Alicia Berard, PhD

Research summary

Dr. Berard’s research program centres on reproductive health, mucosal biology, immunology and the microbiome. Her research investigates how interactions between the host, microbiome and mucosal environment influence reproductive health and disease. She works with local and international human cohorts to study infections and conditions affecting the reproductive tract, integrating clinical observations with multi-omic approaches and experimental model systems to identify biological mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.

She is a founding member of the THRIVE study umbrella (The Study of Host-bacterial Relationships and Immune function in different Vaginal Environments), which brings together clinical observational studies investigating the reproductive tract microenvironment across diverse health conditions. Dr. Berard is a co-investigator on CIHR- and NIH-funded team studies examining the role of the microbiome and mucosal immunology in bacterial vaginosis, HPV infection and cervical cancer progression, HIV infection, recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis and infertility. She also leads local clinical cohorts in collaboration with clinical partners at Shared Health, Health Sciences Centre and Heartland Fertility, including PI-led studies investigating the microbiome and reproductive tract environment in fertility and pregnancy.

In parallel, the Berard lab has a strong experimental and translational research program focused on understanding host-microbe interactions in the vaginal microenvironment. The lab develops 3D *in vitro* co-culture and biofilm models to investigate interactions between BV-associated bacteria and vaginal epithelial cells, including effects on epithelial barrier function and downstream inflammatory and cellular signalling pathways. This work integrates bacterial isolates, multi-omic approaches, imaging and functional assays to move from observations in clinical cohorts toward mechanistic understanding and potential therapeutic targets.

The Berard lab uses high-throughput systems biology approaches, including metaproteomics, metabolomics, immune profiling and quantitative imaging, to characterize both the composition and function of microbial communities and their interactions with host epithelial and immune pathways. By integrating human clinical cohorts with mechanistic experimental models, the lab aims to define how the reproductive tract microenvironment contributes to health and disease and identify opportunities for improved prevention and treatment.

An additional component of Dr. Berard’s program is community-engaged research focused on equitable participation and inclusive study design. Through partnerships with community and clinical stakeholders, her team works to incorporate community input into reproductive health research while supporting equity, diversity and inclusion among study participants and trainees.

Research affiliations

• Research scientist, Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba
• Adjunct instructor, Department of Pathology, Center for Global Health, Case Western Reserve University
• Member/mentor, ImPact program
• Member, OBGYN Research Committee, University of Manitoba
• Member, Women In Science: Development, Outreach and Mentorship (WISDOM), University of Manitoba
• Full member, Rustbelt Center for AIDS Research

While completing her PhD in Medical Microbiology Dr. Berard studied the differences in proteomic expression in viral infections (reovirus and herpes simplex viruses), performing a systems biology approach to study host-pathogenic interactions.

During her post-doctoral work, Dr. Berard studied mucosal biology in the context of HIV infection to determine mechanisms of pathogenesis and increased acquisition using similar systems biology approaches, SIV macaque models, co-culture, and vaginal epithelial barrier models.

As a research associate, she expanded her previous work to understand how the microbiome affects female reproductive health using multi-omic approaches including metaproteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, and flow cytometry, as well as multiple experimental bacterial co-culture assays to test mechanisms of barrier dysfunction, building the foundation for her work in the THRIVE studies, and building her own research program.

She trained in organizing clinical cohort studies during this period and lead logistical planning and execution of current local and international cohorts that are established and ongoing.

Education

• PhD, Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba (2015)
• Bachelor of Science (Honours), Biochemistry, University of Winnipeg (2006)

Awards

2026:

• Science Co-op Supervisory Excellence Award, University of Manitoba

2025:

• Kerry Bittner Communications Award,Manitoba Medical Service Foundation, Winnipeg, MB

2024:

• Richard Hoeschen Memorial Award, “Community Outreach for Women’s Reproductive Health Studies”; Manitoba Medical Service Foundation
• Travel awardee for the 2024 CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity New Investigator Forum (NIF), King City, Toronto, Ontario ($2,814)

2016-18:

• Conference attendance scholarship for oral presentation, Mucosal Systems Meeting (2018)
• Registration scholarship, HIV Research for Prevention (HIVR4P)
• Key Scientific Article Feature (J Virol. 2015 Dec;89(23):11954-64), Global Medical Discovery

2007-12:

• Health Sciences Centre Studentship award, MHRC. $16,000/year
• Award of Excellence (Silver Category) in the Health Research National Research Poster Competition, CIHR
• Manitoba Graduate Scholarship, University of Manitoba, $16,000