Manitoba Sub-Hub
Background
In 2021, the rate of HIV in Manitoba was 3 times greater than the national rate of HIV. Among those diagnosed with HIV, 73.4% self-identified as Indigenous. Notably, injection drug use was higher in females (70.7%) compared to males (35.1%), in addition to houselessness (48% vs. 22.3%) and mental health conditions (42.7% vs. 32.3%). Overall, this shows that HIV in Manitoba is driven by socio-economic factors and that females and Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately affected.
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There are sex differences and intersecting conditions affecting people living with HIV in Manitoba. Females newly diagnosed by HIV are disproportionately affected by houselessness, injection drug use and mental health conditions. Manitoba is also the only province in Canada that does not meet any of the 95-95-95 UNAIDS goals. All of these facts make Manitoba a unique environment in which HIV treatment and the WCHC model holds greats significance for the health and wellbeing of women and gender diverse people living with HIV.
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1. (Sourced from: Manitoba HIV Program Report 2018-2021. https://mbhiv.ca/program-reports/)
2. (sourced from: Sex differences in houselessness, injection drug use, and mental health conditions among people newly diagnosed with HIV in Manitoba, Canada from 2018 to 2021: a retrospective cohort study - The Lancet Regional Health – Americas)
Our Team
CO-LEAD
Dr. Lauren J. Mackenzie
She/Her
Dr. Lauren J. MacKenzie is an adult infectious diseases physician, an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, Associate Director of the Manitoba HIV Program, and an HIV clinician. She holds a Master in Public Health, completed an HIV fellowship at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and is finishing a Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences. She served as the co-creator of the MB HIV Program Report 2018-2021, and co-led the advocacy to share the results in a meaningful and non-stigmatizing way, focusing on the roots of the disproportionate findings that affect some priority groups such as Indigenous Peoples, people who inject drugs, females and people who are experiencing houselessness.I n her role as an Associate Director of the Manitoba HIV Program and as a clinician scientist, Dr. MacKenzie has been working with Drs. Zulma Rueda and Yoav Keynan’s team to understand the epidemiology of HIV in Manitoba.
Co-Lead
(she/her)
CO-LEAD
Dr. Zulma Rueda
She/Her
Dr. Zulma Rueda is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Sexually Transmitted Infection- Resistance and Control at the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba. Zulma studied medicine and did her PhD in Epidemiology at Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia. She worked at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana until she moved to Canada, studying tuberculosis in Colombian prisons, the etiology and diagnostics of pneumonia in children and adults that required hospitalization, and HIV and tuberculosis among people experiencing houselessness. Currently, she leads the Exposome Lab and the AllTogether4IDEAS team based in Winnipeg. Her main research is focused on HIV, sexually transmitted infections, pneumonia and tuberculosis with a syndemic and intersectional lens rooted in community-based research. She loves epidemiology and strongly believes in “Research into Action: Sharing Evidence for Policy- and Decision-making”.
Co-Lead
(she/her)
COORDINATOR
Vanessa Schulz
She/Her
Vanessa Schulz graduated from the University of Winnipeg with her BSc. Honours Biology in 2019. She then pursued her Master's in the department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Manitoba, and graduated in 2024. Outside of academics, Vanessa has dedicated her time to leadership roles, sitting on committees, and community engagement. Vanessa currently works as a research technician for the Viral Sexually Transmitted Infections Section for the Public Health Agency of Canada, and more recently, has taken on the position of sub-hub coordinator for the Manitoban hub of the Women-Centered HIV Care programme.
Co-Lead
(she/her)
CO-LEAD
Julianne Sanguins
Julianne Sanguins is a Registered Nurse and holds a PhD in Nursing from the University of Calgary. She is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, Adjunct Scientist with the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, and a sectional instructor for Athabasca University. Julianne has worked with Indigenous peoples throughout most of her career through research interests in Population Health, Equity-denied health issues, Indigenous Peoples’ Health, Aging, Rural Health, Community Health, Nursing, & Community Based Participatory Research.
