Health Innovation Roundup
Oct. 14, 2026
Many critiques of the separatist conversation at the heart of Alberta's referendum focus on the economy and ideology, but multi-hyphenate researcher Colleen Norris from the University of Alberta is focused on its implications for women's health. "I understand the frustration many Albertans feel with long waits, difficulty finding a primary care provider and a system that too often seems unable to translate research into care," Norris opined for Postmedia. "But separation would not solve these problems. It would introduce years of uncertainty into an already strained health system and threaten some of the most important, and still-fragile, advances we have made in women's health."
Norris is an epidemiologist, registered nurse, and associate dean of research in the university's faculty of nursing, with many research roles in women's health. She is the Cavarzan Chair in Women's Health Research for the Alberta Women's Health Foundation, which celebrated Norris's receipt of the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her work leading the Women's Heart Health Research Collaborative at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Norris recently told CTV News Edmonton that 30 of 300 women sent home from emergency departments in Alberta over one year returned within 30 days with a heart attack. Norris is also helping women with perimenopause and menopause through the Alberta Women's Cycles to Cessation Clinic, as she told Global News Edmonton.
Advance polls are open until Oct. 17 for Alberta's 10-question referendum, and Election Day is Oct. 19. One of the questions is about whether Alberta should start the legal process to hold a binding referendum on leaving Canada. There are also five questions about immigration pertaining to provincial control over the number and types of immigrants, as well as access to social services such as healthcare. Taproot has more on the voting process.
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Headlines
- Among the recipients of the University of Alberta's 2026 Alumni Awards are emergency physician Louis Francescutti, who has helped establish transitional housing for unhoused patients in Edmonton; HIV researcher and nurse Judy Mill, who has worked closely with Enoch Cree Nation; and pharmacist Lawrence Woo, who co-founded Medi-scribe, a pharmacy software platform.
- NiaHealth is scheduled to appear on CBC's Dragons' Den on Oct. 15 to discuss its approach to preventive health, the company said. To celebrate, it's offering a $150 discount for membership until Oct. 31.
- The Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute worked with My Viva Plan to build a four-module AI system for its Yaro virtual health coach. The system turns patient conversations into structured health records. My Viva is expanding a pilot with an enhanced model built through its engagement with Amii.
- SenseHuman AI has completed several pilots of a hardhat that uses cameras and AI to warn wearers about worksite hazards. The company has 12 helmets in use and is seeking investors to expand manufacturing, CEO Adil Muhammad told BetaKit. "If you've ever played Call of Duty, there's this minimap on the bottom of the screen. If something comes at you from the back, you see it on the minimap," Muhammad said. "I thought, why not use the same thing with a worker?"
- RISE NeuroProsthetics is developing an intraspinal microstimulation implant intended to restore function after spinal cord injury. Founder and CEO Soroush Mirkiani has received an Innovation Catalyst Grant and pitched for a berth in Startup TNT's fall investment summit finale.
- Andrew Karesa of blueBell Village spoke to seven participants in the SilverTech Summit 2.0 about designing technology and services with older adults for the Dementia Connections podcast. Guests included rehabilitation researcher Martin Ferguson-Pell of the University of Alberta and Janice Baskin of the Edmonton Regional Innovation Network.
- Best Hydrate in Sherwood Park has developed a sports drink that could also help people with Crohn's disease. Co-founder and CEO Austin Swiniarski told CBC's Edmonton AM about how hydration products helped him avoid surgery for the condition, inspiring him to create his own version. He worked with chief scientific officer Spencer Proctor, chair of agricultural, food, and nutritional science at the University of Alberta, on Best Hydrate. "By keeping it simple, we can keep costs down while still being able to ensure the science is exactly where it needs to be," Proctor said.
- The Stollery Children's Hospital is among the pediatric hospitals trying ThinkRare, an AI tool that flags possible undiagnosed genetic diseases in children. The adoption is supported by $1.77 million from Toronto non-profit Conscience.
- University of Alberta's Folio rounded up six ways researchers are leading the way to better breast cancer treatment, including a now-recruiting study comparing approaches to lymph-node surgery for early-stage breast cancer. Other projects examine exercise support, radiation, pain management, and surgical techniques.
- The University of Alberta has selected Graphite Ventures to manage its Innovation Fund, which has backed 13 university-connected early-stage companies since 2023. Graphite will oversee the portfolio and follow-on investments, support founders, and invest in new companies emerging from the university. The fund has supported healthtech companies such as Nanostics, PulseMedica, Areto Labs, and Northernmost.
Social innovation
- Alberta Native News profiled Paula Kirman, who has spent more than 20 years documenting social movements and Indigenous events through journalism, video, film and digital storytelling. Her work began around 2005 when she photographed a peace march and recognized the lack of media coverage of such events. She has since documented movements such as Idle No More and initiatives raising awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, while building an online archive of her work.
