Manitoba Nutrition and Dietetics Research Day

Manitoba Nutrition & Dietetics Research Day 2026 invites attendees to explore the theme Advancing Women’s Wellness Through Nutrition Science and Practice. This year’s program will highlight the complex and evolving landscape of women’s health across the lifespan—from adolescence and reproductive health to menopause and healthy aging. Through presentations led by researchers, clinicians, and registered dietitians, the event will examine the intersections of nutrition with mental health, chronic disease prevention, reproductive and perinatal health, and emerging areas of gender-informed care. Attendees will gain insight into how evidence-based nutrition advances can empower women’s wellness at individual, community, and population levels.

This event will take place on March 27th from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

Manitoba Nutrition and Dietetics research day banner -2026

Program and schedule

Manitoba nutrition and dietetics research day agenda-2026

Speakers and presenters

Dr. Pamela Hebbard, MD, FRCSC

Dr. Hebbard is an associate professor of surgery at UM. She is also a general surgical oncologist with CancerCare Manitoba and Shared Health/Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. She was born in Goose Bay, Labrador and grew up there and in St. John’s Newfoundland. Her bachelor’s degree, medical degree and general surgery residency were obtained through Memorial University of Newfoundland, as was a graduate diploma in clinical epidemiology. She then moved to the University of Calgary for a fellowship in general surgical oncology. Dr. Hebbard has been practicing in Winnipeg since 2012. Her clinical focus is on complex gastrointestinal malignancy, breast cancer and melanoma. She has research and administrative interests in optimizing surgical quality in cancer delivery.

Dr. Punam Mehta

Dr. Punam Mehta, PhD

Punam Mehta, PhD, is a settler, feminist mother, and instructor II in the College of Community and Global Health in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. Feminist pedagogy, systems thinking, decolonial thought, and a commitment to the goals for Truth and Reconciliation are at the heart of her research, service, and teaching. A book called from Critical to Cosmic Consciousness: Feminist-informed Yoga was published by her in 2021. She is also the founder of ‘The Visionary Lens’, an educational tool, with an innovative pedagogical model she developed to integrate feminist documentary photography and reflective storytelling into undergraduate Community and Global health education. She is actively engaged in university and community service, including the Women’s Health Clinic, St. John’s College, and Academics Without Borders.

Sharra Kohm, RD

Sharra Kohm works as a Registered Dietitian with the Provincial Eating Disorder Prevention and Recovery Program (PEDPRP) at the Women’s Health Clinic. She has supported adults in eating disorder recovery since 2021 and recently transitioned to the new expansion of PEDPRP focused on supporting youth as well as community eating disorder prevention work. Sharra is passionate about relationships with food, and embodiment; and practices from a weight inclusive approach.

Dr. Alicia Berard

Dr. Alicia Berard, PhD

Dr. Alicia Berard is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. She received her BSc Honours degree in Biochemistry (2006) from the University of Winnipeg, and her PhD in Medical Microbiology from the University of Manitoba in 2015. As a Post-doc and Research Associate through the University of Manitoba, she started work with human clinical cohort studies and large multi-omic datasets. She now runs her research program located in the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), related to reproductive health, mucosal biology, immunology, and the microbiome. She leads local and international human cohorts to study the mucosal environment, utilizing multi-omic tools of systems biology and translational in vitro co-culture model systems. As part of her work, she is one of the founding members of the THRIVE study umbrella, which focuses on investigating “The role of Host-bacterial Relationships and Immune function in different Vaginal Environments”.

Abstract submission

Manitoba nutrition and dietetics research day abstract call-2026

Registration

Early Bird Tickets are available until February 15th and are limited to the first 20 registrations. Code: EARLYBIRDMNDRD10

 In- person Virtual
General$45 + Fee$40 + Fee
Student $15 + Fee$10 + Fee
Preceptor$35 + Fee$30 + Fee

Breakfast, lunch, and refreshments will be provided.

 

Sponsors and partners

Be a sponsor for this event. For more details, please contact us at mndrd@umanitoba.ca. 

 

Contact Us

Manitoba Nutrition and Dietetics Research Day Team
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V6 Canada

mndrd@umanitoba.ca