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  • Health Everywhere Launch Event | Health Everywhere

    We envision a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, accelerating innovation, growth, and transforming healthcare through collaboration and partnerships. THEME 1: BRIDGING COMMUNITY AND ACUTE CARE Date Advancing eHealth Innovation to Enable Intelligent Patient Monitoring January 2024 Prevention of pressure injuries (PIs) is a priority for healthcare systems worldwide. Also referred to as pressure ulcers or bedsores, this condition is a skin and soft tissue injury that forms because of constant or prolonged pressure on the skin, typically occurring at bony areas on the body. Most prevalent in healthcare settings where the patient is unable to move frequently enough to relieve the pressure, PIs are painful for the patient and can lead to a deterioration in health, increased hospital stays, and even death. To address this issue, W21C partnered with XSENSOR Technology Corporation, a Calgary-based company that designs, manufactures, and sells advanced pressure-imaging systems for use in medical environments worldwide. With support from W21C’s research team, this led to the creation of a novel pressure sensing device - the ForeSite PT™ System. In late 2007, an opportunity arose for W21C to partner with XSENSOR in the development and testing of a health innovation. The main objectives of this initiative were to better understand the potential of innovative technology to support healthcare providers in caring for patients at risk of pressure injuries. W21C’s initial role was to collect and analyze focus group feedback from physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and pressure mapping experts. Over time this progressed to usability testing of a protype device in a simulated Intensive Care Unit. Each phase of W21C research was followed by a design cycle at XSENSOR that consisted of research on every aspect of the system, including overall architecture, transducer design, sensing electronics, software, mechanical design, and packaging. Through funding provided by Alberta Innovates ‘Accelerating Innovations into Care’ program, XSENSOR once again, approached W21C in 2023 to support the evaluation and impact on workflow of an updated system (referred to as ForeSite IS) in acute and long-term care, and to evaluate the device’s ability to predict skin breakdown of patients at elevated risk of PIs. This study is currently under way at Foothills Medical Centre and throughout several long-term care sites in the Calgary area. To learn more about this project and its commercial capabilities, please visit XSENSOR’s website . Image Sources: Adobe Stock (top), XSENSOR.com (middle) Alex Baron

  • Tyler Williamson | Health Everywhere

    Tyler Williamson is the Connectivity and Data Access Lead at Health Everywhere. Tyler serves as the Director of the Centre for Health Informatics, previously holding the position of Associate Director. Simultaneously, he holds the role of Associate Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Community Health Sciences and directs the Health Data Science and Biostatistics Diploma Program at the University of Calgary. Tyler Williamson serves as the Director of the Centre for Health Informatics, previously holding the position of Associate Director. Simultaneously, he holds the role of Associate Professor of Biostatistics in the Department of Community Health Sciences and directs the Health Data Science and Biostatistics Diploma Program at the University of Calgary. Actively contributing to research, he is a member of the O'Brien Institute of Public Health and the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Williamson's academic journey includes earning a BSc in Statistics in 2005 and a PhD in Biostatistics in 2011, reflecting his commitment to advancing statistical methodologies in the realm of health research. In 2018, he was honored with the NAPCRG New Investigator Award for outstanding contributions as a new primary care investigator within the North American Primary Care Research Group, the largest primary care research organization globally. He is also a also a member of the Libin Cardiovascular institute and his research expertise lies in health data integration, chronic disease surveillance, and the utilization of electronic medical record data for public health surveillance and practice quality improvement . Recognized both nationally and internationally, he collaborates with esteemed organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada to solidify his impact on health services research and public health initiatives. Connectivity and Data Access Lead Tyler Williamson  tyler.williamson@ucalgary.ca PREVIOUS THEME LEAD NEXT THEME LEAD

