The Future of the OR
Living Lab & Innovation Event
Join us for a day of keynotes, community-led panels, and live demonstrations exploring how the operating room can become a driver of surgical innovation. This is the inaugural event in a province-wide series building Alberta's Living Lab ecosystem.
Tuesday September 15, 2026
Azrieli Atrium, University of Calgary Foothills Campus, Calgary, Alberta
7:45AM - 4:00PM
PREMIER SPONSOR
BD Canada
We're proud to partner with BD as Premier Sponsor of The Future of the OR
BD is one of the world's largest medical technology companies, developing tools and technologies across medical essentials, connected care, biopharma systems, and interventional care that help clinicians work more safely and efficiently. Their support helps power this inaugural event and Alberta's growing Living Lab ecosystem.
ABOUT THE EVENT
What are we trying to do?
A Living Lab only works when the right people are in the room together.
Clinicians, researchers, industry innovators, health system leaders, government, and the built environment sector, each bringing something the others don't.
This event is the foundational gathering to connect industry and capital planning partners with health system priorities, defines the commercial and healthcare value of a Living Lab in the OR, and identifies concrete opportunities for collaboration and investment, the first step in building Alberta's Living Lab ecosystem.
Our mission is to accelerate the development and adoption of Alberta health innovations that are ready for real-world use, by building the right spaces, the right relationships, and the right evidence, together.
SCHEDULE
Event Agenda
7:45-8:30 am
CHECK IN
📍Azerili Atrium
8:45-9:00 am
OPENING REMARKS
📍Theatre 4
9:00-10:00 am
KEYNOTE
Living Labs at the Centre of Healthcare Transformation
Muhammad Mamdani
📍Theatre 4
10:00-10:45 am
EXHIBITION + NETWORKING BREAK
📍Azerili Atrium
10:45-11:45 am
PANEL
Interoperability & Connected Care: Moving from Innovation to Implementation
📍Theatre 4
11:45am-1:00 pm
NETWORKING LUNCH + EXHIBITION
📍Azerili Atrium
1:00-2:00 pm
PANEL
The OR at the Centre of Surgical Transformation
📍Theatre 4
2:00-2:45 pm
EXHIBITION + NETWORKING BREAK
📍Azerili Atrium
2:45-3:45 pm
PANEL
Building Alberta's Innovation Engine: How Living Labs Deliver Health and Economic Value
📍Theatre 4
3:45-4:00 pm
CLOSING REMARKS
📍Theatre 4
SCHEDULE
Event Agenda
VENUE
Event Map
PROGRAMMING
Meet our Speakers
KEYNOTE
Living Labs At the Centre of Healthcare Transformation
Theatre 4 | 9:00-10:00 am
PREMIER GUEST SPEAKER
Ivy Parks
BD Canada
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Muhammad Mamdani
University of Toronto
ABOUT THE EVENT
What we are Building
A Living Lab only works when the right people are in the room together.
Clinicians, researchers, industry innovators, health system leaders, government, and the built environment sector, each bringing something the others don't.
This event is the foundational gathering to connect industry and capital planning partners with health system priorities, defines the commercial and healthcare value of a Living Lab in the OR, and identifies concrete opportunities for collaboration and investment, the first step in building Alberta's Living Lab ecosystem.
Our mission is to accelerate the development and adoption of Alberta health innovations that are ready for real-world use, by building the right spaces, the right relationships, and the right evidence, together.
ABOUT THE EVENT
What is a Living Lab?
What if the operating room could be more than a place where care is delivered?
That's the idea behind a Living Lab—by evaluating innovations where they will actually be used, Living Labs help identify what works, what needs improvement, and how promising solutions can be successfully integrated into routine processes.
Clinical, community, research, and industry partners co-create alongside patients and caregivers to identify, test, and learn under real conditions, in real time. This generates the real-world evidence needed to establish the intellectual property, commercialization pathways, and system transformation that improve health and economic outcomes.
Living Labs support healthcare organizations in becoming learning enterprises, where care delivery, evaluation, and implementation form a practice-embedded culture innovation rather than separated activities.
HEALTH EVERYWHERE HUB PARTNER
W21C Research & Innovation Centre
The Health Everywhere Hub (HEH) builds on W21C’s longstanding work in healthcare research, innovation, and living lab approaches. Established with funding from the Major Innovation Fund (MIF), HEH extends the living lab concept beyond a single clinical environment to foster a more connected, collaborative, and sustainable health innovation ecosystem across Alberta.
