We envision a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, accelerating innovation, growth, and transforming healthcare through collaboration and partnerships. 3 UCalgary projects receive $20.3M in provincial innovation grants NEWS Date Pamela Hyde, Office of the Vice-President (Research) | Sept 6, 2023 Project Contact: Image Source: iStock UCalgary’s innovation ecosystem just received a $20.3-million boost, thanks to Alberta’s Major Innovation Fund (MIF). On Sept. 5, Nate Glubish, minister of technology and innovation, announced that three UCalgary projects have received four years of funding to lead province-wide strategic initiatives to accelerate research and commercialization in the areas of medical devices, electronic and mobile health, and space and defence technologies. ​ “Provincial support for high-tech research and innovation will help our post-secondary scholars move from groundbreaking technological ideas to entrepreneurial realities, fuelling a more diverse economy and making a positive impact in the wider community ,” says Dr. Ed McCauley, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary. ​ Major Innovation Fund projects are highly collaborative, requiring the engagement of scholars from institutions across Alberta, industry partners, and the communities that the projects intend to serve. It is an outcomes-focused program, funding projects that will attract and retain top talent, diversify Alberta’s economy, support industries and local businesses, and leverage additional investments. ​ “UCalgary’s innovation ecosystem is growing thanks to the drive of our research community and investments like the Major Innovation Fund ,” says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). “These three projects will streamline the research-to-commercialization pipeline for their sector and create opportunities for both innovative research and widespread of adoption of novel, made-in-Alberta solutions .” UCalgary’s projects are the Alberta Medical Device Innovation Consortium, Health Everywhere, and Space and Defence Technologies Alberta. ​ ​ Health Everywhere ​ Lead investigator: Dr. Mary Brindle , MD, professor, Cumming School of Medicine ​ Alberta has pockets of excellence in eHealth (digital health technologies) and mHealth (mobile health technologies), which include novel programs and innovations. However, much of this excellence is disconnected and has tremendous untapped potential for collaboration and commercialization, and widespread adoption. ​ The vision of Health Everywhere is a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem in Alberta that builds on a foundation of strength in innovation to drive economic and technological growth. ​ “The rapid evolution of technology, the increasing complexity of medicine and the limitations of our current systems of patient care underscore the need for a human-centered approach to digital health ,” says Brindle. ​ “Health Everywhere will use digital-health technologies to allow patients to receive the best possible medical treatment whether it is in the hospital or in their own homes, and strengthen connections between care in the hospital and care in communities .” ​ Co-developed with community, industry, and academic stakeholders, Health Everywhere will be a provincial hub of digital health excellence that brings together integrated programs, leading experts, and resources to enable efficient and effective commercialization, spread, and scale of eHealth and mHealth technologies. ​ “The Health Everywhere program will create an ecosystem that puts exciting and impactful innovations in technology, computer science, and data analytics into the hands of teams who can use them to benefit the patients of today and tomorrow ,” says Brindle. ​ Health Everywhere is a UCalgary-led project, in partnership with the University of Alberta, Athabasca University, Lethbridge College, MacEwan University, Mount Royal University, NAIT, Red Deer Polytechnic and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).

We envision a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, accelerating innovation, growth, and transforming healthcare through collaboration and partnerships. Enhancing Recovery After Surgery THEME 2: REMOTE MONITORING AND VIRTUAL CARE Date Alex Baron | January 2024 As we age it can take longer for our bodies to heal from trauma. As many as 40% of patients that undergo surgery will have major complications that lead to long-term health problems, such as heart disease or stroke. This is especially true for adults over the age of 65 following a major surgery, with many experiencing difficulties in returning to their pre-operation levels of function. Led by Dr. Duminda Wijeysundera, MD, at the University of Toronto, the Functional Improvement Trajectories After Surgery (FIT After Surgery) study aims to gain a better understanding of how often and why some patients experience significant disability after surgery. ​ As one of 14 study sites across Canada, W21C is currently working with the Calgary site lead, Dr. Melinda Davis, MD, director of Master Teaching Program, clinical associate professor, Cumming School of Medicine, on recruitment efforts at the Foothills Medical Centre, actively engaging with patients prior to their surgery. Patient recruitment for the Calgary site began in July 2021 and is ongoing. Researchers are excited about the possibilities this work could reveal, especially as Canada’s population continues to age and the likelihood of more seniors needing major surgery every year is increasing. ​ Having a better understanding of when and why patients experience disability after surgery will enable patients to make better-informed decisions about having surgery and allow physicians to identify patients that may need additional support following surgery. Overall recruitment and follow up for the study is expected to finish in 2023, with preliminary results anticipated in early 2024. ​ By capitalizing on W21C's capabilities in eHealth and mHealth technologies, fostering collaboration, and actively engaging communities, the Health Everywhere Hub is poised to play a pivotal role in improving seniors' recovery experiences post-major surgeries. Project Contact: Dr. Mary Brindle Image Sources: Adobe Stock