  • Integrated Care Pathway (ICP) Evaluation | Health Everywhere

    Theme 1: Bridging Community and Acute Care Integrated Care Pathway (ICP) Evaluation A structured, team-based approach to discharge planning and post-discharge support. Lead: Michelle Grinman (Co-Principal Investigator) Project Lead: Karen Okrainec Collaborator: Sunita Chacko INNOVATION STAGE Implementation Integration Health Innovation Focus Chronic Disease; Health Promotion & Prevention Population and Setting Complex, frailty, vulnerable and/or elderly adults with or without co-morbidities Technology and Intervention — BENEFITS For Users Enhanced Support and Follow-Up: Patients receive ongoing guidance and assistance, improving their capacity to manage chronic conditions from home. Improved Continuity of Care: Structured follow-up and tailored care plans reduce disruptions in care, promoting better management of health at home and reducing readmissions. Greater Patient Autonomy: Patients are empowered to self-manage their conditions with accessible, ongoing support, enhancing their health outcomes and quality of life. For The System Reduced Length of Hospitalization, Readmission and ED visit Rates: By providing complex care planning upon admission and proactive post-discharge support, the ICP model aims to lower length of patient hospitalization, hospital readmissions and unnecessary ED visits, reducing associated healthcare costs. Improved Resource Efficiency: Effective discharge planning and case management alleviate strain on hospital resources, making care delivery more efficient. Long-Term Cost Savings: This proactive approach to managing complex cases reduces long-term expenses and supports the sustainability of healthcare services. Long-Term Cost Savings: This proactive approach to managing complex cases reduces long-term expenses and supports the sustainability of healthcare services. Project Theme Information Current State In Canada, adults with multiple chronic conditions frequently use healthcare services and experience poor health outcomes, with hospital admissions consuming 30% of healthcare spending. Readmissions are both common and costly, especially for vulnerable populations, underscoring the need for new models that promote continuity of care and reduce reliance on hospitals. Patients often experience fragmented care, moving between specialists and wards without consistent support, leading to repeated admissions and inadequate post-discharge care. Additionally, adults with multiple chronic conditions account for 30% of healthcare spending, with frequent, costly readmissions underscoring the need for models that reduce hospital reliance and promote better care continuity. The Integrated Care Pathway (ICP) aims to improve case management and continuity of care for complex inpatients in the Calgary Zone, thereby reducing length of hospitalization, risk of mortality and morbidity post-discharge, and ED visits and readmissions to hospital. Other Known Use Cases Partnerships with Xsensor and Baxter are undergoing to evaluate the impact of eHealth tools on patient outcomes. The specific focus will be on two products: 1) Xsensor’s ForeSite® Intelligent Surface, an artificial intelligence-powered continuous skin monitoring... What is the Innovation The Integrated Care Pathway (ICP) model is a structured, team-based approach to discharge planning and post-discharge support. It focuses on high-risk patients, providing continuity of care, intensive case management, and tailored support to help patients transition from hospital to home while managing their chronic conditions more effectively. Patients are anchored to an Integrated Care Lead (ICL) who quarterbacks complex discharge planning, centralizes communication between hospital and home, plans and connects patients to relevant home and community supports, and follows patients for up to 90 days post-discharge. With the acute post-discharge period retaining the highest risk of return to the ED, readmission, or rapid decompensation, the ICL regularly phones the patient for the first 1-2 weeks to rapidly medically pivot if necessary. Additionally, a 24/7 line in collaboration with HealthLink is available for patients for up to 90 days. How it Works The ICP model assigns a dedicated team member to support patients from their hospitalization through to post-discharge. This includes comprehensive discharge planning and community-based support for up to 90 days post-discharge, along with 24/7 phone support and personalized care plans documented in the electronic medical record (EMR) to ensure continuity. Other Known Cases: University Health Network in Toronto. University Health Network (UHN) adapted the successful pathway from this initiative to create the Integrated Care Pathway (ICP) (Appendix 1) in Toronto with the following services for >4000 individuals enrolled in the pathway since 2018: 1) Access to one care team: including connection to an Integrated Care lead during admission to hospital to create a complex transitional care plan that links with community services and primary care. 2) Access to one point of contact for support via a 24/7 phone line. 3) One shared electronic health record across acute care and home and community care. 4) Benefit from a flexible approach to funding that allows care to be personalized- this includes remote care monitoring and virtual care (where applicable). 5) Coordination of primary care, home and community-care and is supported by one funding source which follows the patient following discharge from hospital for up to 90 days (depending on patient need). Get Involved Contact Michelle To collaborate or to help tell our story, please contact Michelle Grinman Get in touch michelle.grinman@ucalgary.ca . View other projects and explore the Health Everywhere Portfolio to see how local innovations are transforming care across the province. Explore the Health Everywhere Portfolio to see how local innovations are solving real-world challenges and shaping the future of care across the province. View The Portfolio ABOUT The Health Everywhere Hub portfolio map showcases academic-led projects tackling real healthcare challenges across Alberta. By highlighting shared goals and commonalities, we hope to spark collaboration and amplify impact across the system. It’s more than a list of projects - this evolving collection shows what’s possible when partnerships, bold ideas, and real-world testing come together. Previous Item Next Item

