Health Innovation Roundup

Headlines

• Researchers from the University of Alberta's College of Health Sciences received more than $16.5 million in funding through the Fall 2025 Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant competition. The 18 funded projects span neuroscience, cardiovascular and metabolic health, rehabilitation, long COVID, diabetes, Indigenous health, and health services.
• CIFAR shone a spotlight on Angelica Lim, a fellow at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute who is exploring how robots can understand human emotions while navigating the delicate balance between empathy and attachment.
• ReYu held an open house to showcase the technology it uses to help rehabilitate people with back pain and postpartum recovery issues.
• University of Alberta researchers have found that the anti-malarial drug pyronaridine, when encapsulated in a specially made liposome, can make cancer cells more sensitive to platinum chemotherapy drugs. The team saw a significant reduction in cancer cells that survived and grew into colonies after treatment with the combination compared to chemotherapy drugs alone.
• University of Alberta researchers are part of an international team studying how a high fibre diet could affect people with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes extreme appetite and neurodevelopmental delays. Their research found an increase in fibre consumption increased the presence of bacteria associated with gut health.
• Sheena Rossiter, an assistant professor in the Department of Communications and head of media production at MacEwan University, discussed making a documentary called The Perfect Match on the Research Recast(ed) podcast. The documentary follows a father's quest to find a matching stem cell donor for his toddler.
• The Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation has been chosen as the primary charity partner for the 2026 CPKC Women's Open, to be held at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club from Aug. 19 to 23. Canadian Pacific Kansas City's goal is to raise more than $3.9 million to support the hospital's pediatric cardiac program through state-of-the-art equipment, cutting-edge research, and specialized staff training.
• About 300 Edmonton-area youths will attend STEMapalooza at the TELUS World of Science - Edmonton on Feb. 11, a celebration of women in science and engineering featuring life-sciences entrepreneur Jana Rieger and rocketeer Supreena Eyestone.
• The Don Wheaton Family YMCA launched the Downtown Y campaign to attract families and individuals to its downtown facility. President and CEO Katherine O'Neill told CBC's Edmonton AM that the YMCA is "one of the OGs" of downtown, having opened in 1907.
• Caregivers Alberta is hosting its bi-annual Caregiver Awards as part of the organization's 25th anniversary, recognizing individuals, volunteers, organizations, advocates, researchers, and donors who support Alberta's more than one million family and friend caregivers. Nominations close Feb. 27, with winners to be honoured at a May 12 event.
• More than 1,800 Edmontonians are participating in the Push-Up Challenge where each person will complete 2,000 push-ups between now and Feb. 27 to honour the 2,000 lives lost to suicide worldwide each day and raise funds for the Canadian Mental Health Association - Edmonton Region. Staff at OTTO Food & Drink and Tulip Sandwich Shoppe are among them. The sister restaurants at 11405 95 Street NW will donate $1 for every schnitzel or lager sold between now and Feb. 27.

Social innovation

• CBC shone a light on Timbuktu Trailblazers, a 16-week employment and skills-building program created by the African Canadian Civic Engagement Council. The program helps young, Black job-seekers jump-start their careers through paid eight-week internships, in-class coaching at the Timbuktu Innovation Hub on Alberta Avenue, and volunteer work at places such as Edmonton's Food Bank. Kelvin Ozorah of the ACCEC noted that 13 of 20 participants have secured employment since the program's inception.
• Boyle Street Community Services published a piece on the damage done by frostbite and the degree to which a lack of shelter leaves people at risk of amputation. Such injuries often make it harder to find housing: "The cycle reinforces: it's harder to find a place to live, making it harder to rehab your injury, which makes it harder to find a place to live," the post said, calling for donations to the emergency response fund and advocacy for systemic change.
• Strathcona County council invested more than $1.2 million to support non-profit organizations meeting social service needs through its Social Framework Community Grant program. Recipients include BGC Strathcona County, the Saffron Centre, and the Strathcona Food Bank.

More health news

• The Tyee found the Alberta government paid at least $30 million in severance to 150 former Alberta Health employees between 2019 and June 2025, with nearly $10 million paid to 33 people in 2023 alone as Premier Danielle Smith eliminated what she characterized as bloated bureaucracy.
• General support services workers at Alberta hospitals represented by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees have ratified a new collective agreement covering April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2028. The agreement includes a 12% wage increase over four years and guarantees all 27,000 members will earn at least $22.65 per hour by April 1, 2027.
• Sturgeon County council has accepted the findings of an independent after-action report that assessed the response to the Redwater Recreation Area wildfire in May 2025, which burned more than 3,200 hectares and forced nearly 80 households to evacuate. The report provided 52 recommendations focused on training, communication, and coordination to strengthen future emergency readiness.
• The Alberta government is reconsidering changes to health care coverage for temporary foreign workers. The government had removed healthcare access for people with International Experience Canada Type 58 permits, on Jan. 7, but later paused those changes, CBC learned.
• A report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Parkland Institute argues that Alberta's Bill 11 could establish a two-tier healthcare system by allowing physicians to work in both public and private practices. The report suggests this undermines the single-payer nature of public health care and may violate sections of the Canada Health Act. A spokesperson for the miinstry of primary and preventative health services dismissed the report as "a collection of NDP talking points." Meanwhile, a coalition of healthcare advocates has taken to Parliament Hill to protest Bill 11.
• An Angus Reid Institute report found Alberta has fewer family physicians per capita than it did in 2015, with 14% of Albertans lacking a family doctor and 31% finding it difficult to access their doctor. The Ministry of Primary and Preventative Health Services says Alberta's population growth has skewed per capita counts and that the province has more physicians per capita than the national average on a full-time equivalent basis. Lee-Ann Grenier, an AISH recipient, said lack of access to a family doctor may impede her ability to receive disability benefits.
• Premier Danielle Smith discussed hospital capacity challenges in an interview with Alberta Primetime. Smith announced plans to build 1,500 continuing care units annually for the next 10 years to address alternative level of care patients who remain hospitalized beyond 30 days.
• Alberta's plan to add physician triage shifts to help address crowded emergency rooms has been delayed while the Alberta Medical Association and government work out details on pay, billing, liability, and paperwork.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:

• Until Feb. 16: World's Longest Hockey Game at Saiker's Acres
• Feb. 11: From Vision to Action: Harnessing the Healthy Aging Framework for Strategic Planning starting at 12pm online
• Feb. 11: Quantum Materials as a Platform for Next-Gen Biomedical Applications starting at 5pm at MKT Fresh Food.
• Feb. 11: Sex and Sexuality in Later Life starting at 5:30pm at Royal Glenora Club
• Feb. 12: Pitch Night starting at 5:30pm at Alberta School of Business
• Feb. 15: Rising Moon Nordic Spa Nights starting at 6:30pm at Rising Moon Studio
• Feb. 17: Transforming Alberta's Healthcare System: A Conversation with Alberta's Health Ministers starting at 11am at JW Marriott (Edmonton ICE District)

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Feb. 24: Lean Derisking: Taking Your Proof of Concept to the Clinic online
• Feb. 26: Life Skills: Driving Safely While Aging Gracefully online
• Mar. 4: Menopause at Work: Why Supporting Midlife Women's and Employees' Well-Being online

Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.