also received the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Rising Star Award recognizing Armstrong as an outstanding, innovative and productive leader, in the early stages of her career in the Canadian gastroenterology field.

“I’m an IBD patient myself, so it means a lot to receive these awards for the work that we’re doing,” Armstrong said. “I hope this shows young women and other persons with IBD that they too can reach their dreams and goals, and that their disease does not define them.”

Armstrong and her team aim to better understand how the gut microbiome and changes in the microbes that live in the gut of IBD patients can impact the way the body interacts with their diet.

“A lot of IBD patients are sensitive to foods that would typically be considered healthy, and some of these foods can even cause serious damage to the gut in these individuals,”  Armstrong said, adding that she’s trying to understand why they’re experiencing sensitivities and how to personalize diet in these patients to make sure they’re still getting a well-rounded, healthy diet, while avoiding the foods that worsen their disease.

“We’re really hoping in the next three to five years to be able to develop and clinically utilize stool tests in these patients to use their gut microbiome as a biomarker to determine what diet will work best for them as an individual,” Armstrong said. “This research is the first step towards that.”

“I congratulate these researchers on their success in expanding the scope and impacts of their research programs,” said Dr. Mario Pinto, Vice-President (Research and International). “Through this funding, UM will continue to attract and support outstanding researchers equipped with the cutting-edge tools and facilities they need to tackle society’s most pressing challenges.”

JELF is a funding initiative by CFI that supports universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions across Canada. The program provides infrastructure funding to enhance the research capacity of institutions by assisting in acquiring state-of-the-art equipment and facilities necessary for world-leading research and innovation.

The UM recipients include:

Dr. Karen Alley

Dr. Karen Alley, assistant professor, Centre for Earth Observation Science, Environment and Geography: Imaging Inaccessible Ice: Glacier Monitoring at the Ice-Ocean Interface

Funding: $158,883

Predicting sea-level rise is difficult due to risks in observing ice crevasses and calving events where glaciers meet ocean waters. Alley seeks to use new automated vehicles and sonar imaging to close this gap. The project will train students and provide open data to support global climate science research.

Dr. Miguel Uyaguari-Diaz

Dr. Miguel Uyaguari-Diaz, assistant professor / Indigenous scholar, Microbiology: Promoting equitable access to safe water in First Nations and urban communities by assessing water safety and security

Funding: $114,578

Uyaguari seeks to identify pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in water facilities and aquatic environments surrounding First Nation communities of Manitoba. This infrastructure will provide new experimental tools enabling comparison with urban counterparts. Uyaguari’s long-term goal is to develop diagnostic tools to identify health risks and facilitate rapid pollution prevention.

Dr. Xiaopeng Gao

Dr. Xiaopeng Gao, assistant professor, Soil Science: Optimizing Soil Fertility Management for Better Grain Nutritional Quality

Funding: $160,000

Intensification of high-yield crops has resulted in depletion of micronutrients in cereal crops. Gao seeks to use this newly funded infrastructure to simulate climate change scenarios and provide multi-disciplinary training for highly qualified personnel. This research supports improved production of value-added grain products, bringing economic benefits to producers across Canada.

Dr. Cristina M. Rosell

Dr. Cristina M. Rosell, professor and department head, Food and Human Nutritional Sciences: Platform maximizing the value of co-products from plant-protein processing

Funding: $157,258

The production of high-purity protein concentrates also creates wasted nonprotein co-products. The Rosell lab seeks sustainably transform these co-products into a new generation of healthy cereal-based foods. This research will help to alleviate environmental and economic impacts and improve the circular economy of the plant protein industry in Canada.

Dr. Paul Marcogliese

Dr. Robert Beattie

Dr. Paul Marcogliese and Dr. Robert Beattie, assistant professors, Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Max Rady College of Medicine: Functional Integration of Neurogenetics in Development & Disease.

Funding: $345,000

More effective treatments are needed for nervous system disorders affecting movement. The Marcogliese and Beattie labs have found synergies with fly and mouse models to explore new diagnostic and treatment measures. To translate their findings, this funding provides high-resolution imaging tools that will directly benefit patients in Canada and beyond.

Dr. Asher Mendelson

Dr. Asher Mendelson, assistant professor, Internal Medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine: Microvascular Physiology, Exercise, and Muscle Research Facility for Studying Critical Illness

Funding: $156,670

Patients that survive ICU admission often have weakness in their muscles, which may be related to inadequate oxygen delivery by small blood vessels. To prevent long-term disability and improve our ability to monitor the microcirculation, Mendelson seeks to establish a new exercise research facility dedicated to recovery after critical illness.

For more information on the CFI-JELF fund, please visit Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

UM Knowledge Exchange is an important opportunity for UM researchers to share emerging knowledge with members of the public and the wider UM community. UM Knowledge Exchange is hosted by the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International), with support from the UM Learning for Life Network.

Join us for this opportunity to feed your curiosity and nourish your understanding of the brain-gut connection and explore the intriguing interplay of mind and metabolism. Our expert panel will uncover valuable strategies for maintaining health and managing IBD with this engaging and informative presentation.

Moderator

Jean-Eric Ghia, Professor, Depts. Immunology & Internal Medicine section of Gastroenterology, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba.

Panelists

Heather Armstrong, Assistant Professor and Tier 2 CRC, Department of Internal Medicine, Manitoba Center for Proteomics and System Biology, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba.

Charles Bernstein, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Bingham Chair in Gastroenterology, Department on Internal Medicine, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba.

