Canadian healthcare innovators are proving that optimism, data, and thoughtful technology can reshape pediatric care. In this episode, three leading physician-innovators share how digital health, artificial intelligence, and smarter care models are transforming outcomes for children and families.

Dr. Shazhan Amed discusses how her startup Haibu Health is using digital health platforms and data integration to improve the lives of children living with type 1 diabetes, reduce hospitalizations, and support care across the entire lifespan.

Dr. Joshua Liu, CEO at SeamlessMD, explores the evolving landscape of AI in healthcare, from the rapid rise of AI scribes to the next generation of tools focused on care delivery, workflow automation, and patient engagement.

Dr. Devin Singh, Founder & CEO Hero AI, shares groundbreaking work using real-time AI models in the pediatric emergency department to accelerate diagnoses, reduce wait times, and improve care for vulnerable populations.

Together, they offer an optimistic perspective on how Canada’s healthcare ecosystem is driving meaningful innovation in pediatric care.

Episode Resources:

Scribe - Smarter documentation software, powered by AI

Revolutionize how you write text - AI Sidekick

Connect with Dr. Shazhan Amed:

Dr. Shazhan Amed LinkedIn

Haibu Health Website

Haibu Health LinkedIn

Dr. Shazhan Amed BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute

Live 5210 - BC Children's Hospital Research Institute

Connect with Dr. Joshua Liu:

Dr. Joshua Liu LinkedIn

SeamlessMD Website

SeamlessMD LinkedIn

SeamlessMD Instagram

Connect with Dr. Devin Singh:

Hero AI Website

The Hospital for Sick Children Website

The Hospital for Sick Children LinkedIn

The Hospital for Sick Children Instagram

Dr. Devin Singh LinkedIn

Connect with us:

KidsX Website

KidsX LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Website

Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram

Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn

Pediatric sleep care is undergoing a transformation, from hospital-based sleep labs to home-based, data-driven insights.

In this episode, Dr. Eugene Kim and Conner Herman, explore how wearable technology and environmental behavioral sensors are reshaping how we understand children’s sleep. Dr. Eugene Kim shares how Apple Watch–based data collection could help identify sleep apnea risk before anesthesia, potentially reducing ICU admissions, shortening surgical delays, and improving perioperative safety. Meanwhile, Conner Herman explains how Percy uses multi-sensor fusion to objectively measure sleep behaviors at home, especially for children with autism and chronic conditions.

Together, they reimagine pediatric sleep from two complementary perspectives: risk stratification before surgery and behavioral pattern detection in real-world environments The result is better data, less guesswork, fewer unnecessary medications, and earlier intervention. This episode dives into pediatric sleep innovation, anesthesia safety, behavioral health, and the future of home-based diagnostics for children.

Episode Resources:

Estimating Breathing Disturbances and Sleep Apnea Risk from Apple Watch

American Academy of Sleep Medicine | AASM | Medical Society

Connect with Dr. Eugene Kim:

Eugene Kim, MD CHLA

CHLA and Apple Watch Project

The Division of Pain Medicine CHLA

Department of Anesthesiology Critical Care Medicine CHLA

Virtual Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (vPICU)

Connect with Conner Herman:

Conner Herman LinkedIn

Percy Website

Percy LinkedIn

Percy Instagram

Connect with us:

KidsX Website

KidsX LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Website

Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram

Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn

Learn more about Make March Matter:

Make March Matter

The 11th Annual Make March Matter Campaign

Make March Matter contributors:

Alfred Coffee

Randy's Donuts

Panda Express

Katana LA

Sushi Roku

h.wood Group

Delilah Los Angeles

Nice Guy Restaurant

What does a “moonshot” look like in pediatric healthcare?

In this episode, three visionary leaders share how artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and consumer-grade design thinking are transforming care for children worldwide.

Dr. Timothy Chou introduces the Pediatric Moonshot, a global effort to deploy privacy-preserving AI across 500 children’s hospitals to reduce healthcare inequity and improve outcomes through patient digital twins. Prof Iain Hennessey explores how quantum computing could revolutionize scheduling, imaging, and diagnostics, positioning hospitals today for breakthroughs 7–10 years from now. Aaron Patzer, Founder and CEO of Vital.io, shares how consumer product design principles are improving emergency care, eliminating friction, and transforming patient experience at scale.

