What's the Big Idea

Season 4, Episode 6

Episode Summary:
Our guest is Andrea Charron, Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies and an academic working closely with the Canadian Armed forces. In conversation with UM’s President Michael Bennaroch, she discusses the evolving security landscape facing North America and Canada's crucial role in Arctic security and U.S. defense needs. Charron details security risks such as cyber threats and foreign interference and sheds light concerning NORAD modernization and the importance of international partnerships, including with Greenland, Denmark, the UK and Mexico.

About Andrea Charron: 

Season 4, Episode 5

Zahra Moussavi discusses her findings into using non-pharmaceutical interventions for Alzheimer's and dementia. With a background in electrical engineering, Moussavi’s groundbreaking research highlights the role of synapses and brain activity in cognitive health. Her innovative treatment strategies include electrical stimulation, VR navigation, and neurorehabilitation. These have shown success in potentially slowing, stabilizing, and reversing cognitive decline. In her conversation with UM President Michael Bennaroch, she emphasizes the importance of early detection and the need for innovative approaches to manage dementia as a chronic condition rather than a progressive one.

About Za...

Season 4, Episode 4

Episode Summary:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, globally. In conversation with the Director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and former Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiology, Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, this episode explores the significant differences in heart disease between men and women and the need for tailored research and treatment approaches. Dr. Kirshenbaum is a proud University of Manitoba researcher, and a major focus of his research is understanding the underlying sex specific difference in heart failure. He describes some of these mechanisms, the role of...

Season 4, Episode 3

Episode Summary:
What are the challenges and the opportunities in creating a just and inclusive economic future?  Hosted by Angie Bruce, Vice President (Indigenous) at the University of Manitoba, this episode of "What's the Big Idea?" explores the theme of economic reconciliation. Featured are Indigenous leaders and experts, Diane Roussin, a member of Skownan First Nation and project director of the Winnipeg Boldness Project, Kathleen BlueSky, a Cree Ikwe from Nisichiwasik Cree Nation and CEO of Treaty One Development Corporation, and Dr. Peter Pomart, a member of Mathias Cologne First Nation, an A...

 Season 4, Episode 2

Episode Summary:

In a world where the wealth gap continues to widen, with the richest 5% reaping the vast majority of globalization's financial gains, it's crucial to rethink how businesses operate. This episode challenges the status quo, urging a shift towards business models that prioritize the well-being of society and the environment over mere profit maximization.

In this episode Bruno Dick, the Norman Frohlich Professor in Business Sustainability at the Asper School of Business, discusses the concept of Social and Ecological Thought Management (SET) a...

 Season 4, Episode 1

Episode Summary:

No longer just a frontier for governments and billionaires, space is a shared environment that needs protection. As companies like SpaceX and Amazon launch mega-constellations of satellites, the risk to our atmosphere and orbital space grows. How can we ensure that the future of space is sustainable, inclusive, and serving communities on Earth?

In this episode, Philip Fergusson, an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, President of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, and Director of the University of Manitoba’s STARlab, joins President Benarroch to dis...

Season 3, Episode 7 - Business as Unusual: Risk, Research and Rethinking Productivity with Dave Angus 

In the wake of Canada’s federal election—and amid renewed U.S. trade tensions—Canada is at a crossroads. How do we grow an economy that’s more resilient, more innovative, and more productive? In this timely episode, Dave Angus, President of Johnston Group, former head of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce and UM's incoming Chancellor, joins President Benarroch to discuss the big ideas we need now. From smarter regulation to bolder partnerships between business and post-secondary institutions, we explore ho...

Season 3, Episode 6

Healthcare systems across Manitoba—and Canada—are facing a critical challenge: a shortage of doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals. In this episode, we explore the root causes of this crisis, and dive into our guests’ big ideas to help solve it.

Just as there is a family physician designation in Canada, Dr. Aaron Jattan argues that there should be one for rural doctors, recognizing the extra training and skills needed in this role.

Dr. Peter Nickerson believes we need a distributed education model to train learners across the province. With Winnip...

"What's the Big Idea" is a new podcast featuring University of Manitoba President and Vice-Chancellor Michael Benarroch in conversation with some of today's big thinkers. Together, they’ll unpack “the big idea” their work explores. A series featuring an exciting and diverse array of voices from the UM community contributing to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of the people of Manitoba, Canada, and the world.

