Homecoming sparks fond memories for health sciences alumni

University of Manitoba alumni from across health-care professions congregated in Winnipeg over Homecoming weekend to celebrate, remember and connect with their classmates and learn about what it’s like to be a current student at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.  

There were 25 Rady Faculty class reunions that took place on Sept. 18 and 19 celebrating milestone reunions (10, 25, 30, 40, 50 and 60 years). Rady Faculty of Health Sciences college-specific events took place on Sept. 18 and the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences’ Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast was held on Sept. 19.   

More than 260 alumni attended the Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast held in the Brodie Centre atrium on the Bannatyne campus.

At the breakfast, Brian Postl [MD/76], professor emeritus and dean emeritus of the Max Rady College of Medicine and Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, shared with the audience some of the changes he’s observed in health-care education since he was a UM medical student in the 1970s, including curriculum changes, the adoption of simulation technology and anti-racism education.  

“We are amongst the best – or the best – health faculty in the country and that’s verified by marks on final exams,” said Postl, who served as Rady Faculty of Health Sciences dean and vice-provost from 2014 to 2022 and Max Rady College of Medicine dean from 2010 to 2022.  

The event was emceed by Sara Israels, associate dean of academic affairs in the medical college, on behalf of Rady Faculty and medicine dean Dr. Peter Nickerson who was unable to attend.  Dr. Diane Hiebert-Murphy, provost and vice-president (academic), brought greetings on behalf of UM.  

Other speakers included Cara Brown [OT/96, M.Sc./08, PhD/19], associate professor and department head of occupational therapy at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, and Divya George, a third-year PharmD student.

Back on campus

Following the breakfast, medicine and dentistry alumni toured their college’s facilities.  

Medicine alumni from the classes of 1966, 1976, 1986, 1991 and 2001 toured the Clinical Learning and Simulation Program facilities and the Dr. George Yee Laboratory of Anatomical Sciences.  

On Sept. 18, 14 members of the Medicine Class of 1966 gathered for lunch at the Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library.

Dentistry classes of 1976, 1986 and 2001 and dental hygiene classes of 1976, 2001, 2016 toured the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry building after the breakfast. Alumni also visited the five-storey Dr. Gerald and Reesa Niznick Centre that is under construction. The building will house two floors of state-of-the art dental clinics when it opens in 2027.

Dr. Gerald Niznick, who gifted $5 million towards the project, toured the building that will carry his name. He and six of his classmates from the Dentistry Class of 1966 visited the third floor of the building on Sept. 18.  

“It’s going to be beautiful for the patients. It’s going to be a first-class operation, matching anything in the American dental schools,” said Niznick, following the tour.

All smiles

The Alumni of Distinction Awards Evening was held at the Fort Garry Hotel on Sept. 18 to honour graduates from the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry and the School of Dental Hygiene. With 220 people in attendance, it was the largest crowd in the event’s 18 years.  

Chris Cottick [DMD/90], a leader, mentor and teacher in Manitoba’s dental community, was awarded with the UM Dental Alumni Association Alumni of Distinction Award. Linda Pharand [Dip.D. Hyg./85], who has practiced for more than 35 years in public dental health, was honoured with the UM School of Dental Hygiene Alumni Association Alumni of Distinction Award.  

“I don’t think we could possibly fit another table in this room and that really speaks to the closeness of the community and the honorees tonight,” said Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, dean of the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. “It’s definitely wonderful to celebrate our two alumni of distinction.”

The Dentistry Class of 1976 was also honoured and 18 members were in attendance. 

Reuniting with ‘family’

Three colleges held receptions and tours on Sept. 18.  

The College of Rehabilitation Sciences (CoRS) Alumni Event was full of warm smiles, hugs and catching up. CoRS dean Dr. Jacquie Ripat welcomed 27 alumni and guests with a quick round of trivia recalling major events from the milestone years: 1976, 1996 and 2016.

The alumni were treated to a retrospective of the college since its inception in the 1960s, presented by Dr. Juliette Cooper [BOT/79], professor emeritus of occupational therapy and previous director of CoRS.

After the presentation, guests split up to explore updated spaces in the college, including teaching spaces, the student lounge and the third-floor Respiratory Lab.

Krysten Godard [MOT/16], said being there gave her flashbacks of wonderful memories.

“I will never forget when we first started, the profs said to us that ‘Everybody in this room will become your family,’” Godard said.

A research and innovation stop allowed alumni to spend time reviewing some of the recent findings that graduate students and researchers have presented.  

Newest innovations

Dr. Hope Anderson, dean of the College of Pharmacy, shared highlights and updates about the college at a pharmacy homecoming event on the Bannatyne campus, from doctor of pharmacy student successes to award-winning research.  

“But to continue to put this College of Pharmacy and all of our talent on the map, this is the foundation that you are all part of,” she said. “So I hope we celebrate that today. We're very proud of pharmacy ... I hope you enjoy connecting with each other.”  

For the first time, Larry Shewchuk [B.Sc. Pharm/76], stepped inside the Apotex Centre, home to the College of Pharmacy.

“It's all completely different from what I went to school with,” he said. “We had the old building, and now we've got this brand-new, modern facility.”  

His class was joined by other milestone classes from 1966,1986, 2001 and 2016.  

Shewchuk said the building was not the only major change.  

“It's all more clinical now, more educational,” he said. “It was great to come and see the newest, most recent innovations in pharmacy.” 

‘Fantastic to be back’

The College of Nursing welcomed alumni from the classes of 1976, 1986, 2000 and 2016 to a reception and tour of the Helen Glass Centre for Nursing on the Fort Garry campus.  

The tour took 60 alumni through cutting-edge learning environments, including a virtual reality lab, where students provided a full simulated exercise with a virtual patient while tour groups watched on a large-screen TV.  

“I’m impressed that a student would do this in front of us. That was just really amazing,” said Catherine Aquino-Russell [MN/86].

Dr. David Gregory, who graduated alongside Aquino-Russell, was dean of UM’s nursing program from 1999 to 2006. He was impressed with the demonstrations, which also included a simulated birth using one of the college’s lifelike manikins.  

“It’s fantastic to be back in this space and to see some of the changes that have occurred. From a technology perspective, there have been huge developments at the college. They are leaders in Canada for simulation learning,” he said.