UM graduates strengthening community health through research

By Danica Hidalgo Cherewyk

In 2015, Dr. Maria Baranowski gave birth to her son Nick. He was diagnosed with Trisomy 21 — otherwise known as Down syndrome — when he was three days old.

“We went to those early doctor appointments when he was an infant, and I was told by different specialists that, because of his diagnosis, he was at risk of developing several nutrition-related conditions,” she said.

Obesity, diabetes, sarcopenia, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease — those experts said — are more likely to develop in people with Down syndrome.  

Baranowski, then a dietitian, searched for nutrition guidance for children with Down syndrome that could help prevent or reduce those risks.  

That gap led to her research on the nutrition-related health of children with Down syndrome in Manitoba and their experiences accessing nutrition care — work she says is the first of its kind in Canada.

Baranowski is one of nine graduate students from the College of Community and Global Health (CCGH) celebrated at the June 1 convocation. They are advancing research to strengthen health systems locally and globally.

With love and lived experience

Baranowski, a PhD graduate whose lead unit is CCGH, is part of the Individual Interdisciplinary Studies program at the University of Manitoba. The program allowed her to draw on multiple faculties, with advisors from human nutritional sciences and education.

Her work is shaped by lived experience and professional training. Her primary advisor was Dr. Shahin Shooshtari, a CCGH professor specializing in intellectual and developmental disabilities.  

Baranowski's study found children with Down syndrome in Manitoba are not attaining optimal nutrition, highlighting the need for more personalized, proactive care.

“It’s critical that healthy choices and lifestyle behaviours are introduced and supported early in life,” she said. “Those habits follow us as we get older.”

She now works part-time as a research and evaluation consultant at St. Amant Research Centre and is applying for postdoctoral opportunities to expand her work across Canada. 

Policing and mental health

Dr. Susan Rabichuk moved to Winnipeg from Calgary, Alta., 10 years ago with her husband and daughter.  

“My husband is a former police officer who experienced traumatic incidents over many years and was diagnosed with PTSD,” she said. “We decided to make a change for our family — moving and having him leave policing.”

Rabichuk, also a former police officer, later became a real estate agent in Calgary and pursued pre-master's and master’s degrees in social work at UM. She completed her PhD in CCGH at age 47.

“The police force isn’t always kind to women,” Rabichuk said. “That’s why I left. My research exposes systems deeply entrenched in masculinity to improve mental health outcomes.”

She found that when female officers experience Criminal Code offences committed by male colleagues, organizations often try to keep them private.  

Her work also informs her role as an expert witness in a class-action lawsuit in British Columbia alleging discrimination against women in policing.

“These challenges affect anyone who falls outside the norm,” she said. “That can include marginalized men or non-binary individuals.

“My research has informed a lot of work, and I hope it contributes to meaningful change. Policing is a great profession —  we just need a growth mindset.”

Receiving a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) scholarship was a highlight of her studies, providing $40,000 annually for three years. 

Childhood maltreatment and eating disorders

Sonya Gill, a master’s graduate, initially planned to study clinical psychology.

“I've always wanted to make mental health supports more accessible,” she said. “But I realized I wanted to create change through upstream factors.”

She discovered CCGH — formerly the department of community health sciences in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences’ Max Rady College of Medicine.  

Gill, who holds advanced and honours degree in psychology from UM, worked in CCGH professor Dr. Tracie Afifi’s lab, which focuses on child maltreatment, adversity and resilience.

Her research examined the link between child maltreatment and mental health in Manitoba, focusing on emotional abuse, neglect and disordered eating behaviours. 

“I looked at how early environments, particularly caregiver relationships, can contribute to disordered eating,” she said.

She found a clear association between emotional abuse, neglect and disordered eating. While similar studies exist in the United States and the United Kingdom, she says this is the first study of its kind in Canada.

Gill will continue her work as a research coordinator in Afifi’s lab and hopes to pursue a career in mental health or child welfare policy.