  • 3 UCalgary projects receive $20.3M in provincial innovation grants | Health Everywhere

    We envision a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, accelerating innovation, growth, and transforming healthcare through collaboration and partnerships. THEME 1: BRIDGING COMMUNITY AND ACUTE CARE Date Advancing eHealth Innovation to Enable Intelligent Patient Monitoring January 2024 Prevention of pressure injuries (PIs) is a priority for healthcare systems worldwide. Also referred to as pressure ulcers or bedsores, this condition is a skin and soft tissue injury that forms because of constant or prolonged pressure on the skin, typically occurring at bony areas on the body. Most prevalent in healthcare settings where the patient is unable to move frequently enough to relieve the pressure, PIs are painful for the patient and can lead to a deterioration in health, increased hospital stays, and even death. To address this issue, W21C partnered with XSENSOR Technology Corporation, a Calgary-based company that designs, manufactures, and sells advanced pressure-imaging systems for use in medical environments worldwide. With support from W21C’s research team, this led to the creation of a novel pressure sensing device - the ForeSite PT™ System. In late 2007, an opportunity arose for W21C to partner with XSENSOR in the development and testing of a health innovation. The main objectives of this initiative were to better understand the potential of innovative technology to support healthcare providers in caring for patients at risk of pressure injuries. W21C’s initial role was to collect and analyze focus group feedback from physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and pressure mapping experts. Over time this progressed to usability testing of a protype device in a simulated Intensive Care Unit. Each phase of W21C research was followed by a design cycle at XSENSOR that consisted of research on every aspect of the system, including overall architecture, transducer design, sensing electronics, software, mechanical design, and packaging. Through funding provided by Alberta Innovates ‘Accelerating Innovations into Care’ program, XSENSOR once again, approached W21C in 2023 to support the evaluation and impact on workflow of an updated system (referred to as ForeSite IS) in acute and long-term care, and to evaluate the device’s ability to predict skin breakdown of patients at elevated risk of PIs. This study is currently under way at Foothills Medical Centre and throughout several long-term care sites in the Calgary area. To learn more about this project and its commercial capabilities, please visit XSENSOR’s website . Image Sources: Adobe Stock (top), XSENSOR.com (middle) Pamela Hyde, Office of the Vice-President (Research)

  • Tom Stelfox | Health Everywhere

    Dr. Tom Stelfox is the Oversight Committee Chair at Health Everywhere. Tom is the inaugural Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta. He received his MD from the University of Alberta, completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Toronto, earned a Ph.D. in health care policy at Harvard University and did a critical care fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Tom Stelfox is the inaugural Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta. He received his MD from the University of Alberta, completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Toronto, earned a Ph.D. in health care policy at Harvard University and did a critical care fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He served as joint clinical and academic chair of the Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary and Alberta Health Services where he reorganized the delivery of physician patient care services. He is the past Scientific Director of the O’Brien Institute for Public Health, University of Calgary where he established the Centre for Health Policy. His research focuses on the application of health-services research methods to improve the quality of health-care delivery to critically ill patients . Oversight Committee Chair Dr. Tom Stelfox  stelfoxt@ualberta.ca PREVIOUS THEME LEAD SEE OPERATIONS TEAM