She/Her
CO-LEAD
Margaret Haworth-Brockman
Margaret Haworth-Brockman, MSc is the Senior Program Manager at the National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) and has more than 25 years of experience in population health, public health, and health services research and policy development. Prior to joining the NCCID in 2013, Margaret was Executive Director at Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence for 13 years. There, she led a comprehensive program of new research, policy advice and knowledge translation on issues important to women in the prairies, particularly with First Nations, Métis and Inuit women and organizations. She was also a consultant to the Pan-American Health Organization to lead projects on gender and health indicators, including developing a proposal for core gender and equality health indicators related to the Sustainable Development Goals, and a current project supporting three Caribbean countries to develop gender and health profiles. Margaret has published over 50 manuscripts, reports and book chapters, and has supervised more than 45 graduate and undergraduate students in her career. She has nil appointment to the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba and is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Winnipeg.
She/Her
CO-LEAD
Dr. Kellie Thiessen
Dr. Kellie Thiessen is a midwife Clinician Scientist who has an extensive clinical background in maternal/child health. She is a registered midwife and a registered nurse, and is currently the Director of Midwifery at the University of British Columbia. She is also a Research Scientist at the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, and the Women’s Health Research Institute at BC Women’s Hospital. She has worked as a midwife in the United States, Brazilian, and Canadian health care systems and is committed to developing innovative collaborative models of midwifery practice that will increase choices for persons and their families, as well as provide comprehensive maternity care. Her more recent work involves clinical practice and patient-engaged research with pregnant persons who use substances and have complex care needs.
She/Her
CO-LEAD
Freda is one of the founding members of the Sisters of Fire, Ka Ni Kanichihk, and is a peer-leader with All Together 4 Ideas and Manitoba Moon Voice Inc. - where she advocates for women's rights, addresses homelessness, and is an active member of the Manitoba People Living with HIV/AIDS Caucus. In addition, Freda is a member of the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network, focusing on Manitoba's rural areas including Selkirk, Ashern, Lundar, Eriksdale, and Lake Manitoba. Freda dedicates her time to making a positive impact on the lives of those affected by HIV and advocates for the needs of Indigenous women living with HIV in Manitoba. Freda's years of experience as a peer researcher, and connections with community, bring a unique perspective to the Manitoba Sub-Hub where she can make a meaningful impact by leading workshops, facilitating groups, and providing counselling.
Freda
She/Her
CO-LEAD
Brittany Read is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse working and living on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Prior to joining the Manitoba HIV Program, Brittany nursed in community based programs and her practice is grounded in psychosocial rehabilitation and assertive community treatment.
Brittany Read
She/Her
CO-LEAD
Marjorie Schenkels, whose Spirit name is Yellow Flower Turtle Woman, is a Peer Lead with the Manitoba Sub-Hub who has been living with HIV for over 10 years.
"I have an amazing loving partner and together we have two beautiful children. Thanks to antiretrovirals I am U=U Undetectable = Untransmittable.
As a turtle woman I am a caregiver to all of Creators children. I give with love in my heart, which is as delicate as a flower."
Marjorie Schenkels
She/Her
Contact Manitoba
Contact Vanessa Schulz for any inquiries related to the Manitoba Sub-Hub.
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Sub-Hub Priorities
Sub-Hub Initiatives
Contact Manitoba
Sub-Hub Land Acknowledgement
The Manitoba Sub-Hub acknowledges that the land on which its operations are based falls in Treaty 1 territory, which is recognized to be the homeland of the Red River Métis Nation as well as the traditional territory of many Indigenous nations including the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Ojibwe-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples. The Manitoba sub-hub is committed to working with and for Indigenous peoples towards closing the gaps in care for Indigenous people living with HIV, and we encourage thoughtful collaboration with community members in all of our work.