Together, W21C alongside the ecosystem of Health Everywhere project leads, bring researchers, clinicians, industry, policymakers, and community partners together to test, learn, and advance solutions to complex healthcare challenges. While W21C provides a foundation and proven approach for conducting research and innovation within real-world healthcare environments, Health Everywhere creates opportunities to connect that work across organizations, sectors, and settings—helping move promising ideas from individual projects toward broader system-level impact.
OR LIVING LAB CHAMPION TEAM
Meet our Team
Dr. Tara Klassen
Innovation Lead - Acute Care Alberta
Acute Care Alberta | AMEDICO | Health Everywhere Hub
Megan Hayter
Rockyview General Hospital
Working Group Chair + Co-Chair Health Everywhere Hub
Kat Arnold
Human-Centred Design Lead, W21C Hub Engagement and Evaluation Lead, Health Everywhere Hub
Dr. Mary Brindle
Surgeon, Alberta Children’s Hospital | Scientific Director, W21C
Project Lead, Health Everywhere Hub
Candice Poon
Foothills Medical Centre
Working Group Chair + Co-Chair Health Everywhere Hub
Maggie Hui
Human-Centred Designer, W21C
Hub Engagement and Evaluation Designer, Health Everywhere Hub
Dr. Paul Fedak
Cardiac Surgeon
Professor & Translational Scientist, University of Alberta
Vivien Chan
Alberta Children’s Hospital
Working Group Chair + Co-Chair Health Everywhere Hub
A Leading Innovator
BD is one of the world's largest pure-play medical technology companies with a Purpose of advancing the world of health™ by driving innovation across medical essentials, connected care, biopharma systems and interventional. The company supports those on the frontlines of healthcare by developing new technologies that optimize clinical operations and improve patient care.
Operating globally, with more than 60,000 employees, BD delivers billions of products annually with a positive impact on healthcare. By collaborating with customers, BD's innovations improve health outcomes, lower costs, and increase efficiency. As Premier Sponsor of The Future of the OR, BD brings that innovation to Alberta, advancing health and economic outcomes for Albertans.
PREMIER SPONSOR
BD Canada
We're proud to partner with BD as Premier Sponsor of The Future of the OR
From AI-powered surgical tools to smarter, more adaptable OR spaces, the innovations shaping the future of surgery are being imagined and built today. Industry partners like BD aren't just providing the tools — they're working alongside us to imagine and build the ecosystem that will bring those innovations to life in Alberta's operating rooms.
Support from industry leaders like BD Canada is what makes it possible to launch this inaugural event and help establish Alberta's growing Living Lab ecosystem.
ATTENDEES
Who Should Attend
Clinical Care Teams
Surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, administrators
Health System Leaders
System leaders and policy makers
Industry + Innovators
Medical Technology, device makers, startups, investors
Government
Ministry of Technology and Innovation
Academic Researchers
Faculty and surgical residents
Built Environment
Healthcare construction firms
Clinical Care Teams
Surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, administrators
Industry + Innovators
Medical Technology, device makers, startups, investors
Academic Researchers
Faculty and surgical residents
Health System Leaders
System leaders and policy makers
Government
Ministry of Technology and Innovation
Built Environment
Healthcare construction firms
Clinical Care Teams
Surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, administrators
Industry + Innovators
Medical Technology, device makers, startups, investors
Academic Researchers
Faculty and surgical residents
Health System Leaders
System leaders and policy makers
Government
Ministry of Technology and Innovation
Built Environment
Healthcare construction firms
Clinical Care Teams
Surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, perioperative staff, and trainees
Health System Leaders
Executives, operational leaders, and decision-makers from health delivery organizations
Academic Researchers
Clinical, health services, and engineering researchers advancing surgical innovation
Industry + Innovators
Medtech companies, device manufacturers, startups, and investors
Government
Provincial ministries, health authorities, and public agencies shaping health innovation policy
Built Environment
Architects, designers, engineers, and construction partners shaping surgical spaces
PRESENTED BY:
140+
Attendees Expected
5
Keynotes & Panels
2520sf
Exhibition Space
PROGRAMMING
Meet our Speakers
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