This conversation looks beyond incremental change, and into the future of pediatric medicine.

Episode Resources:

BevelCloud - Empowering the Future of Distributed AI

Connect with Dr. Timothy Chou:

Dr. Timothy Chou LinkedIn

Pediatric Moonshot Website

Pediatric Moonshot LinkedIn

Pediatric Moonshot Podcast

Connect with Prof Iain Hennessey:

Prof Iain Hennessey LinkedIn

Alder Hey Innovation Website

Alder Hey Innovation LinkedIn

Connect with Aaron Patzer:

Aaron Patzer LinkedIn

Vital.io Website

Vital.io Linkedin

Intuit, Inc. (Intuit, QuickBooks, QB, TurboTax, ProConnect, and Mint)

Make March Matter

Connect with us:

KidsX Website

KidsX LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Website

Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram

Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn

What if pediatric procedures could be less painful, less invasive, and safer for long-term health?

In this episode, three leading physician-scientists from Children's Hospital Los Angeles share how breakthrough technologies are transforming children’s medicine.

Dr. Jeffrey I. Gold explains how immersive virtual reality reduces pain, anxiety, and even eliminates sedation for certain procedures. Dr. John Wood discusses how low-field MRI is reducing radiation exposure and anesthesia in pediatric imaging. And Dr. James Amatruda reveals how zebrafish models are accelerating cancer research and improving outcomes for children with rare tumors.

From bedside innovation to cutting-edge research labs, this conversation explores how technology is reshaping pediatric care, today and for the future.

Episode Resources:

MAGNETOM Free.Max (wide bore mri)

CHLA Researcher Uses Low-Field MRI to Assess Lung Capacity in Children With Single Ventricle Hearts

Fluoroscopy

MR fluoroscopy

USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Krishna Garikipati - USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Ching-Ling (Ellen) Lien, PhD

Connect with Dr. Jeff Gold:

Jeff Gold Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Jeff Gold Linkedin

Connect with Dr. John Wood:

John Wood Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Connect with Dr. James Amatruda:

Dr. James Amatruda Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Dr. James Amatruda LinkedIn

Amatruda Lab Children's Hospital Los Angeles

Connect with us:

KidsX Website

KidsX LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Website

Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram

Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn

In this episode, we explore how pediatric healthcare leaders are redesigning systems to prevent harm before it happens.

Anne Lyren, Chief Medical and Strategy Officer of the Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS) Network, explains how children’s hospitals across the country collaborate to reduce serious harm through shared data, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Rebecca Egger, CEO of Little Otter, brings a data and mental health lens, discussing why early childhood mental health has long been underestimated and how better data systems can surface risks earlier and more equitably.

Manju Dawkins, Founder and CEO of Thimble, challenges long-standing assumptions around pain, fear, and “the way it’s always been done,” sharing how thoughtful design can transform needle procedures and raise the standard of care.

Together, this conversation reframes patient safety as a systems problem, one that can be solved through collaboration, empathy, and intentional design.

Episode Resources:

KidsX x SPS Patient Safety Innovation Challenge

Anna Taddio, Professor - Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Connect with Anne Lyren:

Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety Website

Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety LinkedIn

Anne Lyren LinkedIn

Connect with Rebecca Egger:

Little Otter - a Hazel Health Company

Little Otter LinkedIn

Little Otter Instagram

Rebecca Egger LinkedIn

Connect with Manju Dawkins:

Thimble Website

Thimble LinkedIn

Thimble Instagram

Manju Dawkins LinkedIn

Connect with us:

KidsX Website

KidsX LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Website

Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram

Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn

In this episode, we explore what it takes to design pediatric care that truly meets children where they are, especially those with sensory sensitivities, autism, and anxiety.

Healthcare operator Missy Krasner shares perspective from decades across government, big tech, venture capital, and digital health, reflecting on why real innovation in healthcare often comes down to execution, empathy, and sustainability.

We then hear from leaders at Children’s Wisconsin, including Anita Norton, Lisa Boettcher, and Jill Wiench, who describe the hospital’s Let’s Cope Together program, an approach that proactively gathers family insight to personalize hospital experiences for children with sensory processing needs. Dr. Sean Antosh, Chief Medical Wellness and Engagement Officer at Dayton Children’s Hospital, explains how adaptive sensory environments have dramatically reduced the need for pre-operative sedation and improved outcomes for neurodiverse patients.

