Health Innovation Roundup
Sept. 16, 2026

Headlines

• Seven researchers from the University of Alberta were named to the Royal Society of Canada, including Amber Simpson, a fellow at the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, whose work focuses on using AI to interpret medical imaging; Jason Acker, an expert in cryopreservation who co-founded PanTHERA CryoSolutions, which Biolife Solutions acquired in 2025; and Lara Mahal, director of the Glycomics Institute of Alberta, who has examined the roles of glycans in cancer and influenza.
• University of Alberta neuroscientist Satyabrata Kar and colleagues published a study on the effects of a class of nanoparticles on Alzheimer's disease in mice. The biodegradable nanoparticles, called PLGA, are already approved for human drug delivery, and the study indicated a reversal of symptoms without any additional medication. Kar, who has studied Alzheimer's for 30 years, told Folio he is now seeking resources to expedite further testing of the approach.
• The Government of Alberta is investing more than $25 million in the University of Alberta to create more than 1,100 additional seats in education, health care, science, and engineering programs, aimed at addressing labour shortages in Alberta's urban and rural communities. NAIT also received funding to add more than 170 seats.
• The University of Alberta signed a Joint Declaration of Intent with Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, described as Europe's premier applied research organization, following president Bill Flanagan's March visit to Munich. The transatlantic partnership will explore collaboration across agricultural technologies, health and pandemic preparedness, energy systems, and aerospace.
• MacEwan University early learning professor Ozlem Cankaya explained how "loose parts" play with materials such as building blocks and cardboard can support children's cognitive development on the Research Recast(ed) podcast.
• Alberta Blue Cross has opened its annual Faces of Wellness program, seeking nominations for Albertans who champion wellness in their workplaces or communities. This year's prizes include a $2,500 grand prize plus a $1,000 donation to a charity of the winner's choice. Nominations close Oct. 29, with recipients announced in January.
• The Ben Stelter Foundation, a student-led fundraiser that began as a school project three years ago, is aiming to raise more than the $285,000 it collected last year across 50 Edmonton schools to support medical technology, founder Aariz Mawji and co-director Anandita Shah told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active.
• The Glenrose Hospital Foundation has welcomed back Jaime Caza as its chief operating officer. Caza's previous role with the foundation included work on the campaign to build the Chadi Centre for Pediatric Rehabilitation.
• Saddle Lake Cree Nation announced plans to establish a safe haven for gender-affirming medical care on its reserve land, defying Alberta's provincial restrictions. Chief Dale Steinhauer said access to health care is a treaty right and falls under the nation's inherent jurisdiction. The nation, located 170 kilometres northeast of Edmonton, is working to attract clinicians and has started fundraising to develop its health law and defend it against potential legal challenges.

Social innovation

• NAIT's Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation podcast hosted internal medicine specialist David Campbell of the Calgary Diabetes Mobile Clinic to discuss how social factors such as housing, income, and food security shape health outcomes. Chronic conditions such as diabetes require more integrated, team-based care, he said.
• The Government of Canada announced $2.2 million in federal funding for REACH Edmonton to support a youth crime prevention project through the Crime Prevention Action Fund. The project will target Indigenous and racialized youth, as well as young people with repeated contact with the criminal justice system, using non-contact boxing, mentoring, and coaching for those ages 9 to 17. Participants aged 18 to 30 will receive martial arts training alongside mental health counselling, education, employment and skills-development supports.
• Edmonton Coun. Michael Janz argued in an op-ed that municipalities outside Edmonton should offer shelter and support services for their own vulnerable residents, rather than relying on Edmonton: "Why are vulnerable residents from other cities being brought into Edmonton while our services are strained and our wait lists are long?" The piece follows St. Albert Mayor Scott Olivieri's criticism of Janz's previous comments on the matter, calling his stance "short-sighted." Janz's op-ed calls for leaders to "speak up for Edmonton and tell the UCP that minimum service requirements must exist in all Alberta communities."

