Health Innovation Roundup

Headlines

• The Alberta First Responders Association is hosting a mental health conference in Edmonton on March 6 and 7 to support first responders dealing with mental health challenges. Kathy Rolfe, a registered psychologist with Balance Psychological Services, will speak about the experience of losing one's identity after retiring due to post-traumatic stress disorder. "When (first responders leave their) job because of a psychological injury, they're really left with almost like an existential crisis around, 'Where do I fit in the world, and how do I define myself now?'" Rolfe told CTV.
• Nathan Mison announced his departure from SafeHouse Science after 14 months. During his tenure, the organization completed three acquisitions and raised more than $2 million, he posted. The company supports health outcomes for veterans, RCMP, first responders, and their families.
• Desmond Pink, the co-founder and chief science officer of Nanostics, will be a panellist on Feb. 18 at a Beam Data and OBIO webinar about health tech and AI leadership. Pink led the development of ClarityDX, a liquid biopsy platform that combines clinical biomarkers with machine learning algorithms to identify aggressive cancers.
• The Neuro Wise Edmonton ADHD Centre, a new multi-disciplinary clinic in Edmonton, is offering care and support for people living with ADHD. Founder Yaara Shabtai told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active about bringing multiple ADHD services under one roof. "A lot of people with ADHD bounce between services," she said. "No one is really talking to each other."
• Anthea Sargeaunt's 2S Water was named one of the top five ventures in Spring Capital's fifth annual Invest Together in Women-Led Impact program. The finalists will pitch at an event on March 11.
• The World's Longest Hockey Game concluded on Feb. 16 after raising more than $1 million for cancer research and treatment. This year's funds will support the installation of life-saving CAR T-cell immunotherapy equipment at the Cross Cancer Institute. The 40 participating players aimed to break the previous record of 264 hours, set by the same fundraiser in 2024, when it raised $1.4 million. The World's Longest Hockey Game began in 2003 and has raised more than $9 million over the years.
• The Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation raised a record $682,000 at the 16th annual Stollery Family Day Classic hockey tournament, which featured 108 teams at the Booster Juice Recreation Centre in Terwillegar. The funds will support the foundation's Giving Comfort program, which helps families who have to make unexpected trips to the hospital. The tournament has now raised more than $5.3 million since its inception.
• Alberta Blue Cross's regional Faces of Wellness honorees include Barbara Armstrong, an advocate for Albertans living with Type 1 diabetes; Ibukun Orefuja, the founder of Black Business Edmonton; Matt Hodgson, a patient advocate and community volunteer; Daryl Pewar, an advocate for mental health and wellness; and Brad Bartko, the leader of DisAbility – Accessible by Design.
• Precious Majekodunmi, a part-time nurse pursuing a master's degree in nursing, was named to the Top 30 Under 30 class of 2026 by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation. The award recognizes outstanding work done by 30 young Albertans.
• Keenan Pascal, co-owner of Token Bitters and Spilt Zero Proof and CEO of both Token Naturals and Hansen Distillery, has found success selling bitters for medicinal purposes. "We've sold more of our drink mixes on medical platforms in two months than we have in two years in the recreational side," Pascal told Edify.
• Alberta Heart, a team of University of Alberta students, is iterating on a total artificial heart by competing in international biomedical engineering challenges, recently competing in a Heart Hackathon in Vienna, Austria.
• Emma Pivato, a retired psychologist and researcher, has written a cookbook and guide for people who have difficulty swallowing called Gourmet Puree. The complex health needs of Pivato's daughter inspired the book, which includes easy, flavourful recipes and tips on dining out with someone who can't chew. "I'm the one who's been seeking out the answers," Pivato told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.
• Shannae Kelli-Sue Delancy, a nurse and entrepreneur, is blending her nursing background with her Jamaican heritage through Nurse Kelli-Sue's Wellness Shots, which offers traditional ginger remedies. She told CBC's Edmonton AM about how she part of her business is creating custom shots for events.
• Sophie Gray, founder of DiveThru, is hosting a meetup on Feb. 27 for women entrepreneurs to "talk honestly about the emotional side of building a business."
• Nearly half of Canadians turn to AI for medical advice, according to a study by the Canadian Medical Association, raising concerns among doctors about false information and the lack of family doctors across the province. CityNews Edmonton spoke to people along Whyte Avenue who largely said they would not use AI for medical advice.

Social innovation

• RUNWITHIT Synthetics has launched INFLECTOR AI, an agent-based artificial intelligence platform that the company says uses 500 times less electricity than mainstream AI techniques for tasks such as synthesizing Canada's population data, while complying with global privacy regulations. "We've been stealth with INFLECTOR for a while, but given the realities of data centres and their consumption of critical resources, we thought it was time to put our hand up and say there is a different way," CEO Myrna Bittner said in a release. RWI's synthetic twins can make predictions on health outcomes among populations, among other things.
• Teresa Spinelli of the Italian Centre Shop discussed stigma in the McCauley neighbourhood due to the concentration of services for people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. Spinelli recently purchased The Piazza, a strip mall near the Italian Centre on 95 Street, which she said has helped fight the stigma. "Now you feel safe walking by that building at 8pm," she told CBC Edmonton's This is Edmonton podcast. "You don't have to worry about anyone attacking you."
• Four Indigenous businesswomen have launched the Settle Down podcast. Shani Gwin of pipikwan pêhtâkwan and wâsikan kisewâtisiwin hosts the show alongside Felicia Dewar of miskamâsowin foods, Mallory Yawnghwe of Indigenous Box, and Vanessa Marshall of Jack59. The first episode is about how the hosts found their entrepreneurial fire. "There's crying, there's laughing, but what it really is about is lifting others up," Gwin told the St. Albert Gazette.
• Areto Labs is hiring a lead product engineer. The company's services include eliminating hate speech and abuse within online communities.

