U of M home to powerful women

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This article was published 26/10/2021 (1430 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Seven of Canada’s most powerful women have roles at the University of Manitoba, according to a new awards list that dropped Monday.

The Women’s Executive Network, a North American organization celebrating women, unveiled its Top 100 Award Winners list for 2021. Winners are role models who advocate for workplace diversity, according to a news release.

Dr. Tracie Afifi, a professor in the community health sciences and psychiatry departments, was a recipient of the Mercedes-Benz Emerging Leaders award. Afifi is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in childhood adversity and resilience. She’s published 160 peer-reviewed journal articles and has been awarded over $33 million in research funding.

Dr. Melanie Morris won the same award as Afifi. She’s the first Indigenous pediatric surgeon and urologist in Canada, and she became the lead of Indigenous health at Winnipeg’s Children’s Hospital, carving the first position of its kind in Canada. Morris is an associate professor at the university.

“It was a great email to receive,” Janice Ristock said of learning she’d made the list.

Ristock is the university’s former provost and vice-president (academic), and a professor of women and gender studies. She won the CIBC Executive Leaders award.

“I think… it’s important to have awards like this that can… convey the message to other women that they should consider leadership roles, and that there are many, many possibilities in their future,” she said.

Historically, women haven’t been recognized for their contributions and leadership roles, making this award more meaningful, she said.

University of Manitoba president Michael Benarroch nominated Ristock.

Dr. Joanne Embree, a professor in the university’s pediatrics and medical microbiology departments, also received the CIBC Executive Leaders award. Embree has been the medical lead for infection prevention and control at the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg since 1990. She’s been chair of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s prevention and control expert working group since 2017.

Dr. Patricia Birk is being recognized for her promotion of equity and diversity in health care.

Birk is head of the university’s pediatric department. She’s a lead in child health for Shared Health and a medical director for Transplant Manitoba.

Tina Chen, a history professor, is among the powerful women noted. She works with organizations to promote anti-racism and equity action, according to the Women’s Executive Network.

Finally, Melanie MacKinnon, the executive director of the Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing at the University of Manitoba, is on the list. She’s the co-lead of the Manitoba First Nation Pandemic Response Coordination team on behalf of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

“It is a testament to the high quality of (University of Manitoba) faculty that these seven winners join 20 previous UM recipients who were named Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 since the awards began in 2003,” Digvir Jayas, the university’s vice-president (research and international), said in a written statement.

Due to the pandemic, the women won’t have an in-person celebration; they’ll attend a virtual event in November instead.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com