Educator and student honoured by community
The community of Misipawistik Cree Nation recognized a Rady educator and student in September for their commitment to partnering with First Nations communities through a program of the Rady Faculty’s Office of Interprofessional Collaboration (OIPC).
Lisa Mendez [BMROT/99, MOT/12] , OIPC collaborative health care practice lead and instructor in occupational therapy, and Maura Macaulay, a fourth-year medical student, were each presented with a star blanket.
The program, called Ndinawemaaganag, is supported by the RBC Experiential Learning Travel Initiative. It started in 2017 as an interprofessional opportunity for Rady students to learn together in First Nation health centres and nursing stations. The program has evolved to include land-based learning and Indigenous ceremonies.
“The community does the teaching here,” Mendez said. “It’s a privilege to support opportunities where sundance lodges, sweat lodges and nature are the classroom.”
Macaulay said it’s important for her, as a medical student, to be exposed to Indigenous ceremonies and traditional medicine. “Hearing that there’s a benefit to traditional medicine in the classroom is one thing, but it’s another to experience it first hand,” she said.
Former dean of medicine had influential career
John Wade [MD/60], professor emeritus of anesthesia and perioperative medicine and dean emeritus of medicine at UM, passed away in July at the age of 91.
He was a proud UM alum, anesthesiologist and patient safety advocate whose honours included membership in the Order of Canada.
He led the UM department of anesthesiology from 1969 to 1979 and then served as dean of medicine from 1982 to 1988.
As dean, he was instrumental in starting the Access program to recruit Indigenous students into medicine. He instituted small-group teaching and problem-based learning, as well as comprehensive clinical evaluations.
Wade served as Manitoba’s deputy minister of health under Premier Gary Filmon. He played a pivotal role in the reorganization of the health-care system and later chaired the board of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
He was the founding chair of the Canadian Patient Safety Institute.
Global public health expert named distinguished alum
James (Jamie) Blanchard [B.Sc.(Med.)/86, MD/86] was recognized by UM in September with the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award for Academic Innovation.
Blanchard, professor in the College of Community and Global Health and Canada Research Chair in epidemiology and global public health, has secured nearly $1 billion in funding to combat infectious diseases globally.
The 1986 medical alum has been a leader in the design and implementation of large-scale public health programs to address sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and maternal, newborn and child health in South Asia and Africa.
His work with organizations such as the Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization continues to bridge the gap between science and health-care delivery.
Blanchard is the executive director of UM’s Institute for Global Public Health. The institute has provided a globally recognized model for how academic institutions can play a transformative role in improving health outcomes for underserved populations.
Blanchard’s numerous awards include being named a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences in 2022.