Dr. Greg Hammond, Executive Director of the Manitoba Medical Service Foundation (MMSF), presenting an award to Sikta Chattopadhyaya at the Manitoba Student Health Research Forum awards ceremony. Photo by Scott Carnegie.
Celebrating Manitoba’s next generation of health scientists
More than 250 students from across Manitoba gathered at the University of Manitoba’s Bannatyne campus from June 16 to 18, 2025, for the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences’ annual Manitoba Student Health Research Forum (MSHRF).
The three-day event featured networking opportunities, a student poster competition, professional development sessions and a research symposium, celebrating Manitoba’s vibrant health research community.
All about the student forum
A cornerstone of MSHRF is the student poster competition, which highlights innovative research and discovery by emerging scholars. Students from UM, the University of Winnipeg and Brandon University presented a wide range of projects.
“Students get a chance to showcase their work, practice their presentation skills and potentially receive some early wins in their careers,” said Dr. Samantha Pauls, assistant professor at the College of Pharmacy and MSHRF chair.
Nitesh Sanghai presenting his research during the poster competition. Photo by Scott Carnegie.
UM Professor Emeritus Dr. Edwin Kroeger founded Research Days 35 years ago to bring together Manitoba’s medical research community. Since then, the event has evolved into MSHRF and expanded to reflect the broader health research landscape, welcoming participants from a range of disciplines.
Sikta Chattopadhyaya, a PhD candidate in physiology and pathophysiology at the Max Rady College of Medicine, received a Dr. Ed Kroeger Travel Award, a Manitoba Medical Service Foundation Poster Award and the St. Boniface Hospital Foundation Major Award.
“I’m grateful, and this motivates me to work harder. These awards boost our confidence,” said Chattopadhyaya, whose research focuses on repurposing commonly prescribed medicines to treat cardiac fibrosis, with an emphasis on understanding the disease pathway.
“Science can be bumpy — we have highs, then sometimes have stretches of lows. When recognitions like these come, they’re the bright lights…that keep us going in our research.”
Nitesh Sanghai, PhD candidate at the College of Pharmacy, also received a Dr. Ed Kroeger Travel Award. His research focuses on helping people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by developing an improved version of Edaravone, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drug.
“Winning this award is a huge honour,” Sanghai said. “There is currently no cure for ALS. It’s a privilege to work on this project and bring hope to the lives of people suffering from ALS.”
Sanghai, who also received the MMSF Poster Award, said he draws motivation from resilient ALS patients and wanted to give back to the community. He donated 50 per cent of his award to the ALS Society of Manitoba and the other half to the ALS Care and Support Foundation in India, where he grew up.
Testimony Olumade was recognized with an honourable mention in the poster competition at the MSHRF awards ceremony. Photo by Scott Carnegie.
“As Manitoba continues to invest in its next generation of health researchers, events like MSHRF serve as both a launchpad and a celebration of the province’s scientific future,” said Dr. Peter Nickerson, dean of the Max Rady College of Medicine and the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. “The forum is made possible through the dedication of faculty and staff and the generous support of sponsors from across the province.”
More than $53,000 is awarded at the MSHRF in cash prizes and travel funding. For the 2025 edition, 36 students received poster awards, with 24 of them also earning travel grants to support their continued research and professional development.
Among the most prestigious honours is the Dr. Ed Kroeger Travel Award, which fully funds travel for 15 top PhD students from the Rady Faculty to attend the International Congress on Academic Medicine in Ottawa in 2026 — Canada’s leading conference for early-career scientists.
Other notable awards include:
- Drewry Award: Dr. Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini, a 2025 PhD graduate, physiology and pathophysiology, Max Rady College of Medicine
- Dr. Ed Kroeger Mentorship Award: Dr. Zulma Rueda, Canada Research chair in sexually transmitted infection – resistance and control and associate professor of medical microbiology and infectious diseases, Max Rady College of Medicine