  • Health Everywhere Hub | Alberta | Advancing eHealth and mHealth spread and scale

    Health Everywhere supports new eHealth and mHealth industries in Alberta, provide training and support to develop the next generation of digital health researchers and clinicians. Contact us today for more information. ALBERTA'S DIGITAL HEALTH HUB Alberta's Digital Health Hub Uniting programs, experts, and resources to accelerate the commercialization and scale of eHealth and mHealth technologies Alberta's Untapped Potential Innovation in digital health holds immense potential to transform healthcare delivery, yet systemic barriers are slowing progress. The Health Everywhere Hub (HEH) was established, with funding from the Major Innovation Fund (MIF), to understand and address these challenges by fostering a more connected, collaborative, and sustainable innovation ecosystem in Alberta. The Hub aims to empower innovators to design, test, and scale their solutions, ensuring Alberta-made innovations are adopted locally and internationally. The Hub envisions a vibrant and interconnected digital health ecosystem that leverages Alberta's strengths to drive economic and technological growth. The Health Everywhere Hub is supported by the Government of Alberta's Ministry of Technology and Innovation through the Major Innovation Fund Program. Engage With Us LEARN MORE Health Systems and Non-Profits Leaders or key stakeholders within not-for-profit, health service, and innovation support organizations. LEARN MORE Industry Partners Industry leaders or key partners ranging from early-stage start-ups to large multi-national corporations. LEARN MORE Researchers and Educators Academic researchers, faculty members, or students associated with an academic institution. SEE MORE A New Approach to Healthcare Introduction to Health Everywhere with Dr. Mary Brindle, Project Lead. News and Events Health Everywhere Launch Dr. Mamoru ‘Mo’ Watanabe Lectureship – Digital Health Today and Tomorrow NEWS On January 23, 2024, over 100 guests joined us as we held the Dr. Mamoru ‘Mo’ Watanabe Lectureship on Digital Health Today and Tomorrow. January 23, 2024 3 UCalgary projects receive $20.3M in provincial innovation grants NEWS UCalgary's innovation ecosystem just received a $20.3-million boost, thanks to Alberta's Major Innovation Fund. September 6, 2023 UCalgary-based program expands province-wide NEWS SPARK program receives grant from Alberta Innovates, supporting post-secondary innovators across Alberta. September 11, 2023 Our Partners Academic Partners See All HEALTH EVERYWHERE HUB Bringing Alberta Together A hub for innovators, industry partners, innovation support partners, healthcare providers and community. Contact Us Land Acknowledgement The University of Calgary, located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).

  • Health Everywhere Launch Event | Health Everywhere

    News Health Everywhere Launch Event Date We envision a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, accelerating innovation, growth, and transforming healthcare through collaboration and partnerships. March 6, 2024 | Alex Baron On January 23, 2024, over 100 guests joined us as we held the Dr. Mamoru ‘Mo’ Watanabe Lectureship on Digital Health Today and Tomorrow. Hosted by the W21C Research and Innovation Centre, this event formally introduced and showcased "Health Everywhere", a new eHealth and mHealth hub created from a $6.3M Major Innovation Fund award from the Government of Alberta. This lectureship series honours the contributions of Dr. Mamoru ‘Mo’ Watanabe. Joining the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine (now named Cumming School of Medicine) to serve as professor and head of internal medicine in 1974, Dr. Watanabe served as dean of the Faculty of Medicine from July 1982 until June 1992, and is believed to be the first Japanese Canadian dean of a Canadian medical school. He passed away July 5, 2023, at the age of 90. Opening remarks were provided by Dr. Mary Brindle, W21C Academic Director, and Dr. William Ghali, Vice-President (Research) at the University of Calgary. Dr. Ghali shared with the audience his memories of working with Dr. Watanabe and his legacy in digital health. The event was then led in a keynote address by Dr. James A. Makokis, speaking on the negative role colonialism continues to play in healthcare for Indigenous Canadians. This was followed by a lecture from Dr. Christy Cauley on the integration of mobile health to optimize recovery in patients. After a quick intermission the audience was introduced to Health Everywhere by five of its lead researchers. This included presentations from Dr. Chad Saunders, Dr. Martin Ferguson-Pell, Dr. Mary Brindle, Dr. Matt James, and Dr. Tyler Williamson. These presentations were followed by a Q&A with all the leads participating at once. Overall, the three-hour event proved to be a wonderful opportunity for the Health Everywhere team to introduce this initiative to the public while also making great connections between industry and academic leaders. Image Source: Brittany DeAngelis, O’Brien Institute for Public Health Project Contact- Alex Baron

