Events

As part of the Centre on Aging's outreach to the community, the Centre hosts a Speaker Series, which gives our Research Affiliates an opportunity to share insights into their academic research in aging related fields and discuss current issues.

A goal of this series is to strengthen interdisciplinary research in health and aging.
The Speaker Series is free to attend and all are welcome.

Future presentations

The Speaker Series for the 2024–2025 year has concluded. Join us in Fall 2025 where the Speaker Series will re-commence.

2024–2025 presentations

October 10, 2024
Multi-provider healthcare at home: what is the role of technology?
Dr. Gayle Halas, Assistant professor; Rady Chair in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice
Some of our experiences with healthcare technology escalated during COVID and out of necessity. With less need for physical distancing, we now are seeing the use of technology as a useful communication tool for bringing health care to the individual in their home or their community. Having telephone, video, digital devices or computer apps for obtaining and/or exchanging information or advice might offer feasible options for managing chronic diseases or health issues that require ongoing attention, particularly where interprofessional or team-based care can more effectively address complex needs. On the other hand, how does the use of technology need to be customized to meet the needs of all and what are the limitations? Understanding patient/public experiences, perspectives, and outcomes is critical to improving healthcare service delivery. This may be some of the most critical information needed to inform new developments or ways of using technology, especially when it becomes the means for interacting or communicating with multiple providers and services. This presentation opens up a discussion of options, solutions and cautions to help pave the way forward.

November 20, 2024 
A mechanistic link between oxidative stress and neuronal death in Alzheimer’s Disease: Quest for a cure
Dr. Eftekhar Eftekharpour, Associate professor, Max Rady College of Medicine, Physiology and Pathophysiology
Accumulation of free radicals mediated damage is considered an important factor in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. This is evidenced by decreased expression of cellular antioxidants and increased oxidative damage to proteins. While in normal conditions, these damaged proteins are recycled through autophagy, this process fails in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). 
Thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) is a small antioxidant protein responsible for reducing the oxidized proteins. Reports of Trx1 depletion in aging and in some neurodegenerative diseases suggest a critical role for this protein. However, many aspects of Trx1 functions remain unknown. 
Using cellular and animal models to study the biology and novel therapeutic interventions for neurodegenerative diseases, we have shown that depletion of Trx1 is associated with structural and functions changes in lysosomes, nucleus and cellular cytoskeleton. These changes are also reported in AD patients. We are currently examining whether pharmacological replacement of Trx1 may reverse some of these changes. This research is partially supported by Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.

November 22, 2024 
Student awards event and presentations
Student award recipients and STAR members
Join us for a joint meeting of the Centre on Aging and Students Targeting Aging Research (STAR) group.  We will announce the Centre on Aging student award, University of Manitoba Retirees Association, and Alzheimer Society of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship recipients. Each of the recipients will give a brief presentation on their research. Following the award announcements, STAR members will briefly present their own aging related research. Support our students by joining us for this online event.

January 23, 2025 
Improving care for older people in complex settings: An overview of local and international innovations
Dr. Malcolm Doupe, Professor, Max Rady College of Medicine, Community Health Science 

Dr. Malcolm Doupe is Professor in the Max Rady College of Medicine (University of Manitoba) and holds a research position at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. In this session he will discuss ongoing local and international innovations designed to improve care pathways for older people using the principles of implementation science, readiness for change, and the co-measurement of implementation and intervention success. Future research and training directions will be discussed. 

February 13, 2025
Exploring the effects of loneliness, social isolation, and exclusion on the health and well-being of older black Canadians
Dr. Blessing Ojembe, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Work
Loneliness is a prevalent social and public health issue affecting older adults across the globe today and more among Black older adults (BOAs), due to the cumulative disadvantages across the life course. The link between culture, temporality, spatiality, and sociality as combining determinants for loneliness is not well known, especially among BOAs. These lines of thought present an opportunity for understanding the specific ways to encourage service utilization, social integration, and connection, dismantle ageism, anti-Black racism and center the voices and experiences of Black older adults. Join Dr. Blessing Ojembe as she shares her interdisciplinary expertise and perspective on loneliness and social isolation in Black older adults and contributing and contextual factors such as race, age, disempowerment, on their overall impact on health and well-being.

March 21, 2025
Brain-based findings of age-related changes in the interaction between attention control and emotion
Dr. Steven Greening, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Department of Psychology
When multiple stimuli are presented to one’s visual field, they compete for information processing in a mutually inhibitory fashion. Attention can bias this competition in favor of one stimulus over another. Arousal appears to amplify the impact of attention on information processing. However, age-related brain changes appear to affect this interaction between arousal and attention. I will describe a series of findings from a multipart study that combined brain imaging measures in a group of younger (YA) and older adults (OA). The study evaluated whether threat-induced arousal during a spatial detection task differentially affected either the processing of target stimuli and/or the suppression of distractor stimuli in YA compared to OA. I will also discuss the potential role for exercise in mitigating age-related brain changes.

Past Speaker Series presentations

Thank you to all our 2023–2024 speakers. Check the listings for the updated presenters who will present in the upcoming term.

The workshops are open to students, post-docs, research staff, and faculty interested in aging research. Workshops will take place virtually and are one hour. The sessions are free to attend, but registration will be required.

Online presentations

Meetings will be hosted via Zoom and registration is required to participate. Registration details will be made available closer to presentation dates.

For members of the Students Targeting Aging Research (STAR) group, the workshops can be counted towards your co-curricular record.

Future presentations

The Research in Aging Workshops have concluded for the current academic year. Join us in Fall 2025 when the workshops recommence.

2024–2025 Research in Aging completed workshops

September 19, 2024
Introduction to conducting research with older adults
Nicole Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging

October 30, 2024
Conducting online studies with older adult research participants
Dr. Celine Latulipe, Faculty of Science, Computer Science

November 5, 2024
New resources and updates from the Office of Human Research Ethics
Pinar Eskicioglu, MSc, Human Research Ethics Education Specialist

December 3, 2024
Cohort studies of ageing–the need for good data
Philip St. John, MD, MPH, FRCPC, CCFP, Professor, Max Rady College of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Section: Geriatric Medicine

January 15, 2025
Best research practices in palliative care for older adults: How to conduct research with people who are in their end-stage of life
Genevieve Thompson, PhD, Professor, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Nursing; Research Chair in Person-Directed Living

February 27, 2025
A good book is easier to read than to write!
Alexander Segall, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus

March 27, 2025
The A-B-C’s of presenting and designing research posters
Nicole Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging
Rachel Ines, BA, Dipl.(Hons.), Administration and Communications Coordinator, Centre on Aging
Thomas Rawliuk, PhD student, Psychology, Faculty of Arts

April 8, 2025
Tips for applying to student awards at the Centre on Aging
Nicole J. Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging

May 14, 2025
Introduction to Research Project Management
Nicole J Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging

June 3, 2025 
Approach to publishing your research findings on aging issues: A journal editor’s perspective
Daniel S. Sitar, PhD, FGSA, FCP, FCSPT, Professor Emeritus, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences

Past workshop presentations | 2023–2024

Listed below are the past workshop presentations offered by the Centre on Aging to UM faculty, research staff, and students.