Lesley Graff, Professor, Head Dept of Clinical Health Psychology, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Provincial Medical Specialty Lead- Clinical Health Psychology Shared Health.

Jennifer Kornelsen, Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba.

Brain and Gut: working together in health and disease, March 27, 7pm-8:30pm (CDT) at Degrees Diner. UM Knowledge Exchange is a hybrid event with in-person and online options to attend.

Please register by March 22 to join the discussion.

Add Brain and Gut: working together in health and disease to your calendar. Coffee and other refreshments will be provided, and the kitchen at Degrees Diner will be open for specialty coffee and full food service. Parking is available with registration.

Or join us for online viewing 7 pm CDT to watch the live stream. Participate during the live session by asking your questions via email to: Research [dot] Communications [at] UManitoba [dot] ca

The seven-part UM Knowledge Exchange panel-discussion series is ongoing until May 2024. More details can be found on the UM Knowledge Exchange webpage.

UM Knowledge Exchange is an important opportunity for UM researchers to share emerging knowledge with members of the public and the wider UM community. UM Knowledge Exchange is hosted by the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International), with support from the UM Learning for Life Network.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death worldwide and in Canada. Heart attack and heart failure can happen at any age, leading to significant impacts to quality of life for patients and their families. New ground-breaking research from UM is seeking to provide specialized supports and treatment for women living with heart disease and explores the genetic roots of cell death to hopefully someday, reverse or prevent heart failure.

Moderator

Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, Director, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences St. Boniface Hospital, Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiology, Professor, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Panelists

Dr. Inna Rabinovich-Nikitin, Assistant Professor, Evelyn Wyrzykowski Family Professor in Cardiovascular Sciences, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Dr. Shuangbo Liu, Assistant professor, Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Dr. Brad Doble, Associate Professor and Bihler Chair in Stem Cell Research, Departments of Pediatrics and Child Health & Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Heart Health and You February 28, 7pm-8:30pm (CDT) at Degrees Diner. UM Knowledge Exchange is a hybrid event with in-person and online options to attend.

Please register by February 23^rd to join the discussion.

Add Heart Health and You to your calendar. Coffee and other refreshments will be provided, and the kitchen at Degrees Diner will be open for specialty coffee and full food service. Parking is available with registration.

Or join us for online viewing 7 pm CDT to watch the live stream. Participate during the live session by asking your questions via email to: Research [dot] Communications [at] UManitoba [dot] ca

The seven-part UM Knowledge Exchange panel-discussion series is ongoing until May 2024. More details can be found on the UM Knowledge Exchange webpage.

“We are proud to promote research and development of innovative ideas essential for economic development through this diverse funding platform that demonstrates innovation, talent and collaboration in Manitoba,” said Karen Dunlop, CEO of Research Manitoba.

“UM researchers are leading the way with new advancements in information technology and healthcare services with potential to improve lives, here in Manitoba and worldwide,” said Dr. Mario Pinto, vice-president (research and international). “I congratulate these researchers on achieving this vital support to bring these game-changing concepts into reality.”

Dr. Ji Hyun Ko

Dr. Marcus Ng

Ji Hyun Ko and Marcus Ng, departments of human anatomy and cell science and internal medicine (section of neurology), Rady Faculty of Health Sciences: A real-time electroencephalography-guided non-invasive brain stimulation to suppress epileptic seizures.

The Ko and Ng research team has developed a new non-invasive brain stimulation treatment that can reduce the impacts of epileptic seizure “spikes.” This breakthrough has significantly improved the patient intensive care discharge rate from 37 per cent to 90 per cent. This new project seeks to further optimize this for use in patients’ homes and develop a prototype wearable system called the “Ictopauser.”

Using stimulation parameters tailored for each patient based on a comprehensive treatment database, Ictopauser will suppress spikes in real time as patients sleep. The Ictopauser has the potential to save lives and will bring peace of mind to the 65 million people worldwide who live with epilepsy.

Dr. Denice Bay

Denice Bay, department of medical microbiology and infectious diseases, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, with industry partner PerioDiagnostics Inc.: Rapid point of care strip test development to detect periodontal gum disease bacterial by-products in saliva.

Periodontal disease is a form of bacterial gum disease affecting seven in 10 Canadians over the age of 45 that causes damage to gum and bones, leading to tooth loss and serious infections. Despite being such a common condition, periodontal disease is difficult to diagnose using current tools.

Bay, in partnership with the company Periodiagnostics Inc., will undertake a two-year project to test dyes capable of detecting the bacteria responsible quickly and accurately at the point-of-care. To achieve this, saliva from volunteers with and without periodontal disease will be collected at Winnipeg dental clinics, with the outcome being a ready-to-distribute test kit for use by dental professionals and community clinics.

Dr. Puyan Mojabi

Puyan Mojabi, department of electrical and computer engineering, Price Faculty of Engineering: Reconfigurable Electromagnetic Metasurfaces for Smart Radio Environments

This new research project by Puyan Mojabi, Canada Research Chair in Electromagnetic Inversion for Characterization and Design, seeks to improve wireless communications. This is motivated by the fact that current wireless infrastructure is heavily taxed in attempts to fill demands for higher performance, data transfer rates and security requirements. To this end, Mojabi aims to create new software to facilitate the precise design of reconfigurable thin panels, known as electromagnetic metasurfaces.

These reconfigurable panels, resembling thin poster frames, can be strategically used to tailor the environment between transmitters and receivers. The resulting “smart radio environment” then provides an extra degree of design freedom to allow users to define improved wireless service specifications.