  • UCalgary-based program expands province-wide in supporting digital health researchers | Health Everywhere

    News UCalgary-based program expands province-wide in supporting digital health researchers Date We envision a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, accelerating innovation, growth, and transforming healthcare through collaboration and partnerships. September 11, 2023 | Alex Baron, W21C Research and Innovation Centre For the first time, researchers in digital health from Alberta post-secondary institutions will all share access to expert support in translating research innovation into improved care for citizens through an expansion of the newly renamed SPARK Alberta program. The boost is thanks to a new grant from Alberta Innovates. Launched in 2020 as SPARK Calgary, the program has been providing expert advice, education and ecosystem connections for evidence-based digital health innovations in Calgary for the last three years. Based out of the University of Calgary’s W21C Research and Innovation Centre, the program recruited its fourth cohort in spring 2023 and has worked with more than 70 faculty and researchers supporting 14 projects. The SPARK model originated from Stanford University in 2006 with the aim of advancing research discoveries from academia to the health-care system. Now a global network of more than 60 academic institutions across six continents, SPARK Alberta represents the only active SPARK site in Canada. Earlier this year, SPARK Alberta was awarded a grant by Alberta Innovates’ Ecosystem Development Partnerships Program. With this grant, SPARK will leverage its previous success in Calgary and expand the program provincially, further establishing Alberta’s reputation as a province with strong digital health innovation. “This grant will allow us to offer our resources and expertise to faculty and researchers developing innovations from post-secondary institutions from across the province,” says Dr. Scott Kraft, MD, director of SPARK Alberta and clinical associate professor in the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM). “Our aim is to form a central network, linking and co-ordinating digital health innovation across Alberta’s post-secondary institutions.” SPARK graduates have impact The Calgary Pediatric Brain-Computer Interface Program (BCI4Kids) plays a pivotal role in addressing the challenges currently faced by thousands of Canadian children with neurological disabilities. These disabilities often hinder their ability to fully engage in daily life and exercise their fundamental rights to interact with the world. Operating out of the Alberta Children’s Hospital and affiliated with the CSM, the BCI4Kids program is led by Dr. Adam Kirton, MSc’96, MD, a CSM professor and technology solutions research lead for One Child Every Child, a UCalgary research initiative with a vision for all children to be healthy, empowered and thriving. BCI4Kids focuses on cutting-edge brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to provide children suffering from severe neurological disabilities with an avenue to achieve greater independence and an improved quality of life. From the BCI4Kids program came a commercial venture called Possibility Neurotechnologies. Incorporated in October 2022, Possibility Neurotechnologies is dedicated to integrating BCI technology into everyday life, enabling those with severe physical disabilities to interact and communicate in transformative ways. In March 2023, the research team successfully graduated from the SPARK program. Its flagship product, Think2Switch, allows individuals to control household electronic devices using only their thoughts. By creating user-friendly and accessible technology, the team aims to enhance independence and quality of life, making previously unimaginable interactions possible for those in need. “Participating in the SPARK program has been an invaluable experience for Possibility Neurotechnologies,” says Dr. Dion Kelly, MBT’18, PhD’23, co-founder and CEO of Possibility Neurotechnologies and clinical neuroscientist at BCI4Kids. “The monthly check-ins served as crucial touchpoints, compelling us to regularly evaluate our progress and address setbacks head-on.” Since joining the SPARK program, Possibility Neurotechnologies has achieved significant growth, including being accepted into the Remarkable Accelerator Program, receiving an equity investment from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and showcasing its Think2Switch technology at international events. With a growing mailing list and a lineup of prospective customers, the team is preparing for a limited market release in Q1 2024. Image Source: SPARK Team Project Contact- Alex Baron, W21C Research and Innovation Centre

