What's the Big Idea?

What’s the Big Idea? — Season 5

As the University of Manitoba looks ahead to UM150 in 2027, Season 5 of What’s the Big Idea? explores the questions, discoveries and ideas that are shaping what comes next.

Hosted by UM President Michael Benarroch, the season brings together researchers, experts and thought leaders tackling some of today’s biggest challenges—from supporting families (clinician-scie...

A thought-provoking discussion with Dr. David Gerhard, a leading AI researcher and computer scientist on the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, its potential to transform society, and the ethical challenges that come with it. In this conversation, interspersed with excerpts from AI pioneer and Nobel Laureate, Geoffrey Hinton’s Knight Distinguished Lecture, we hear how AI's decision-making processes differ from huma...

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 threa...

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 po...

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. Kirshenba...

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 t...

 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 N...

 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 Fergusso...

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 Com...

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...

"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...

 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 heal...

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 F...

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 industr...

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 resea...

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...

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 chang...

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 La...

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...