Events
Speaker Series
The Centre on Aging hosts a Speaker Series, which is held from October to March during the academic year.
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
January 21, 2026 | 2:30 – 3:30 PM | via Zoom
Targeting Isolation in Manitoba
Dr. Nancy Newall, Associate Professor, Psychology Department, Brandon University
Dr. Verena Menec, Professor Emerit, College of Community and Global Health, University of Manitoba
Download poster (PDF)
The Targeting Isolation initiative and website was initially developed as a way to promote workshops on social isolation and loneliness among older adults. However, not long after its launch, it took on a life of its own (almost literally as we created a character, “TIMA” from Manitoba). Today, it is used as a platform to create and promote content that can be of use to a variety of audiences: health and social service professionals, community volunteers, older adults, and researchers. In this presentation, audience members will learn about some of the Manitoba-made resources on offer from training, to videos (TIMA!), to infographics.
Upcoming presentations
February 5, 2026 | 2:30 – 3:30 PM | Via Zoom
AI and wearable technologies for context-aware assessment of complex age-associated conditions
Dr. Mina Nouredanesh, Assistant Professor, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Community and Global Health; Canada Research Chair in AI for Complex Health Data (Tier 2)
Complex age-associated conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and injurious falls represent a global health challenge, significantly impacting independence and quality of life. Due to substantial inter-individual variability and context-dependent factors, traditional clinical methods, relying on sparse, episodic measurements, often lack the precision needed for personalized risk prediction and symptom management. This seminar presents research integrating Artificial intelligence (AI) and wearable sensing to enable context-aware assessment, transforming continuous physiological, behavioral, and environmental data into actionable clinical insights. These approaches aim to empower older adults, clinicians, and caregivers with personalized strategies for the proactive prevention and management of complex age-associated conditions.
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)
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
November 28, 2025
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
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.
Winter term presentations
March 21, 2025
Brain-based findings of age-related changes in the interaction between attention control and emotion
Dr. Steven Greening, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Department of Psychology
February 13, 2025
Exploring the effects of loneliness, social isolation, and exclusion on the health and well-being of older black Canadians
Dr. Blessing Ojembe, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Work
January 23, 2025
Improving care for older people in complex settings: An overview of local and international innovations
Dr. Malcolm Doupe, Professor, Max Rady College of Medicine, Community Health Science
Fall term presentations
November 20, 2024
A mechanistic link between oxidative stress and neuronal death in Alzheimer’s Disease: Quest for a cure
Dr. Eftekhar Eftekharpour, Associate professor, Max Rady College of Medicine, Physiology and Pathophysiology
October 10, 2024
Multi-provider healthcare at home: what is the role of technology?
Dr. Gayle Halas, Assistant professor; Rady Chair in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice
Research in Aging Workshop Series
The workshops are open to students, post-docs, research staff, and faculty interested in aging research. Workshops will take place virtually and are one hour. The sessions are free to attend, but registration will be required.
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 next workshop
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
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.
Upcoming workshops
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
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.
March 10, 2026 1-2:30pm via Zoom
The A-B-C’s of presenting and designing research posters
Nicole Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging
Rachel Ines, BA, Dipl.(Hons.), Administration and Communications Coordinator, Centre on Aging
Dallas Murphy, PhD student, Psychology, Faculty of Arts
This Research in Aging workshop will cover what goes in a research poster, how to design one, and how to handle the oral presentation component. This is a helpful session if you plan to have a poster in the Centre on Aging’s Annual Spring Research Symposium or other upcoming conferences. Centre staff, Nicole Dunn and Rachel Ines will walk you through everything you need to know to prepare for a research poster presentation. Dallas Murphy will share his student perspective and experience of presenting a conference poster.
April 7, 2026 | 11:30 AM–12:30 PM | via Zoom
Tips for applying to student awards at the Centre on Aging
Nicole J Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging
About the workshop
Download the poster (PDF)
Join us for the Centre on Aging’s next workshop in the Research in Aging Workshop Series, Tips for applying to student awards at the Centre on Aging. Led by Associate Director, Nicole Dunn, she will provide suggestions and best practices for students to submit their application package for Centre on Aging adjudicated awards. Students will also gain a better understanding of how awards are assessed and adjudicated which will help you prepare more competitive applications.
