Health Innovation Roundup
July 8, 2026
Charles Wong of CarePros and Nurture has launched PurposeFund, a multi-service organization advising purpose-driven organizations. Wong wants to work with a small group of founders and CEOs on growth, governance, capital strategy, and the long-term decision-making that makes an organization thrive. Wong grew CarePros into an eight-figure-revenue company, placing five times on The Globe and Mail's annual ranking of Canada's top growing companies. The most recent list indicates CarePros' revenue grew by 77% over three years, on a base between $10 million and $25 million.
PurposeFund specializes in tech-enabled companies within healthcare, behavioural health, social services, and professional services — areas Wong is experienced in. CarePros is a child-intervention agency that is pre-qualified by Alberta Health Services to help kids with complex behavioural needs access in-home care, out-of-home care, foster care, therapy, and more. The success of CarePros helped Wong and co-founder Alex Gervais spin off Nurture in 2024. It is a software system based on in-house CarePros tools that helps healthcare providers focus less on paperwork while providing data encryption and insights.
Wong, who is a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards in the Prairies, has been vocal about what it takes to scale a mission-driven organization. On a recent episode of the Founders in Progress podcast, he noted it is crucial to foster the right work culture early, and he emphasized that there's a difference between growth and scale. Podcast publisher 2C Media Inc. wrote in a recap that growth means bigger, but scale means repeatable. In a blunter segment of the conversation, Wong shared a hard truth for purpose-driven organizations that may shy away from money talk. "Cash is oxygen," he said. "Being able to be sustainable always requires cash." Wong will share more of his insights on the PurposeFund LinkedIn page.
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Headlines
- Closing the gender gap in healthcare is not only the right thing to do, but it's also good for the economy, says a new report from the Alberta Women's Health Foundation. The report argues that "investing in women's health is one of our province's greatest opportunities," citing $5.9 billion in economic impacts based on data from the McKinsey Health Institute. The foundation adds that Alberta is uniquely positioned to be a women's healthcare leader because of its wealth of researchers at institutions such as the University of Alberta.
- The Alberta Cancer Foundation announced it will invest $35 million over five years to advance cancer clinical trials across the province. It's one of the largest such investments in the foundation's history. The funding will support operations at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton and two Calgary research hubs, and it will help launch a new MRI-based prostate cancer trial in Lethbridge. BioAlberta has expressed support for the investment, which builds on Alberta's Strategic Plan for Cancer to 2036, announced in June.
- Aurinia Pharmaceuticals has initiated PRESERVE, a Phase 4 study exploring whether its LUPKYNIS drug — the only FDA-approved oral therapy for lupus nephritis — can improve patient outcomes when combined with belimumab, obinutuzumab, or anifrolumab. The study will enrol about 150 patients across 50 U.S. sites, with complete renal response at six months as the primary endpoint.
- Edmonton Unlimited hosted a workshop on intellectual property strategy for life sciences companies, at which Dentons lawyers emphasized that IP extends well beyond patents. From the outset, founders should ensure that their company owns the IP being created, the workshop heard.
- Business in Edmonton profiled Leading Edge Physiotherapy founder Grant Fedoruk, who has grown the company from a single five-bed clinic in 2008 to dozens of locations across Alberta and B.C., making more than $3 million in charitable donations along the way.
- University Hospital Foundation president and CEO Jodi Abbott has been named a 2026 recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence, the province's highest honour, in recognition of her leadership in healthcare philanthropy and partnerships.
- Sherridon Routley shared what it was like to engage in forest bathing at South Whitemud Creek Ravine with certified Shinrin-yoku practitioner Allyn Esau. "At its core it's about shifting from doing in nature to being in nature, so it's really about slowing down and engaging in sensory practices," Esau said.
- Briana Botsford, a naturopathic doctor and founder of Flow Functional Health Care, discussed the symptoms and treatments of uterine fibroids on CBC Edmonton's Radio Active, noting that the Lois Hole Hospital for Women is fundraising to add the minimally invasive Acessa system to its care options.
Social innovation
- On the Executive Wins podcast, Haidong Liang of Westend Seniors Activity Centre and WeSeniors Strathcona County discussed his data-driven, culturally rich approach to transforming senior services through the Alberta Seniors Alliance, which connects underserved seniors to public, private, and non-profit services.
- The AgWell Farmer Wellness Network, a provincial pilot project, is offering free, short-term counselling to agricultural workers and their families in Rocky View County. The project was founded by Rebecca Purc-Stephenson, an applied social psychologist and psychology professor at the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus.
More health news
- Alberta has not conducted a comprehensive assessment of the cumulative environmental effects of its rapidly expanding AI data centre sector, land-use ecologist Brad Stelfox argued in a report submitted to the Alberta Utilities Commission. He wrote that data centres could potentially contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular disease and strain water supplies, among other consequences. Similar concerns led Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew to reject a large AI data centre proposed for farmland south of Winnipeg, citing environmental and economic drawbacks. The analysis arrives just after the approval of the Greenlight Energy Centre in Sturgeon County.
- Alberta's recent heavy rainfall has increased the region's mosquito population, prompting warnings from Primary Care Alberta about the heightened risk of West Nile virus. Meanwhile, University of Alberta researcher Jumari Snyman explored how mosquito-borne viruses spread through animal populations on CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.
- Alberta pharmacists are dealing with a rise in prescription forgeries, with 132 forgeries reported in the first half of 2026. The Alberta College of Pharmacy said Edmonton has been particularly affected. "It looks like it's organized crime, because it is so sophisticated," pharmacist Mohamed Elfishawi told CBC. "They use, sometimes, innocent people's Alberta health care numbers. So we have to double-check to make sure that we don't harm any innocent people."
- The former press secretary to Alberta's health minister is now lobbying provincial health agencies for tobacco, pharmaceutical, and healthcare companies, including Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, and Innovative Medicines Canada, the Investigative Journalism Foundation found. Jessi Rampton left the health ministry in April 2025 and began lobbying in April 2026, satisfying the province's one-year cooling-off period.
- The Alberta government has missed the deadline for its year-end fiscal update, citing issues with the overhaul of the healthcare system. Finance Minister Jason Nixon said more time is needed for health entities to finalize their numbers, and year-end reports will be released no later than early fall.
- The United Way of the Alberta Capital Region is marking its 85th anniversary.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:
- July 8: Community Coffee starting at 9am at Edmonton Unlimited
- July 8: ASTech Awards Information/Office Hours Sessions starting at 1:30pm online
- July 8: Sauna & S'mores Nights starting at 7pm at Rising Moon Studio
- July 9: Lakeside Walk & Networking starting at 10am at Beaumaris Lake
- July 11: Rooftop Yoga Flow & Brunch Windermere starting at 10am at The Canadian Brewhouse (Windermere)
- July 11: The F.U.E.L. (Fitness Unites with Energy & Lifestyle) Program starting at 11am at William Hawrelak Park
- July 11: Let My Light Shine Through starting at 12pm at Sisters Dialogue - Amanah
- July 12: The Sunday Book Club YEG starting at 2pm at Edmonton Public Library (Stanley A. Milner)
- July 14: Junk Journalling with Sidney McConnell starting at 6pm at Alberta Craft Council
And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:
- July 18: The Reset Market at The Creative Hive Event Centre
- July 18: DIY Air Purifier Workshop at Edmonton Public Library (Clareview)
- Aug. 1-4: BioRob 2026 at Edmonton Convention Centre
Visit the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.
This roundup was sponsored by Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation.
API is one of Canada's largest not-for-profit life sciences commercialization organizations. We catalyze growth in the life sciences sector by addressing key challenges that hold companies and innovators back.