Rady HIV-AIDS researcher, educator receives inaugural postdoc fellowship in memory of AIDS trailblazer
Dr. Titus Olukitibi has been named the inaugural recipient of the Dr. Dick Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship, a prestigious new award aimed at advancing the understanding and management of HIV in Manitoba.
“I am very thankful,” said Olukitibi, postdoctoral fellow in the department of medical microbiology and infectious diseases (MMID), Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. He will be working in MMID professor and department head Dr. Keith Fowke’s Molecular Retrovirology laboratory.
“This funding will significantly advance our educational outreach and research initiatives on HIV, sexually transmitted, and blood-borne infections in Manitoba,” he said. “It will also allow us to expand our efforts to educate high school students and BIPOC communities about HIV risk factors and prevention.”
The Dr. Dick Smith Postdoctoral Fellowship, established through a collaborative initiative between the Manitoba government and Research Manitoba, supports researchers dedicated to enhancing HIV epidemiology and education in the province.
It is named in honour of Dr. Dick Smith, a groundbreaking physician who led the way in both the treatment of HIV/AIDS in Manitoba and compassionate care for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Smith was awarded the 2024 Doctors Manitoba Jack Armstrong Humanitarian Award (posthumously) last May.
“Manitoba has seen a 52 per cent surge in new HIV cases from 2018 to 2021, with the youth aged 15-24 and Indigenous population experiencing an alarming increase from 51 per cent to 73 per cent increase over the same period,” said Olukitibi, “It’s really very shocking.”
“Given Manitoba’s rising rates of HIV, there’s an urgent need to deepen our understanding of the disease and build knowledge and data that will drive local solutions and help prevent the disease from spreading,” said Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-term Care Uzoma Asagwara.
Olukitibi’s project, “Bridging HIV and sexually transmitted blood borne infections (STBBIs) Science and Educational Outreach in Winnipeg,” is set to significantly improve HIV prevention education, specifically targeting underserved and immigrant communities. The project will also explore the connection between solvent use and increased HIV susceptibility.
“There is a lot of stigma,” said Olukitibi, pointing to the high risk of suicide-related deaths to an HIV diagnosis. “There is no vaccine to prevent HIV and there is no drug to completely treat it once you have it.”
This is why he stresses education and prevention, especially among young people. But even when someone has contracted the disease, Olukitibi shares a message of hope. “Viral load can be managed and be suppressed. It is not the end of life.”
“Dr. Olukitibi’s work exemplifies the kind of innovative and community-focused research we strive for in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences,” said Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost (health sciences) and dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. “I look forward to seeing the continued positive impact of his research, particularly among youth and in underserved and immigrant communities.”
Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable also extended her congratulations. “His contributions to medical microbiology through the University of Manitoba continue to increase knowledge around prevention, transmission and treatment of HIV-AIDS in our province. His research is integral to determining the factors that make people more susceptible to HIV-AIDS.”