  • Enhancing Recovery After Surgery | Health Everywhere

    We envision a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, accelerating innovation, growth, and transforming healthcare through collaboration and partnerships. THEME 1: BRIDGING COMMUNITY AND ACUTE CARE Date Advancing eHealth Innovation to Enable Intelligent Patient Monitoring January 2024 Prevention of pressure injuries (PIs) is a priority for healthcare systems worldwide. Also referred to as pressure ulcers or bedsores, this condition is a skin and soft tissue injury that forms because of constant or prolonged pressure on the skin, typically occurring at bony areas on the body. Most prevalent in healthcare settings where the patient is unable to move frequently enough to relieve the pressure, PIs are painful for the patient and can lead to a deterioration in health, increased hospital stays, and even death. To address this issue, W21C partnered with XSENSOR Technology Corporation, a Calgary-based company that designs, manufactures, and sells advanced pressure-imaging systems for use in medical environments worldwide. With support from W21C’s research team, this led to the creation of a novel pressure sensing device - the ForeSite PT™ System. In late 2007, an opportunity arose for W21C to partner with XSENSOR in the development and testing of a health innovation. The main objectives of this initiative were to better understand the potential of innovative technology to support healthcare providers in caring for patients at risk of pressure injuries. W21C’s initial role was to collect and analyze focus group feedback from physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and pressure mapping experts. Over time this progressed to usability testing of a protype device in a simulated Intensive Care Unit. Each phase of W21C research was followed by a design cycle at XSENSOR that consisted of research on every aspect of the system, including overall architecture, transducer design, sensing electronics, software, mechanical design, and packaging. Through funding provided by Alberta Innovates ‘Accelerating Innovations into Care’ program, XSENSOR once again, approached W21C in 2023 to support the evaluation and impact on workflow of an updated system (referred to as ForeSite IS) in acute and long-term care, and to evaluate the device’s ability to predict skin breakdown of patients at elevated risk of PIs. This study is currently under way at Foothills Medical Centre and throughout several long-term care sites in the Calgary area. To learn more about this project and its commercial capabilities, please visit XSENSOR’s website . Image Sources: Adobe Stock (top), XSENSOR.com (middle) Alex Baron

  • Alex Baron | Health Everywhere

    Alex Baron is the Communications Advisor at Health Everywhere. Alex graduated from the University of Alberta Augustana Campus in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts – English, and then completed a Bachelor of Arts – Communications from the University of Calgary in 2016. Alex Baron graduated from the University of Alberta Augustana Campus in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts – English, and then completed a Bachelor of Arts – Communications from the University of Calgary in 2016. In his career, Alex has had the opportunity to work in some truly unique places, allowing him to pursue his two key interests – creating memorable guest experiences and telling great stories . This includes working at the Walt Disney World Resort, Heritage Park Historical Village, and the University of Calgary. His interests outside of work include travel and photography. Communications Advisor Alex Baron  alex.baron@ucalgary.ca NEXT OPERATIONS MEMBER SEE THEME LEADS

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Land Achknowledgement_deer.jpg
Land Acknowledgement

The University of Calgary, located in the heart of Southern Alberta, both acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy (comprised of the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations), the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda (including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations). The City of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta (Districts 5 and 6).

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