- DiveThru is offering 100 virtual therapy sessions through its Reduced Rate Program, thanks to funding from Alberta Blue Cross. The company is also one of seven in Edmonton to receive the Canadian Queer Chamber of Commerce's Rainbow Registered accreditation, which assesses policies, training, leadership, and customer and employee experience.
- Punjabi Community Health Services is expanding from Ontario to Edmonton to offer culturally sensitive support for mental health, addiction, and family issues.
- Five new provincially funded courses focus on supporting caregivers and helping older Albertans process grief and trauma, said Diana Crețu of the Imagine Institute for Learning on CBC Edmonton's Radio Active. "We really are keen to make sure that the learning is not just a big binder of information that does not get used day to day," Crețu said. "We really want to make sure that this affects and impacts (caregivers') practice the next day."
- Nursing professor Morgan Wadams of MacEwan University discussed correctional nursing and care for current and formerly incarcerated people and people living with HIV on the Research Recast(ed) podcast from MacEwan University.
- Spruce Grove was allocated more than $511,000 in federal funding over three years for its Community Outreach team, which connects vulnerable residents with support services. The city said it plans to increase the team's focus on helping youth at risk of gang involvement.
More health news
- Alberta committed $12.5 million to expand surgical services at Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital, with construction expected to finish by 2029. The renovations are projected to support more than 3,000 additional procedures a year once operational.
- Alberta Municipalities has passed a resolution calling for changes to physician incentives after delegates argued locum (or fill-in) work had become more attractive than permanent rural practice. Edmonton family physician Jen Ortynski said locums can avoid ongoing patient loads and administrative work.
- University of Alberta researchers found opioids provided short-term pain relief but little or no added benefit over non-opioid care with longer use in a review of 27 trials involving osteoarthritis and chronic low-back pain. They said prolonged use may increase sensitivity to pain.
- Members of the Alberta Medical Association ratified a proposed three-year pay agreement with the province, retroactive to April 1, 2026. The agreement calls for a 3% increase in the first year and 2.5% in the second; the third-year increase will be negotiated, with binding arbitration as a backstop. Association president Heidi Fell said family medicine would get the largest percentage increase, while five specialties would get no increase on the codes they bill most often.
- Alberta's Bill 11 shifted more responsibility for extended health benefits and drug coverage to private employer plans when it came into effect. Private payouts are now prioritized over public ones, Bryan McGovern, the Toronto-based editor of Benefits Canada, told CBC's Edmonton AM. "The change appears to be geared towards changing the relationship of the plan with workers, and also to pass the cost onto the companies that oversee these plans," McGovern said. "There's still a lot to be seen with this change."
- Alberta doctors have begun seeing more influenza and other viral infections, medical columnist Raj Bhardwaj told CBC's Edmonton AM. Flu shots have already opened to eligible Albertans at higher risk of severe flu symptoms, with appointments for the general population expected to become available on Oct. 19.
- Edmonton city council asked administration for a report on how the Public Spaces Bylaw applies during extreme-weather responses at transit stations, including how often officers issue tickets and how often people refuse rides to shelters. The city typically waives the bylaw's loitering rules during cold-weather responses.
- Strathcona County Victim Services and RCMP began offering hug kits to people reporting romance scams and other relationship-based fraud. The kits include a blanket, fraud-recovery information, and support messages through the Unbreaking Project Canada.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up soon:
- Oct. 14: Bioeconomy Guild Night starting at 5pm at MKT Fresh Food | Beer Market
- Oct. 14: Making Sense of Vaccines: Answers to common questions and misconceptions about adult immunization starting at 6pm online
- Oct. 15: ERINnovation Meetup: Where Health Innovation Meets Simulation starting at 4:30pm at NAIT (Feltham Centre)
- Oct. 20: Doing More With Less: Growing Food Sovereignty in Cuba starting at 2pm at University of Alberta (University Commons Building)
- Oct. 21: Spinal Cord Injury Alberta Community Summit - Life Reimagined starting at 10am at Evario Events Centre
- Oct. 22: AI on the Mind: Uses and Effects of AI in Psychology starting at 4:30pm at Fu's Repair Shop.
And here are more to keep in mind:
- Nov. 3: Henry Marshall Tory Lecture: Fire Weather in a Hotter World at Kipnes Health Research Academy
- Nov. 4: Inclusion in the Heartland: "The Value of Difference" Conference at Dow Centennial Centre
- Nov. 4-7: DAMA Edmonton Conference: Powering Digital Health & AI Through Trusted Data at NAIT Productivity and Innovation 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.