#podcast #education

 Get Dying Right: Why Dignity in Care Matters with Dr. Harvey Chochinov 

Season 3, Episode 5 

How can we get dying right? In this episode, Distinguished Professor Dr. Harvey Chochinov helps answer this question by sharing stories and insights gained from decades of research in palliative care wards. 

Dr. Chochinov pioneered “dignity therapy” and now he shares his bigger idea on how dignity-centered health care can transform our experiences of end-of-life care and our views on medical assistance in dying (MAID), personhood, family, and much more. 

About Dr. Harvey C...

Gut Instincts: Unlocking the Microbiome’s Secrets to Health and Happiness with Dr. Heather Armstrong

In this episode, UM president, Michael Benarroch, asks Dr. Heather Armstrong to unpack the big idea that we can treat diseases such as cancer, arthritis and MS by improving gut health. 

As Canada Research Chair in Integrative Bioscience, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine with the University of Manitoba’s Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and a research scientist with the Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), Dr. Armstrong investigates the intersection of gut health and chronic diseases. Through her resea...

For the love of tariffs: Amanda Lang on how Trump’s re-election will impact Canada: 

UM president, Michael Benarroch and renowned business and political journalist Amanda Lang [BES/91] discuss what Canadians should expect following the results of the US election. How will Trump’s America first approach impact our trade relationship? Will he takes steps to erode academic freedom or freedom of the press? Which industries stand to benefit, and which may face challenges?
  

Amanda Lang [BES/91] is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global...

From Sea Ice to Shipping Lanes: Manitoba’s Maritime Future, with Feiyue Wang: S3, Episode 2 

As Canada Research Chair in Arctic Environmental Chemistry, University of Manitoba’s Dr. Feiyue Wang is the Lead researcher of the new Churchill Marine Observatory and Sea-Ice Environmental Research Facility where he studies current and emerging contaminants in the Arctic and their interactions with climate change. His research provides critical knowledge and tools for improving polices and practices for sustainable development in the Arctic. Through an initiative called REACH or Reimagining Artic and Central Canada Accessibility through Hudson Bay, Dr. Wang and his int...

AI and the Future of Humanity: Work, Worship, and Relationships with Neil McArthur

Named by Maclean’s Magazine as one of Canada’s leading experts on AI, Dr.Neil McArthur specializes in ethics and technology and his current research focuses especially on how artificial intelligence is used for companionship and intimacy. In 2023, he created a new course exploring issues ranging from humanity’s potential annihilation by artificial intelligence (AI) to what happens to copyright law when an algorithm can create songs with Neil Young’s voice. Dr.McArthur believes AI has huge benefits and can make society better b...

Michael Benarroch is joined by Professor Julienne Stroeve, a renowned climate change researcher. She is a professor in the University of Manitoba's Center for Earth Observation Science and a senior Canada 150 research chair in climate forcing of sea ice. Professor Stroeve has briefed US Vice President Al Gore, US congressional staff, and the World Economic Forum on her research.

In this episode, Professor Stroeve stresses that changes are happening at a much faster rate than we have expected and urges governments to act now. 

For more information, visit the p...

Michael Benarroch is joined by Dr. Meghan Azad, Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba with cross appointments in immunology and food and human nutritional sciences. Dr. Azad studies the science of breast milk and is one of the world's foremost experts on the wonderful substance. 

In this episode, they explore why breast milk matters to all of us, and explain how The Manitoba Interdisciplinary Lactation Centre (MILC) is at the forefront of human milk and infant feeding research.

For more information, visit the podcast's w...

Michael Benarroch sits down with Dr. Joss Reimer, Chief Medical Officer for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and someone who not only led Manitoba's COVID-19 vaccine implementation task force but has worked tirelessly to end the stigma around mental illness. Together, they explore how Dr. Reimer’s personal experiences have affected her work around mental health, and why we all need to create more supportive environments in the workplace. 

For more information, visit the podcast's website. 

Read Dr Joss Reimer’s article ‘Running because of — not away from — depression’ in the Winnipeg Free Press here. 

A...

Show notes:

How can you become a better leader? In this episode, Michael Benarroch explores this question with Dr. Suzanne Gagnon, the Associate Dean of Professional graduate programs at I.H. Asper School of Business, the inaugural director of the Burns Leadership Institute and the Canada Life Chair in Leadership Education.