OUR PROGRAMS Solving Today's Challenges Discover leading research that brings eHealth and mHealth technologies into the hands of Albertans. Our mission is to improve patient-centered care, healthcare access, and timeliness for Alberta's diverse populations. Enhancing Healthcare Equity in Alberta Advancing eHealth innovation to enable intelligent patient monitoring 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... Health innovation for infection prevention and control The bundle of projects will look at the application of various eHealth tools to enhance aspects of infection prevention control, starting with hand hygiene compliance. This area includes a partnership with Cisco Canada to implement an interactive hand hygiene... See More Theme 1: Bridging Community and Acute Care OUR RESEARCH Uniting researchers, decision-makers, and digital health innovators to ensure seamless, inclusive, and scalable healthcare implementation in acute and community-based care settings. Led by: Matthew James and Neesh Pannu Where innovation meets healthcare HEALTH EVERYWHERE Contact Us Evaluate distributed data vending with blockchain to transform electronic health records by encouraging data distribution from owners and enabling large-scale data aggregation with robustness. Working with policy leads and government stakeholders to encourage legislation to comply with recommended standards. Building the basic infrastructure to allow data to flow securely Develop a synthetic data sandbox that drives innovation by allowing innovators to develop products using synthetic health data that reflects the real world and protects citizen privacy during product development. Developing a pipeline for exceptional analytics and research See More Theme 3: Connectivity and Data Access OUR RESEARCH We face significant challenges with the lack of health data integration, leading to interoperability issues among patients and care providers. This theme seeks to establish secure and seamless data access and interoperability for improved healthcare. Led by: Tyler Williamson A series of projects to better understand the factors, processes, and tools needed to support a vibrant ecosystem. This includes real-time, longitudinal research on if eHealth and mHealth technology development and innovation in Alberta is meeting current goals. Evaluating the current eHealth and mHealth ecosystem While innovators experience challenges navigating the support available to them, there are also unique services that innovators in eHealth and mHealth require that are not readily available. We will work to identify and fill critical gaps in the services available to innovators. Bespoke ecosystem support services See More Theme 4: Integrated Innovation Ecosystem Support OUR RESEARCH By addressing gaps and opportunities in the current ecosystem, our aim is to create a dynamic eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, by identifying resources, matching them with innovators, and improving overall integration. Led by: Chad Saunders 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). An international program with Alberta leadership that aims to use rehabilitation both prior to and following surgery to optimize care pathways and improve patient recovery. Enhancing recovery after surgery Leveraging new technologies and workflows to provide rural and remote patients access to specialized rehabilitation and musculoskeletal assessments. Improving specialist access programs See More Theme 2: Remote Monitoring and Virtual Care OUR RESEARCH By leveraging academic research, industry collaboration, and community engagement, Health Everywhere creates a foundation for scaling virtual and mobile health innovations for virtual care. Led by: Martin Ferguson-Pell and Mary Brindle