More health news

• The University of Alberta co-led a study finding that higher social media use was correlated with higher rates of anxiety and depression among Canadian teens, with the effects strongest among girls. PhD researcher Madelyn Curle, working with kinesiology professor Valerie Carson, found each additional hour of daily use was tied to a 15% higher chance of moderate to severe depression as well as increased anxiety, based on tracking nearly 27,000 Canadian adolescents over one year. Carson said the findings support the proposed federal Safe Social Media Act, which aims to restrict social media use by youths under 16.
• Sobriety is a journey, and if you reach out for help, someone will listen, Daniel Hudj of the Edmonton Alano Club told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active on National Sober Day. He said peers of all backgrounds take turns answering the club's 24-hour support line. "People ask me what kind of qualifications I have," he began, "I tell them I have my master's (and then explain that) I never went to school; I lived it."
• The family of Joanne Willier, a 55-year-old Sucker Creek First Nation woman, told APTN News that the University of Alberta Hospital has repeatedly refused her a liver transplant, most recently citing a missed rehabilitation requirement that her daughter says was never properly communicated to the family. Daughter Seleen Willier-Williams alleges neglect during her mother's hospital stay and said the hospital denied a referral for a second opinion at a British Columbia facility. Alberta Health Services said patient concerns are "taken seriously and thoroughly investigated, where appropriate."
• Alberta will maintain the $100 COVID-19 vaccine fee it introduced last year as it prepares to launch its fall respiratory vaccination campaign on Oct. 5, waiving the fee this year for anyone over 65 as well as those with qualifying health conditions. The province said COVID vaccine wastage fell to about 20% last year from nearly 50% in 2024, though uptake also dropped by about 40% after the fee began.
• Families and advocates held the One Is Too Many vigil in downtown Edmonton to honour two disabled Albertans whose deaths advocates have linked to the province's new ADAP program, which pays disabled Albertans $200 less per month than the AISH benefit. Scott Ganley, missing since June and believed by his family to have died by suicide, had struggled to navigate the new program, while Bruce Johnson, who died by suicide in June, had written about the stress the switch caused him. A spokesperson for the minister of Assisted Living and Social Services said the government has supports in place for the transition and extended condolences, while advocates criticized poor communication and delayed payments.
• The NDP said it would fold Alberta's four health ministries back into a single Ministry of Health if elected, unwinding the UCP government's 2025 breakup of Alberta Health Services, Postmedia reported. Calgary-Varsity MLA Luanne Metz, the party's Future of Health Care chair, said the plan would also protect the Canada Health Act, launch a public inquiry into allegations of corruption, and add whistleblower protections for health workers. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Hospital and Surgical Health Services dismissed the plan as "a series of vague promises," citing a 10% year-over-year increase in licensed physicians and $63 million to develop unused hospital space.
• Emergency physician Louis Hugo Francescutti warned against letting children ride electric dirt bikes, calling them even faster and more dangerous than e-scooters. Two children on such a bike were seriously injured after a collision with a car in Windermere earlier this month, and a teen crashed his dirt bike into an SUV in St. Albert in August. St. Albert's city council is reviewing micromobility rules and enforcement.

Happenings

Here are some events coming up soon:

• Sept. 17: Voices of Affordability starting at 11:45am at ArtsHub Ortona
• Sept. 18: Navigating the Healthcare System: A Doctor's Guide to Self-Advocacy starting at 12pm online
• Sept. 19: Beyond the Leash Gala starting at 5:30pm at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel West Edmonton
• Sept. 19: Recovery Day Alberta starting at 12pm at Churchill Square
• Sept. 19: Indigenous & Muslim Women's Matinamakēw Circle starting at 12:30pm at Edmonton Public Library (Calder)
• Sept. 21-23: Leading Change Summit: The Ripple Effect at River Cree Resort and Casino
• Sept. 21-25: Life Sciences Week at various locations

And here are more to keep in mind:

• Oct. 3: Skyline Rush Challenge at Courtyard by Marriott Edmonton West
• Oct. 9: Flannel Fest Fundraiser at Heritage Park Pavilion
• Oct. 15: ERINnovation Meetup at CAMS: Where Health Innovation Meets Simulation at NAIT (Feltham Centre)

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