social issues

Researcher connects food allergies to food insecurity

Families in Manitoba with certain food allergies experience food insecurity at a rate almost twice that of families without food allergies, according to a recent finding from research at the University of Manitoba. The study was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and the disparity is believed to have increased during the pandemic. 



Psychotropic drug use among kids affected by pandemic

Christine Leong, an assistant professor in the college of pharmacy, is the first author of a recently published research letter in JAMA Pediatrics, published by the American Medical Association, comparing psychotropic drug use among children and adolescents prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Ottawa, First Nations draft $40B child welfare agreement

The federal government revealed details last week of two agreements-in-principle, worth $40 billion, negotiated with Indigenous organizations and class-action lawyers to compensate those affected by the underfunding of child welfare on reserves and in the Yukon.


Exploring a holistic approach to wellbeing

Angie Woodbury, a student in the Max Rady college of medicine, is part of Parks Prescriptions, or PaRx, a project prescribing time in nature as a medical treatment. PaRx started as an initiative of the BC Parks Foundation and is led by Melissa Lem, a clinical assistant professor in the University of British Columbia’s faculty of medicine.


Don’t yield to road rage

Angry, aggressive driving is often displayed by staring, speeding, weaving through traffic, tailgating and sudden braking, to name a few. In more extreme situations, it escalates to intentionally hitting other vehicles or physically confronting and harming other drivers. Road rage is often dismissed as one of the disadvantages of driving a vehicle, but it can lead to serious consequences such as accidents, injuries or even death.


Researcher honoured for Indigenous data collection app

Moneca Sinclaire, an interdisciplinary researcher at the University of Manitoba, has received the Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation —Indigenous for her involvement in a project that created a smartphone application empowering Indigenous communities to conduct research in health and social issues and retain ownership of the data. 



Women in agriculture connect students and researchers

The faculty of agricultural and food sciences is hosting its mentorship program for a fifth year. The program is run by Siobhan Maas, program coordinator, and Annemieke Farenhorst, professor in the department of soil science and the associate vice-president (research) for the University of Manitoba.


PhD student contributes to project renaming hominins

Joshua Lindal, an anthropology PhD student at the University of Manitoba, is part of a research team that has proposed a new species name for a human ancestor that lived half a million years ago. Unsatisfied with the monikers of Homo heidelbergensis and Homo rhodesiensis, Lindal’s research group has argued for their retirement.