Theme 2: Remote Monitoring and Virtual Care Enhancing Recovery After Surgery Date We envision a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, accelerating innovation, growth, and transforming healthcare through collaboration and partnerships. January 9, 2024 | Alex Baron As we age it can take longer for our bodies to heal from trauma. As many as 40% of patients that undergo surgery will have major complications that lead to long-term health problems, such as heart disease or stroke. This is especially true for adults over the age of 65 following a major surgery, with many experiencing difficulties in returning to their pre-operation levels of function. Led by Dr. Duminda Wijeysundera, MD, at the University of Toronto, the Functional Improvement Trajectories After Surgery (FIT After Surgery) study aims to gain a better understanding of how often and why some patients experience significant disability after surgery. As one of 14 study sites across Canada, W21C is currently working with the Calgary site lead, Dr. Melinda Davis, MD, director of Master Teaching Program, clinical associate professor, Cumming School of Medicine, on recruitment efforts at the Foothills Medical Centre, actively engaging with patients prior to their surgery. Patient recruitment for the Calgary site began in July 2021 and is ongoing. Researchers are excited about the possibilities this work could reveal, especially as Canada’s population continues to age and the likelihood of more seniors needing major surgery every year is increasing. Having a better understanding of when and why patients experience disability after surgery will enable patients to make better-informed decisions about having surgery and allow physicians to identify patients that may need additional support following surgery. Overall recruitment and follow up for the study is expected to finish in 2023, with preliminary results anticipated in early 2024. By capitalizing on W21C's capabilities in eHealth and mHealth technologies, fostering collaboration, and actively engaging communities, the Health Everywhere Hub is poised to play a pivotal role in improving seniors' recovery experiences post-major surgeries. Image Sources: Adobe Stock Project Contact- Alex Baron

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  ambaron@ucalgary.ca NEXT OPERATIONS MEMBER PREVIOUS OPERATIONS MEMBER

Dr. Neesh Pannu, a distinguished nephrologist and Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta, is a highly accomplished medical professional. She obtained her medical degree from the University of Alberta and furthered her training at Stanford University, culminating in a master's degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Harvard University. Dr. Pannu's research focuses on acute kidney injury , delving into aspects of diagnosis, management, and outcomes in this critical field. Actively engaged in impactful organizations such as the Alberta Kidney Disease Network (AKDN) and the Interdisciplinary Chronic Disease Collaboration (ICDC), she contributes significantly to advancements in nephrology. Beyond her research endeavors, Dr. Pannu holds key leadership positions as the co-Scientific Director of the Kidney Strategic Clinical Network and the assistant Dean of Clinical Research Platforms at the University of Alberta, showcasing her commitment to advancing healthcare and clinical research. Bridging Community and Acute Care Lead Dr. Neesh Pannu  npannu@ualberta.ca PREVIOUS THEME LEAD NEXT THEME LEAD

We envision a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, accelerating innovation, growth, and transforming healthcare through collaboration and partnerships. 3 UCalgary projects receive $20.3M in provincial innovation grants NEWS Date Pamela Hyde, Office of the Vice-President (Research) | Sept 6, 2023 Project Contact: Image Source: iStock UCalgary’s innovation ecosystem just received a $20.3-million boost, thanks to Alberta’s Major Innovation Fund (MIF). On Sept. 5, Nate Glubish, minister of technology and innovation, announced that three UCalgary projects have received four years of funding to lead province-wide strategic initiatives to accelerate research and commercialization in the areas of medical devices, electronic and mobile health, and space and defence technologies. ​ “Provincial support for high-tech research and innovation will help our post-secondary scholars move from groundbreaking technological ideas to entrepreneurial realities, fuelling a more diverse economy and making a positive impact in the wider community ,” says Dr. Ed McCauley, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary. ​ Major Innovation Fund projects are highly collaborative, requiring the engagement of scholars from institutions across Alberta, industry partners, and the communities that the projects intend to serve. It is an outcomes-focused program, funding projects that will attract and retain top talent, diversify Alberta’s economy, support industries and local businesses, and leverage additional investments. ​ “UCalgary’s innovation ecosystem is growing thanks to the drive of our research community and investments like the Major Innovation Fund ,” says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). “These three projects will streamline the research-to-commercialization pipeline for their sector and create opportunities for both innovative research and widespread of adoption of novel, made-in-Alberta solutions .” UCalgary’s projects are the Alberta Medical Device Innovation Consortium, Health Everywhere, and Space and Defence Technologies Alberta. ​ ​ Health Everywhere ​ Lead investigator: Dr. Mary Brindle , MD, professor, Cumming School of Medicine ​ Alberta has pockets of excellence in eHealth (digital health technologies) and mHealth (mobile health technologies), which include novel programs and innovations. However, much of this excellence is disconnected and has tremendous untapped potential for collaboration and commercialization, and widespread adoption. ​ The vision of Health Everywhere is a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem in Alberta that builds on a foundation of strength in innovation to drive economic and technological growth. ​ “The rapid evolution of technology, the increasing complexity of medicine and the limitations of our current systems of patient care underscore the need for a human-centered approach to digital health ,” says Brindle. ​ “Health Everywhere will use digital-health technologies to allow patients to receive the best possible medical treatment whether it is in the hospital or in their own homes, and strengthen connections between care in the hospital and care in communities .” ​ Co-developed with community, industry, and academic stakeholders, Health Everywhere will be a provincial hub of digital health excellence that brings together integrated programs, leading experts, and resources to enable efficient and effective commercialization, spread, and scale of eHealth and mHealth technologies. ​ “The Health Everywhere program will create an ecosystem that puts exciting and impactful innovations in technology, computer science, and data analytics into the hands of teams who can use them to benefit the patients of today and tomorrow ,” says Brindle. ​ Health Everywhere is a UCalgary-led project, in partnership with the University of Alberta, Athabasca University, Lethbridge College, MacEwan University, Mount Royal University, NAIT, Red Deer Polytechnic and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).

