Dr. and Mrs. Roderick Hunter Scholarship Recipient: Kyra Hodges Changing lives: Student Stories

Fifth-year neuroscience major Kyra Hodges has spent her volunteer career learning the ropes at some of Manitoba’s busiest hospitals. A hopeful future medical student, Hodges has logged an impressive 700 hours of clinical healthcare experience across the Grace Hospital, Misericordia Health Center, and the Health Sciences Center.

“I’ve been volunteering since high school, and you get a real sense of what hospital work is like being part of the different wards,” says Hodges. “I’ve volunteered in the emergency department, day surgery, in-patient wards, psychiatric wards, and the children’s hospital over the last six years. It’s been useful in shaping my understanding of the field and the direction I want my own medical career to follow.”

An accomplished researcher and gifted student, Hodges is one of two recipients in 2026 for the esteemed Dr. and Mrs. Roderick Hunter Scholarship, which is awarded each year to two undergraduate students with high academic standing, outstanding leadership qualities, and significant extracurricular involvements on campus. “Being recognized for my leadership and volunteerism through this award feels both amazing and very humbling—the fact that I’m able to count myself as part of this special cohort of students who were selected for this scholarship based on their own unique blend of merit means a great deal to me in my final year at the University of Winnipeg.”

For nearly two years, Hodges has been working as a research assistant under the supervision of Dr. Yannick Molgat-Seon and Dr. Natalie Richer in their respiratory physiology lab. “I’m part of a team conducting research on the cognitive basis of sex differences in dyspnea (breathlessness) in adults. As a recipient of three NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Awards, I perform high-density electroencephalography (EEG), lung capacity testing (spirometry), maximal inspiratory muscle strength testing, and inspiratory threshold loading on several study participants to examine the possible neurological basis of sex differences in dyspnea perception.”

“The culture at UWinnipeg is unlike most other universities—the relationships I’ve been able to form with my professors and the research opportunities I’ve been afforded as a result of these connections have been incredible—especially when you consider that most institutions limit this kind of work to graduate students only. The fact that I get to work as a project lead and work towards publishing our research is an incredible privilege.”

Beyond the lab, Hodges has made a positive impact on campus as a member of the University of Winnipeg Students of Science Association and University of Winnipeg Biology Students Association where she often plays an active role in helping support STEM-focused events. “During reading week this year, I was able to travel to Iqaluit as part of Let’s Talk Science, where I acted as a workshop leader and peer mentor to grade school children at the Pinnguaq Iqaluit Makerspace.”

Looking to the near future, Hodges plans to enroll in the Max Rady Medical College at the University of Manitoba after graduating this summer.