More health news

• Educators and experts are calling for increased support for children's mental health in the wake of the Tumbler Ridge tragedy, noting that young people are experiencing loneliness and mental health challenges. Edmonton Public Schools superintendent Ron Thompson sent a note to families saying it's natural to feel distress in the wake of the mass shooting and that staff are willing to provide support to students, Postmedia reported. Meanwhile, the Lionheart Foundation told Global News about expanding its Edmonton operations to better support long-term mental health care for youth aged 12 to 25.
• Edmonton Public Schools brought police officers back into six schools this month, after cancelling the program in September 2020 amid concerns about a "school-to-prison pipeline" for racialized students. The board voted to bring back the program in April 2024, citing increased school violence, including the April 2022 death of Karanveer Sahota. The redesigned program, developed with the Edmonton Police Service, features wraparound supports, mental health therapists, and a memorandum of understanding defining officers' preventative and educational roles.
• It's time to stop ignoring the health of mid-life women, said Colleen Norris, a nursing professor at the University of Alberta. "Heart disease remains the leading cause of death for women in Canada," she wrote for Postmedia ahead of Wear Red Canada Day on Feb. 13. "Women are still more likely to be misdiagnosed, under-treated, and underrepresented in research. But the challenge is broader than cardiology. What continues to hold women's health back is a failure to recognize the central biological driver of lifelong health: ovarian function and estrogen."
• The Grey Nuns Community Hospital's postpartum department became the first in the city to offer donated breast milk to patients, effective Feb. 13. Parents who need an alternative to formula or who cannot breastfeed can purchase 120 mL of breast milk for $19.
• The Alberta Council of Women's Shelters is urging the province to keep independent oversight of domestic violence deaths or reinvest the funding into frontline services after Alberta's family violence death review committee ended its work in 2025. The council also called on the province to release the committee's latest report, expected this spring. The Ministry of Children and Family Services said resources will shift to "integrated, forward-looking prevention efforts" and frontline programs.
• The City of Edmonton has activated its extreme weather response as temperatures are forecast to drop to -20°C or lower with wind chill for at least three consecutive days. The activation began on Feb. 16 and will be reassessed by Feb. 27. City facilities such as recreation centres and libraries are open for warming during regular hours, while additional overnight shelter shuttles are running along north and south routes. Al Rashid Mosque will not provide additional shelter spaces during this period in observance of Ramadan.
• Nearly a month after Hospitals Minister Matt Jones announced triage liaison physicians would "immediately" start, the Alberta government will not confirm if any are on duty in busy Edmonton and Calgary emergency departments. This initiative was announced after the December death of Prashant Sreekumar at Edmonton's Grey Nuns Community Hospital. The Alberta Medical Association has not reached an agreement on TLP employment conditions. AMA section president and physician Warren Thirsk advised emergency department doctors against individual contracts due to liability concerns, calling the government's announcement "more of a communications exercise." David Climengaha followed up on TLP reporting with commentary on the matter.
• More than 8,000 Albertans are sharing emergency room experiences as part of a Canadian Union of Public Employees campaign highlighting challenges in the province's healthcare system.
• Friends of Medicare executive director Chris Gallaway urged federal lawmakers to act on health care privatization in Alberta, calling Bill 11 an "existential threat to public health care in Canada" that violates the Canada Health Act. Meanwhile, a report by the Montreal Economic Institute says Alberta's dual-practice model, which allows doctors to work in both public and private care, could help reduce the backlog for health services if implemented correctly.
• University of Alberta law professor Timothy Caulfield warned about the impact of new U.S. vaccine policy changes, calling them "a complete mess" that could create confusion and hesitancy among Canadians. The policy slashes the number of vaccines recommended to children despite robust evidence of vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Happenings

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

• Feb. 19: Planning With Confidence | Life and Home Planning Workshop starting at 1pm at Decked Out Studio
• Feb. 19: Community of Care for Black, Indigenous and Racialized Equity Practitioners starting at 1pm at Hearth Co-work and Co-wellness
• Feb. 19: Cornerstone Counselling Grand Opening starting at 4pm at Covenant Health Wellness Centre (Millwoods)
• Feb. 19: HERizon Rx: Entrepreneurship in Women's Health starting at 5:30pm at Derrick Golf & Winter Club
• Feb. 19: Self-Management Support Programs: Better Choices, Better Health starting at 7pm online
• Feb. 22: High Flying Brunch: Yoga & Brunch starting at 11am at Halo Bar and Bistro
• Feb. 24: Mental Health Foundation Annual Fundraising Breakfast starting at 7am at Edmonton Convention Centre
• Feb. 24: Lean Derisking: Taking Your Proof of Concept to the Clinic starting at 10am online

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Feb. 27: 2026 Kreisel Lecture: 20th Anniversary Edition with Lise Gaboury-Diallo, Richard Van Camp, and Shani Mootoo at Timms Centre for the Arts
• Feb. 28: The Philip Support Foundation Launch Event online
• March 5: BioAlberta's 2026 Policy Forum at Westin Edmonton

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