Together, these conversations reveal how thoughtful design, interdisciplinary collaboration, and listening to families can reshape pediatric care, without relying on technology alone.

Episode Resources:

Let’s Cope Together (LCT) program at Children's Wisconsin

Dayton Children’s sensory program sets the gold standard for patient care

Connect with Missy Krasner:

Missy Krasner LinkedIn

Connect with Children's Wisconsin:

Children's Wisconsin Website

Children's Wisconsin LinkedIn

Children's Wisconsin Instagram

Connect with Dr. Sean Antosh:

Dr. Sean Antosh LinkedIn

Dayton Children's Hospital Website

Dayton Children's Hospital LinkedIn

Dayton Children's Hospital Instagram

Connect with us:

KidsX Website

KidsX LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Website

Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram

Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn

In this week’s episode of A Dose of Optimism, we explore how health policy, public trust, and emerging technology continue to shape the future of pediatric care.

Tom Priselac reflects on decades of healthcare leadership, including his role as Chair of the American Hospital Association during the development of the Affordable Care Act. He shares how large health systems evolve, why access and quality must move together, and what remains unresolved for Medicaid, public health infrastructure, and underserved communities.Joining him is Boston Children's Hospital innovation leader John Brownstein, an epidemiologist and entrepreneur who bridges public health, data science, and digital innovation. John discusses how real-time data, scalable technology, and cross-sector collaboration can strengthen healthcare systems and improve population health.

Together, they explore how leadership, policy, and innovation intersect, and why trust, adaptability, and long-term thinking matter more than ever in healthcare.

Episode Resources:

Affordable Care Act

iCAN (International Children's Advisory Network)

Introducing OpenAI for Healthcare

MedTutor AI in Action: AI-Powered Innovation Could Transform Medical Education on Celiac Disease

Accelerating scientific breakthroughs with an AI co-scientist

Connect with Tom Priselac:

Thomas M. Priselac Linkedin

Cedars-Sinai Website

Cedars-Sinai Instagram

Cedars-Sinai LinkedIn

Connect with John Brownstein:

John Brownstein LinkedIn

John Brownstein Instagram

Boston Children's Hospital Website

Boston Children's Hospital LinkedIn

Boston Children's Hospital Instagram

Connect with us:

KidsX Website

KidsX LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Website

Children's Hospital L.A. Instagram

Children's Hospital L.A. LinkedIn

In this deeply moving episode of A Dose of Optimism, we explore how parents, families, children and caregivers navigate trauma, grief, and loss and what meaningful support looks like in the aftermath of a crisis.

Dr. David Schonfeld, Director at the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement, shares decades of experience helping schools and communities respond to disasters, violence, and loss, emphasizing why resilience does not mean children should be left to cope alone. Emma Payne, Founder & CEO at Help Texts., reflects on how personal loss led her to create scalable, compassionate bereavement support that meets families where they are. Dr. Solfrid Raknes discusses how evidence-based digital tools, like the Helping Hand Digital Game, can help children and adolescents build coping skills, even in the most fragile and conflict-affected settings.

Together, this conversation centers on presence, care, and long-term healing, reminding us that recovery is possible when children and those who care for them are supported with intention and humanity.

Episode Resources:

Project Open Arms

The Nevada Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

Wendy G Lichtenthal - Miller School of Medicine

Mary Frances O'Connor - UCLA

The Center for Good Mourning - Arkansas Children's

The Dougy Center for Grieving Children & Families

The Happy Helping Hand Manual - Dr. Solfrid Raknes (for teachers, psycho social staff, facilitators)

Connect with Dr. David Schonfeld:

National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement Website

National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement LinkedIn

National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement Instagram

National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement Facebook

Dr. David Schonfeld LinkedIn

Connect with Emma Payne:

Emma Payne LinkedIn

Help Texts Website

Caregiver and Grief Support for Children's Hospitals

Help Texts Instagram

Help Texts Facebook

Help Texts LinkedIn

Help Texts TikTok

Connect with Dr. Solfrid Raknes:

Dr. Solfrid Raknes LinkedIn

Dr. Solfrid Raknes Instagram

Helping Hand Digital Game

Attensi Website

Connect with us:

KidsX Website

KidsX LinkedIn

Children's Hospital L.A. Website