When it comes to high-quality care, technology accelerates possibility—and people determine impact. In this episode, our guests explore the skills that leaders need to bring out the best of a tech-enabled world, and help make sure that the future of care in Canada is both high-tech and high-quality.

Guests:

• Dr. Jennifer Zelmer, President and CEO, Healthcare Excellence Canada
• Dr. Kendall Ho, Professor of Emergency Medicine, University of British Columbia, & Medical Director, HealthlinkBC 811 Virtual Physician Service

Learn More:

• Healthcare Excellence Canada
• HealthLinkBC 811 Virtual Physician Service

Summary:

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

04:31 Defining Quality Care

08:13 Safety Sets the Pace

10:23 Analogies for Guardrails

14:52 Co Design With Patients

15:48 Fixing Human Problems

16:41 High Performing Systems

21:59 Leader Playbook for Change

27:06 Developing Trust Based Leaders

32:00 Digital Health in One Word

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Why is Generative AI (GenAI)—AI that can create content in response to a user's prompt or request—so different from other technologies in health? Listen to this episode for thoughts on what you need to know to prepare yourself and your team for a GenAI world.

Guests

• Dr. Zayna Khayat, applied health futurist and keynote speaker with affiliations at AMS Healthcare, the Rotman School of Management, Deloitte, and Teladoc Health
• Will Falk, Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute; Executive-in-Residence at the Rotman School of Management; CSA Public Policy Fellow at the CSA Group

Learn More:

• AI in Action: Transforming Clinical Care Across Canada Environmental Scan

Summary

00:14 Welcome to the Podcast

03:56 Why AI Feels Different

04:16 GenAI vs Predictive vs Agentic

06:00 AI Empowered Patients

09:14 New Interoperability Reality

10:17 From Digital to AI Systems

19:51 Leadership Skills for AI Era

25:17 Mindset Shifts

28:38 One Word Takeaways

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

What does it take to protect a key strategic asset— our health data — in an era of accelerating AI? In this episode, we explore why data sovereignty is a strategic imperative for Canada, and the digital health future we stand to build — or lose.

Guests:

• Dr. Kumanan Wilson, Specialist in General Internal Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital; Chief Executive Officer/Chief Scientific Officer, Bruyère Health Research Institute; Vice President Research & Academic Affairs, Bruyère Health; and Chief Scientific Officer of CANImmunize Inc.
• Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa.

Learn More:

Ensuring the sovereignty and security of Canadian health data

The catch-22 of Canadian digital sovereignty

e-Health Conference and Tradeshow

Summary:

00:00 Why Canada's health data matters in the age of AI

01:41 Kumanan's journey: from public health to building an immunization app

03:38 Michael Geist's path: law, tech policy, privacy & data

05:22 Defining data sovereignty

09:40 When laws collide

15:27 Health benefit vs economic benefit

20:43 Practical safeguards and strategies

26:23 Learning from global examples

30:15 Closing reflections

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

AI scribes have been piloted in multiple provinces and territories – but what's the verdict so far? We explore the data, the potential impacts…and the balance between hype and hope.

Guests:

• Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya, Frigon Blau Chair in Family Medicine Research and Director, Women's College Hospital Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care
• Simon Hagens, Consultant; Adjunct Professor, University of Ottawa

Learn More:

Clinical Evaluation of Artificial Intelligence and Automation Technology to Reduce Administrative Burden in Primary Care (WIHV)

Canada Health Infoway AI Scribe Program

Summary:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:16 Introduction to AI Scribes

00:28 Meet the Experts: Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya and Simon Hagens

04:08 AI Scribes: Initial Studies and Findings

06:23 Scaling AI Scribes: Challenges and Successes

14:03 Long-Term Evaluation and Data Quality

16:31 Patient Experience and AI Scribes

19:43 Future of AI in Healthcare

25:08 Patient-Driven AI

30:44 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

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What is possible if we unlock the full potential of health data in Canada? Across the digital health sector, organizations are striving to move us from silos to seamless systems. In today's conversation, two leaders share what excites them about this transformation, what's at stake, and what it means for our health – and our health systems.

Guests:

• Dr. Anderson Chuck, President & CEO, Canadian Institute for Health Information
• Dr. Fahad Razak, co-founder, GEMINI; Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics, University of Toronto

Learn More:

Summary of CIHI's Transformation Plan

GEMINI

Artificial intelligence at Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada

Episode Summary:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

01:20 Dr. Anderson Chuck's Leadership Journey

03:23 Dr. Fahad Razak's Leadership Journey

07:26 The Culture Problem in Digital Health

10:28 CIHI's Transformation Agenda

15:19 Canada's Unique Strengths in Health Data

25:06 The Urgency of Innovation

27:35 Collaborations and Success Stories

37:22 Leadership and Vision for the Future

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

What does it really take to build a digital health start-up—and not just survive, but truly thrive? Two leaders at the forefront of digital health innovation unpack the lessons behind the buzz, what it takes to grow a business with purpose—and evolve as a leader along the way.

Guests:

• Mark McAllister, CEO and co-founder, VeroSource Solutions
• John Sinclair, President & CEO, Novari Health

Learn More:

• VeroSource Solutions
• Novari Health

Episode Summary

00:52 Introducing the Guests: Mark McAllister and John Sinclair

01:29 John Sinclair's Career Journey

02:32 Mark McAllister's Career Journey

04:42 Challenges in the Early Days

07:46 Scaling and Building Trust

13:51 Key Milestones and Success Stories

17:15 Company Culture and Employee Retention

27:47 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

32:46 Closing Thoughts and Resources

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Under the hype, what's really happening with AI adoption in Canadian health care? The AI in Action: Transforming Clinical Care Across Canada Working Group recently completed a first-of-its-kind environmental scan of AI-driven clinical initiatives in Canadian health care delivery. Two leaders share what they found, why it matters, and what it means for you – today and tomorrow.

Guests:

• Dr. Tania Tajirian, Chief Health Information Officer and Chief of Hospital Medicine, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Dr. Angel Arnaout, Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Provincial Health Services Authority

Learn More:

• AI in Action: Transforming Clinical Care Across Canada Environmental Scan
• Setting the Winning Conditions for AI-Powered Health Care Report
• Digital Health in Canada Episode 15: Setting the Winning Conditions for AI-Powered Healthcare

Summary:

00:00 Introduction to Digital Health Canada Podcast

00:58 Introducing Dr. Tania Tajirian and Dr. Angel Arnaout

07:27 AI in Action Working Group

10:24 Challenges and Opportunities in AI Implementation

12:30 Insights from the AI Environmental Scan

18:40 Global Perspectives on AI in Healthcare

26:55 Advice for Emerging Professionals

31:24 Future Directions

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Scroll LinkedIn, watch a webinar, or attend a conference – and you'll hear many ideas for how we can improve Canada's health data landscape. But how do we move from conversation to change? Two health leaders share a collaborative model to bridge idea, strategy, and action.

Guests:

• Dr. Ewan Affleck, Chair, Networked Health - AB
• Claire Snyman, Chair, Networked Health – BC

Learn More:

• Networked Health
• Pan-Canadian Health Data Charter
• The Unforgotten (film)
• Two Steps Forward

Summary:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

01:13 Claire Snyman's Journey

03:17 Ewan Affleck's Journey

06:12 The Creation of Networked Health

07:49 The Collective Impact Model

09:31 Patient Stories and Data Access

16:00 The Role of Storytelling in Healthcare

23:03 What Does Success Look Like?

28:49 Reflections on the Conversation

34:05 Closing Remarks and Next Steps

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.