May 20, 2026 | 1 – 2:30 PM | Via Zoom
Introduction to Research Project Management
Nicole J Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging
About the workshop
Download the May 20 poster (PDF)
Research projects have multiple tasks and deadlines, but how do you keep it all organized? This 1.5-hour workshop will provide practical information and tips for those who are managing a research project. Based on the principals of project management, we will explore strategies, tools, and basic skills to manage any sized research project through the research process.
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
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
December 3, 2025
Voices across time and place: Engaging older migrant adults in meaningful research
Lori Wilkinson, PhD Department of Sociology and Criminology
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.
Spring 2025 workshops
June 3, 2025
Approach to publishing your research findings on aging issues: A journal editor’s perspective
Daniel S. Sitar, PhD, FGSA, FCP, FCSPT, Professor Emeritus, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
May 14, 2025
Introduction to Research Project Management
Nicole J Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging
April 8, 2025
Tips for applying to student awards at the Centre on Aging
Nicole J. Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging
Winter 2025 workshops
March 27, 2025
The A-B-C’s of presenting and designing research posters
Nicole Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging
Rachel Ines, BA, Dipl.(Hons.), Administration and Communications Coordinator, Centre on Aging
Thomas Rawliuk, PhD student, Psychology, Faculty of Arts
February 27, 2025
A good book is easier to read than to write!
Alexander Segall, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus
January 15, 2025
Best research practices in palliative care for older adults: How to conduct research with people who are in their end-stage of life
Genevieve Thompson, PhD, Professor, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Nursing; Research Chair in Person-Directed Living
Fall 2024 workshops
December 3, 2024
Cohort studies of ageing–the need for good data
Philip St. John, MD, MPH, FRCPC, CCFP, Professor, Max Rady College of Medicine, Internal Medicine, Section: Geriatric Medicine
November 5, 2024
New resources and updates from the Office of Human Research Ethics
Pinar Eskicioglu, MSc, Human Research Ethics Education Specialist
October 30, 2024
Conducting online studies with older adult research participants
Dr. Celine Latulipe, Faculty of Science, Computer Science
September 19, 2024
Introduction to conducting research with older adults
Nicole Dunn, MA, Associate Director, Centre on Aging
Centre on Aging 40 years
July 1, 2022 marked the Centre on Aging's 40th year at the University of Manitoba. Established by founding Director, Dr. Neena Chappell, the Centre on Aging continued to thrive under directors Drs. Laurel Strain, Verena Menec, and current Director, Dr. Michelle Porter.
Highlighted are the Centre's accomplishments over the last 40 years (PDF).
New Horizons funding announcement: Decreasing internalized ageism
On May 16, 2022 the Centre on Aging hosted the Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Seniors, Government of Canada, at the University of Manitoba where she announced that the Centre on Aging was one of the recipients that was awarded funding from the New Horizons for Seniors Program. The New Horizons program included $61 million in funding for more than 3000 community-based projects across Canada.
Prior to the announcement, members of the Manitoba Seniors Coalition met briefly with Minister Khera and to take some photos. Addressing the audience, were Centre Director, Dr. Michelle Porter; Dr. Annemieke Farenhorst (Associate Vice-President Research, University of Manitoba); and Minister Khera, who highlighted the important research conducted at the Centre on Aging and the need to combat ageism.
Partnering with community organizations, the Centre will be using this funding to develop an intervention aimed at decreasing internalized ageism and its potentially detrimental effects among older adult community members.
We are sincerely thankful to the Honourable Kamal Khera and the Government of Canada for making this project possible. The archived announcement, can be viewed on the Seniors in Canada Facebook page.
—Dallas Murphy, Student Research Assistant, Centre on Aging
Community workshops
To see reports associated with past events of the Centre on Aging visit our Publications page.
Check back for future events.
Contact us
Centre on Aging
338 Isbister Building
183 Dafoe Rd
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada
204-474-8754
Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm