For 45 years, the University of Manitoba (UM) and University of Nairobi have partnered to study communities in Nairobi who are vulnerable to HIV and other infectious diseases.

It’s a close friendship with roots in MMSF funding, and MMSF alumni continue to play a vital role.

It all started in 1975, when Winnipeg was experiencing an outbreak of chancroid – a sexually transmitted infection that causes painful genital ulcers.

With support from the MMSF, Dr. Allan Ronald and his trainee, Dr. Greg Hammond (now executive director of the MMSF) halted the outbreak in just four months.

Their work caught the eye of the University of Nairobi, which was dealing with a similar outbreak in Kenya. Three years later, UM and University of Nairobi created a joint research and training program that led to ground-breaking discoveries in the fight against AIDS. It is now considered one of the world’s most important HIV/AIDS programs.

In February, UM chancellor Anne Mahon joined the team, which now includes MMSF alumnus Keith Fowke and 2024 grant recipient Julie Lajoie, to get a first-hand look at this incredible partnership.

Read more in UM Today.

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