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 takes place online via Zoom. It is free to attend and all are welcome, but registration is required to join the sessions.

The Centre on Aging does not permit the use of AI transcription or any recordings for the Speaker Series or Research in Aging Workshop Series. If you require AI for accommodation, please contact coaman@umanitoba.ca at least two days before the event.

Join us for our next presentation

November 21, 2025 | 1:30–3:30 PM | via Zoom
Student awards event and presentations

Upcoming presentations

November 28 | 2:30 – 3:30 PM | Via Zoom
Ethics and equity in telerehabilitation for older adults and the future of digital health
Dr. Mirella Veras, Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
Download the poster (PDF)

Register for November 28

Telerehabilitation is changing how health services are delivered to older adults by helping to overcome barriers such as distance and limited access to care. However, not all older adults benefit equally. Challenges with access to technology, digital skills, privacy, and socioeconomic differences raise important questions of ethics and equity. In this talk, Dr. Mirella Veras will discuss these issues and highlight ways to ensure telerehabilitation becomes more inclusive, fair, and responsive to the needs of diverse older adult populations.

Winter term presentations

January 21, 2026 | 2:30–3:30 pm
Dr. Nancy Newall, Associate Professor, Faculty of Science, Psychology Department, Brandon University

February 5, 2026  | 2:30 – 3:30 PM | Via Zoom
Dr. Mina Nouredanesh, Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in AI for Complex Health Data,
Assistant Professor, College of Community and Global Health, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba

March 18, 2026 | 2:30 – 3:30 PM | Via Zoom
Resident councils: The politics and practice of participation in long-term care
Dr. Sheila Novek, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Studies, Psychiatric Nursing Department, Brandon University
Download the poster (PDF)

Register for March 18

In Manitoba, people living in long-term care have the right to form and participate in resident councils. Yet we know little about how these councils work and whether they are able to bring about change. Dr. Novek will share insights from her research with resident and family councils in BC and Manitoba, highlighting the perspectives of residents, families and staff who engage with councils, the challenges they encounter, and promising practices that support participation and advocacy.  

Completed presentations 2025–2026

October 30, 2025 
The revolving closet door: 2SLGBTQIA+ Aging in relation to health and well-being
Dr. Peter Donahue, Dean, Faculty of Social Work

November 21, 2025
Student awards event and presentations

Past Speaker Series presentations

Thank you to all our 2024–2025 speakers. Check the listings for the updated presenters who will present in the upcoming term.

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.

2025–2026 Research in Aging workshops

The Centre on Aging does not permit the use of AI transcription or any recordings for the Speaker Series or Research in Aging Workshop Series. If you require AI for accommodation, please contact coaman@umanitoba.ca at least two days before the event.

Join us for our December workshop.

Next workshop

December 3, 2025 | 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | via Zoom
Voices across time and place: Engaging older migrant adults in meaningful research
Lori Wilkinson, PhD Department of Sociology and Criminology

Register for December 3

In advance of Dr. Wilkinson’s presentation, if you have a specific question regarding her talk that you are interested in her addressing during the workshop, email them in advance to Nicole Dunn by November 26: nicole.dunn@umanitoba.ca 

About the workshop
Download December 3 poster (PDF)

One in four people currently living in Canada is, or was formerly, an immigrant or refugee (IRCC 2025). There is a dearth of research focusing on the older adult population in this field, mainly because the focus has been on the economic benefits or detriments of immigration to the exclusion of other aspects of migration and aging. Cultural, historic, religious and linguistic variations, also influence the aging process in ways researchers may not necessarily understand. While newcomers experience some aspects of aging in the same way as those born in Canada, they have other characteristics that researchers must consider. For instance, in some languages, there is no word for various conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or measles.

In this presentation, I briefly provide some empirical context to older adults who are also former immigrants or refugees. I also provide tips in working with older former migrant adults experiencing mobility decline, hearing and vision loss. Although there is no single, centralized, set of “advice” I can provide new researchers for working with this population, there are many ideas we can use to elicit information that more accurately reflects their experiences.

Upcoming workshops

January 15, 2026 | 11:30 AM–12:30 PM | via Zoom
The Centre on Aging AI guidance
Michelle Porter, PhD, Director Centre on Aging
Nicole Dunn, MA, Associate Director Centre on Aging

Register for January 15

About the workshop
Download the January 15 poster (PDF)
 

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve and become more commonplace, the Centre on Aging has developed guidelines related to the use of AI in activities related to the Centre. In this workshop, we will discuss using generative AI for completing and reviewing applications, work tasks, meetings, and creating posters for our annual Spring Research Symposium. There will be an opportunity to discuss these guidelines, how to create an AI acknowledgement statement or declaration, and how to track and cite AI use.

February 26, 2026 | 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | via Zoom
Cochrane reviews—What can they tell me and how do I interpret them?
Ruth Barclay, PhD, MHSc, BMR (PT)
Professor, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy; Research Affiliate, Centre on Aging

Register for February 26

About the workshop
Download February 26 poster (PDF)

Cochrane is an independent, non-profit, worldwide organization producing evidence in the form of systematic reviews to help patients, healthcare clinicians and policy makers make informed decisions about healthcare. We will discuss what a Cochrane review looks like – what parts you will see in a published review and how to interpret some of the results. Changes that have occurred in Cochrane reviews over time will be pointed out. We will also look at how you can become a Cochrane author and the steps that are needed to create a title, protocol, and final review. 

Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 12–1 PM | via Zoom
Working with a panel provider to gather self-report survey data
Corey S. Mackenzie, Ph.D., Melissa Krook, M.A., & Dallas Murphy, M.A
Faculty of Arts, Department of Psychology

Register for June 4

About the workshop
Download June 4 poster (PDF)

The Aging & Mental Health Lab has recently completed work on two projects where we worked with Leger, a Canadian panel survey company, to collect self-report survey data on older Canadians. In this workshop, we will walk through the steps involved in doing this kind of study, as well as the work that is required after the data come in with respect to cleaning, coding, and preparing the data for analysis. 

Past presentations 2025–2026

September 25, 2025
Introduction to conducting research with older adults
Nicole Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging

October 16, 2025
Building high quality qualitative research methods in scholarship and grant applications
Kristin Reynolds, Ph.D., C. Psych
Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology; Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry; Research Affiliate, Centre on Aging; Director, Health Information Exchange Lab

November 3, 2025
An Introduction to RITHIM (Health Research Approvals)
Liz Lylyk, Director of RITHIM
Mark Pinder, RITHIM Support and Training Officer

Past workshop presentations | 2024–2025

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