In 2024, a program evaluation informed by community members and partners identified opportunities for WISH to grow while staying true to its original purpose. 

The evaluation recognized the value of WISH’s interprofessional learning model and highlighted opportunities to strengthen community engagement, partnerships, health promotion, evaluation and program sustainability.

In 2025, WISH began shifting its focus toward community engagement, health education, health promotion and relationship-building while continuing its commitment to student leadership and interprofessional learning.

WISH’s renewed model builds on the program’s longstanding strengths while creating new opportunities for community-engaged learning. Students from different health professions work together to understand community priorities, develop health education initiatives and contribute their unique professional perspectives.

The program’s transition under the leadership of the Vice-Dean, Indigenous Health, Social Justice and Anti-Racism, has also created opportunities to strengthen approaches to health equity, Indigenous engagement and meaningful community partnerships. The Department of Family Medicine currently provides mentorship and academic guidance to support WISH students and program development.

Student involvement continues to grow, with WISH working to expand opportunities across health-related programs and strengthen its interprofessional learning environment.

Our partnerships are built on collaboration, mutual respect, shared learning and a commitment to responding to community-identified priorities.

Our current community partners include:

• Elmwood Community Resource Centre (ECRC)
• Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA)

Growing together with Elmwood Community Resource Centre

WISH partners with the Elmwood Community Resource Centre (ECRC) to understand local health priorities and develop community-informed health education and engagement initiatives.

ECRC is a trusted community organization in Winnipeg’s Northeast neighbourhood. It provides family supports, counselling, literacy and youth programming, employment services, newcomer settlement support and other community-based resources. ECRC serves approximately 20,000 residents and welcomes about 11,000 visitors each year.

Together, WISH and ECRC identify community priorities and support initiatives that improve access to primary care and health-system navigation. Current areas of work include health-system navigation, diabetes education, cardiovascular wellness and other community-identified priorities.

The partnership also gives students opportunities to learn alongside community members and build skills in collaborative, community-engaged practice. To learn more about ECRC, visit their website.

• Providing community-based clinical care and outreach at Mount Carmel Clinic
• Delivering health education on diabetes, blood pressure, sexual health, oral health, nutrition, cardiovascular health and kidney health
• Hosting vaccination clinics, Family Fun Days and community celebrations
• Supporting nutrition programming and access to healthy snacks
• Advancing student leadership and shared governance
• Leading quality improvement, evaluation and scholarship initiatives