pictured are two people sitting on a couch on the right with a bright window beyond them

At a glance

The University of Manitoba believes that in order to help advance SDG 3, we need to ask, what makes people healthy? We need to cast a brighter spotlight on the social determinants of health, including food insecurity, early childhood development, housing, education and unemployment. This means finding ways to grow more nutrient-dense food, creating safer building materials, and working alongside First Nations communities to improve access to clean drinking water. It means UM health policy researchers uncovering gaps in access to care and resources using UM’s unique and robust repository of population-based data.

UM collaborates on international health projects to combat infectious diseases, improve maternal and child health, and support equitable health care systems worldwide. With the Institute for Global Public Health leading impactful research funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UM addresses urgent health concerns in low-resource settings and supports knowledge exchange, making sustainable health outcomes a reality across communities.

  • Over 90

    ongoing research projects addressing SDG 3

  • 5,575

    graduated students,
    1612 of whom were in health profession fields

  • icon health

    Innovative public health programs are offered in collaboration with Indigenous communities

  • icon communication

    UM provides interdisciplinary courses that promote public health education

Health promotion on campus

The University of Manitoba values the well-being of all students, staff and faculty, and strives to be a community that is committed, caring, healthy, responsive, supportive and resourceful.

  • Four students studying together in a student lounge area with a large green living wall behind them.
  • Student Health and Wellness program 

    The University of Manitoba's Student Health and Wellness program provides comprehensive health support to foster student well-being in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 3. Services include primary care through the University Health Service, mental health counseling at the Student Counselling Centre, and wellness education initiatives. Students have access to workshops, wellness resources, spiritual care, sexual violence support, and recreation services. Programs encourage healthy habits, community health, and peer support, aiming to create a balanced and resilient student community.

Community engagement

Through health-focused events, student volunteer programs, and public health partnerships, UM connects directly with local and global communities to support healthy practices and raise awareness about sustainable healthcare solutions.

Globally, for nearly 40 years, the University of Manitoba has been a world leader and innovator building partnerships that increase local research and education capacity that bring meaningful public health programs to life. With permanent offices in India, Kenya, Pakistan and Nigeria, and currently more than 1,400 faculty, technical and project staff deployed, UM has projects serving catchment areas with a total population of over 700 million.

Locally, we run many programs as well, including:

  • Youth dental program: For the past 25 years, thousands of inner-city children have received the dental care they needed thanks to a partnership between the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry and the Winnipeg School Division.
  • Biomedical Youth Program (BYP): an exciting science enrichment initiative that brings students closer to the university experience through a variety of engaging events and activities, helping more students pursue a career in the health sciences.
  • Inner City Science Centre: Niji Mahkwa Elementary School hosts the cutting-edge science laboratories of the Inner-City Science Centre, bringing state-of-the-art science directly to the heart of the community. This innovative center is a result of a powerful collaboration between the Winnipeg School Division, Manitoba Education, the Winnipeg Foundation, and the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba.
  • The Rec and Read/Indigenous Youth Mentor Programs for All Nations is a culturally based community sport, physical activity and recreation program for Indigenous youth and young people living in diverse communities. University and community mentors work with junior high/high school mentors to plan and deliver a weekly after school sport, nutrition, and education program for early years students during the school year. Since 2006, over 2,761 students and 246 university students and community mentors have participated in the urban Rec and Read program, which is run by the University of Manitoba Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management working in partnership with schools in the Seven Oaks, Winnipeg and St. James School Divisions.
  • WISH clinic: a student-run clinic that takes a holistic approach to health care, providing free services to inner city residents.
  • Habitat for Humanity: Since 2013, faculty, staff and students volunteer annually to build homes for those in need, because safe, affordable housing is essential for fostering healthier communities.
  • Winnipeg School Division Annual Science Fair: Every year 400 students from Grades 4 to 12 come to our campus in celebration of science and discovery and these young scientists get invaluable feedback from Rady Faculty of Health Sciences members and industry experts. From biology to chemistry to physics, students are challenged to tackle real-world problems and use science to find creative solutions in one of nine exciting categories.

Indigenous health initiatives

Ongomiizwin–Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing

With its Anishinaabemowin name meaning “clearing a path for generations to come,” it dismantles colonial structures and promotes health equity. Its 60 researchers partner with Indigenous groups to co-create solutions for better health, working across Canada, Belize, Colombia, Australia, New Zealand and circumpolar countries. For instance, community health science’s Javier Mignone has studied links between dangerous tick infestations and housing conditions in Colombia.

Learn more about Ongomiizwin

The Wawatay program

The Wawatay program at UM promotes community wellness and support for Indigenous students in science through mentorship, cultural connections, and outreach. This initiative builds partnerships to foster inclusivity and a sense of belonging, supporting students' mental and emotional well-being while advancing their academic goals.

Wawatay community partnerships

Addressing northern food insecurity

UM students and faculty are designing new ways to bring healthier foods to remote First Nations and Inuit communities. Addressing food insecurity means we are tackling myriad health problems such as obesity, diabetes, anemia, and heart disease, and a biosystems engineering team is using innovative greenhouses to provide a sustainable solution for food production in northern communities. UM is also finding new ways to build homes in northern First Nations communities that can better withstand climate change.

Improving water security and sanitation

A delegation of UM professors addressed the United Nations 2023 Water Conference in New York, bringing together Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and partners to help address pressing global water-related challenges. UM delegates had the unique opportunity to help set the agenda for global water governance and sustainability through Indigenous knowledge, self-determination and relationships with water. This builds off the work UM does in partnering with First Nations communities to help improve drinking water, like through the innovative Create H2O program, which is designed to address research science and training gaps that are preventing effective, culturally appropriate investments in water and sanitation security in First Nation community.

Research and global impact

Research findings can’t live in a lab, they must bring real progress to communities who need it most. UM researchers focus on critical health issues, including infectious disease control, mental health, and healthcare access in underserved regions.

With projects spanning multiple continents, UM researchers work alongside international organizations to address health disparities, contributing to global health policy development and capacity building. Notable initiatives like the Countdown 2030 project help improve maternal and child health in resource-limited countries, aligning UM’s research with SDG 3 targets.

The Institute for Global Public Health (IGPH)

A recognized leader in advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and wellness. The IGPH has received nearly half a billion dollars from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—the most of any  Canadian university and among the most globally. One of its most recent IGHP grants of $12.5 million supports work improving maternal and child health in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, and Pakistan. In India, UM’s long-standing partnerships with local governments and organizations has helped the province of Uttar Pradesh lower rates of preventable child deaths by more than 70 per cent over the past 20 years.

Some of IGHP’s other projects include working with partners to increase immunizations in North India and strengthening HIV prevention response in Kenya alongside the Partners for Health and Development Africa.

Learn more about the IGPH

Countdown2030

Ties Boerma, Canada Research Chair of Population and Global Health at UM, directs Countdown2030, a global collaboration generating evidence to improve maternal and child health in low- and middle-income countries in line with SDGs.

Explore the Countdown to 2030

The Manitoba Great Lakes Program

The Manitoba Great Lakes Program promotes environmental health and sustainable practices that ultimately contribute to community well-being. The program's focus on understanding and protecting freshwater ecosystems helps address health issues tied to water quality and availability, which are crucial for public health. This work is buoyed by others at UM working in soil sciences to mitigate nutrient runoff.

Discover the Manitoba Great Lakes Program

Keep exploring

Sustainable development goals

The UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) unite people in action and aim to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change. UM is addressing these themes by creating opportunities for our students, staff, faculty and community to participate in actions to help achieve these goals.