Scientific contributions
For over 50 years, Manitoba Blue Cross has been the primary contributor of funding and administrative support for the Manitoba Medical Service Foundation (MMSF). The MMSF was established in 1971 with a vision to serve Manitobans through health education and research. Its mission is to promote and fund scientific and educational research to improve the health and well-being of Manitobans.
Since inception, the MMSF has awarded $23.5 million to cutting-edge, Manitoba-based research and education, ranging from medical and scientific studies to the work of allied health professionals such as social workers and nurses.
By providing local researchers with much-needed funding, the MMSF is a strong ally in our commitment to improve the health and well-being of Manitobans.
MMSF grants have contributed to the incredible work of local researchers who have changed the health care landscape. A few of the researchers MMSF has funded include:
- Dr. Allan Ronald investigated an outbreak of chancroid in Winnipeg. This research propelled him onto the world stage and he became one of the world’s most influential AIDS researchers.
- Dr. Frank Plummer led research that helped to identify key factors involved in HIV transmission, including its ability to be passed on to women and to babies through breast milk.
- Dr. Meghan Azad studies breastfeeding and breastmilk and its implications on overall health. She is one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject.
- Dr. Henry Friesen advanced the field of hormone research, including the effectiveness of the hormone prolactin in fertility treatments for women and the benefits of the human growth hormone in hormone-deficient children.
- Dr. Jason Kindrachuk discovered that Ebola can be sexually transmitted and has studied its effects on the reproductive system. He is an expert on emerging and re-emerging viruses that impact global health and is currently doing research on COVID-19.