We envision a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem, accelerating innovation, growth, and transforming healthcare through collaboration and partnerships. 3 UCalgary projects receive $20.3M in provincial innovation grants NEWS Date Pamela Hyde, Office of the Vice-President (Research) | Sept 6, 2023 Project Contact: Image Source: iStock UCalgary’s innovation ecosystem just received a $20.3-million boost, thanks to Alberta’s Major Innovation Fund (MIF). On Sept. 5, Nate Glubish, minister of technology and innovation, announced that three UCalgary projects have received four years of funding to lead province-wide strategic initiatives to accelerate research and commercialization in the areas of medical devices, electronic and mobile health, and space and defence technologies. ​ “Provincial support for high-tech research and innovation will help our post-secondary scholars move from groundbreaking technological ideas to entrepreneurial realities, fuelling a more diverse economy and making a positive impact in the wider community ,” says Dr. Ed McCauley, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary. ​ Major Innovation Fund projects are highly collaborative, requiring the engagement of scholars from institutions across Alberta, industry partners, and the communities that the projects intend to serve. It is an outcomes-focused program, funding projects that will attract and retain top talent, diversify Alberta’s economy, support industries and local businesses, and leverage additional investments. ​ “UCalgary’s innovation ecosystem is growing thanks to the drive of our research community and investments like the Major Innovation Fund ,” says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president (research). “These three projects will streamline the research-to-commercialization pipeline for their sector and create opportunities for both innovative research and widespread of adoption of novel, made-in-Alberta solutions .” UCalgary’s projects are the Alberta Medical Device Innovation Consortium, Health Everywhere, and Space and Defence Technologies Alberta. ​ ​ Health Everywhere ​ Lead investigator: Dr. Mary Brindle , MD, professor, Cumming School of Medicine ​ Alberta has pockets of excellence in eHealth (digital health technologies) and mHealth (mobile health technologies), which include novel programs and innovations. However, much of this excellence is disconnected and has tremendous untapped potential for collaboration and commercialization, and widespread adoption. ​ The vision of Health Everywhere is a vibrant eHealth and mHealth ecosystem in Alberta that builds on a foundation of strength in innovation to drive economic and technological growth. ​ “The rapid evolution of technology, the increasing complexity of medicine and the limitations of our current systems of patient care underscore the need for a human-centered approach to digital health ,” says Brindle. ​ “Health Everywhere will use digital-health technologies to allow patients to receive the best possible medical treatment whether it is in the hospital or in their own homes, and strengthen connections between care in the hospital and care in communities .” ​ Co-developed with community, industry, and academic stakeholders, Health Everywhere will be a provincial hub of digital health excellence that brings together integrated programs, leading experts, and resources to enable efficient and effective commercialization, spread, and scale of eHealth and mHealth technologies. ​ “The Health Everywhere program will create an ecosystem that puts exciting and impactful innovations in technology, computer science, and data analytics into the hands of teams who can use them to benefit the patients of today and tomorrow ,” says Brindle. ​ Health Everywhere is a UCalgary-led project, in partnership with the University of Alberta, Athabasca University, Lethbridge College, MacEwan University, Mount Royal University, NAIT, Red Deer Polytechnic and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).

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

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.” Image Source: SPARK Team Project Contact- Alex Baron, W21C Research and Innovation Centre