At the start of this episode, you hear clips from the following:
Roselinde Torres' Ted Talk: What it takes to be a great leader
Brené Brown on leadership.

For more information, visit the podcast's website. 

About th...

In this episode, Michael Benarroch speaks to Dr. Nazim Cicek whose big ideas are proving that it doesn't have to cost the earth to feed the world. He's a professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science. Michael and Nazim explore how research is advancing sustainable agriculture to address food shortages and the climate crisis.

About the host:

Michael Benarroch became President of the University of Manitoba on July 1, 2020. Throughout his career, Dr. Benarroch has demonstrated his lifelong dedication to...

Michael Benarroch sits down with Professor Niigaan Sinclair, one of the most sought after national voices on education, politics and Reconciliation. Sinclair is the former head of the Department of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba, an indigenous content consultant and columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press.

Their conversation explores whether the university is doing enough to attract and support indigenous students; the stories that help and those that hinder Reconciliation; the significance of indigenous-led economic development in Winnipeg and much more. 

Part way through the episode you will hear a r...

In this episode, guest host University of Manitoba's Chancellor Anne Mahon speaks to UM alum and New York Times best-selling author of the Vagina Bible and the Menopause Manifesto, Dr. Jen Gunter. As a board certified OB/GYN in both Canada and the United States, Dr. Gunter is a candid advocate for women and science.

In this powerful conversation, she shares her mission to correct the masses of misinformation on everything from menstruation and menopause; and she explains how women’s health is still weaponized for profit, even while accurate information is easier to ac...

Why Guaranteed Income is affordable, effective and just with economist Evelyn Forget. University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch in conversation with economist and academic director of Manitoba Research Data Centre Evelyn Forget. Together they’ll discuss how a basic income guarantee is not only possible and affordable, but an effective and just way to reduce poverty in Canada.

About the guest:

Evelyn Forget is an economist, academic director of Manitoba Research Data Centre, and a professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences.

She is a multidisciplinary political eco...

University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch in conversation with Dr. Nicole Wilson, Canada Research Chair in Arctic Environmental Change and Governance. Together they’ll discuss how Canada can better understand, govern, and enhance Indigenous self-determination over water rights.

About the guest:

Dr. Nicole Wilson is a scholar of settler origin whose research focuses on Indigenous peoples, environmental governance, and environmental change in the Arctic. In particular, her research examines the many ways that Indigenous peoples are asserting their self-determination and revitalizing their governance systems to respond to various stressors including climate change and resource development. Sh...

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...

University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch in conversation with Executive Director of the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation, Stephanie Scott. Together they discuss the lasting effects of Canada’s residential school system and the forced separation of Indigenous families. They explore how we as a university can help heal these wounds and plot a path forward to true reconciliation.

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 wh...

University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch in conversation with Canada Research Chair in Queer, Community, and Diversity Education and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Robert Mizzi. Together, they’ll discuss Dr. Mizzi’s ideas around “deep inclusion,” and how the University of Manitoba can continue to make strides in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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 t...

University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch in conversation with Vice-Dean of Indigenous Health, Social Justice and Anti-Racism at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and Doctors Manitoba 2022 “Physician of the Year” Dr. Marcia Anderson. Together, they’ll discuss how the University of Manitoba can further ground medical education in anti-racist practices and provide greater health equity for Canada’s Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities.

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 retur...

University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch live in conversation with Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist, UM alum, and the Albert Einstein Professor Emeritus at Princeton Dr. James Peebles. Together, they'll unpack some of Dr. Peebles's groundbreaking work that has been vital to our understanding of the universe, including topics like the Big Bang Theory and dark matter. 

We'll also hear from a UM sophomore and aspiring astrophysicist and hear Dr. Peebles take questions from our live audience.

About the host

Michael Benarroch became President of the University of Manitoba on J...

University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch live in conversation with Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist, UM alum, and the Albert Einstein Professor Emeritus at Princeton Dr. James Peebles. Together, they'll unpack some of Dr. Peebles's groundbreaking work that has been vital to our understanding of the universe, including topics like the Big Bang Theory and dark matter. 

We'll also hear from a UM sophomore and aspiring astrophysicist and hear Dr. Peebles take questions from our live audience.

About the host

Michael Benarroch became President of the University of Manitoba on J...