University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch in conversation with Executive Director of the University of Manitoba’s Institute for Global Public Health, Dr. James Blanchard. Together they’ll discuss how the University of Manitoba can be at the center of engaging the academic sector in global public health and how Canada can become a world leader in this field.  

About the guest:

Dr. Blanchard is an epidemiologist and public health specialist focusing on global health. His research focuses on how the characteristics of individuals, communities and large populations contribute to the local and global distribution of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Over the past twenty-five years he has also provided leadership to applying research to improve the design and implementation of large public health programs related to sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and maternal, neonatal and child health focused in south Asia and Africa.

He is currently the Executive Director of the University of Manitoba’s Institute for Global Public Health and holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology and Global Public Health.

About the host:
Michael Benarroch became President of the University of Manitoba on July 1, 2020. Dr. Benarroch is
a Manitoban and former Dean of the I.H. Asper School of Business (2011-2017). He returns to Winnipeg where he maintains strong community-wide connections and a lifelong dedication to transformative higher education. His career includes serving as Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at Toronto Metropolitan University (2017-2020), acting as the institution’s chief academic and operating officer as well as a tenured professor in the department of Economics, Faculty of Arts. He co-chaired Toronto Metropolitan University's Truth and Reconciliation Implementation Committee and is an active advocate for the advancement of Indigenous engagement and reconciliation.

About the University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba is western Canada’s first university, Manitoba's only research-intensive university, is located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.