Health Innovation and Platforms

Investing in a Healthy Alberta

Health care expenditures in Alberta are increasingly unsustainable, with about $2.4M spent hourly and consuming approximately 40% of the provincial budget. These costs will continue to rise given a growing and aging population, higher prevalence of chronic disease, higher demand for multidisciplinary care, and the long and expensive process of converting research into innovation. Consumers are demanding more personalized and meaningful connections to health and wellness.

In all of this, we see opportunity for Alberta. We are combining our collective strengths to create a health innovation ecosystem to reimagine healthcare delivery while simultaneously creating new economic opportunities for our province.

To do this, we must be bold. We must embrace digital- and data-enabled innovation to help achieve modernized and integrated care models, accelerate health research, and engage stakeholders and citizens to reimagine and create solutions together.

Join us as we embark on a bold new path, a journey to help build a vibrant and thriving digital health ecosystem in Alberta.

We are developing key partnerships with industry, health service delivery providers, academic institutions, non-profits, and citizens. Together, we will build a bold culture ready to push boundaries, stretch our thinking and change the world. And when we are done, the world will recognize Alberta as the leader in digital health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated our shift towards digital and data-enabled innovation. In creating these solutions together, we will realize a more affordable, accessible, and higher-quality health care system for all Albertans.

To enable our vision, we are building an delivering value in 4 critical areas: 

Health System Transformation

We work closely with health service delivery partners and patients to facilitate the testing and adoption of novel care models that are powered by digitally-enabled and data informed technologies. 

Talent Development

We deliver skills development opportunities and build partnerships to help grow the talent needed to drive our future health economy. 

Technology Acceleration and Adoption

We work collaboratively with innovators to understand and reduce barriers that will accelerate digital innovations into care.

Platform Partnerships 

We partner with others in the ecosystem to build, integrate, and sustain platforms and activities to support a digital health ecosystem.

Publications and Reporting

 

Our programs, partnerships and initiatives

Alberta Clinical Research Consortium

We contribute to high quality, efficient, integrated clinical health research in Alberta.

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The Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit

We provide expertise and training for patient-oriented research to support a learning healthcare system that is person-centred, evidence-based, and people-informed.

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Accelerating Innovations into Care

This program provides funding support, system connections and business development expertise for SMEs and health system partners who require market access, clinical validation or technology assessment to facilitate adoption and diffusion of a novel technology.

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Alberta Data Institute

Data-driven innovations will emerge in all sectors to support initiatives in food safety, smart agriculture, environmental monitoring, pipeline management, healthier Albertans and more.

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A pRoject Ethics Community Consensus Initiative

A pRoject Ethics Community Consensus Initiative (ARECCI) helps  address and mitigate ethical risks in quality improvement and evaluation projects.

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Cannabis-Based Medicines and Tools (mCannabis) Program

This program is an opportunity for stakeholders in Alberta’s Cannabis ecosystem to collaborate in a coordinated way to advance Cannabis research and innovations that aim to enhance patient care, improve patient outcomes, support training of health professionals, and responsibly grow Canada’s Cannabis industry.

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eXtended Reality Health Economic Acceleration and Development (xR HEAD) Program

In partnership with the Alberta Chapter of the Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality Association (VRARA), Alberta Innovates is proud to announce the eXtended Reality Health Economic Acceleration and Development (xR HEAD) program.

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Health Research Ethics Board of Alberta

HREBA’s committees provide ethical reviews and ongoing ethical oversight of cancer and community-based research involving humans, their information and biological samples.

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Health Innovation Platform Partnerships

This program seeks to build a competitive health innovation ecosystem by partnering with like-minded organizations in Alberta to accelerate the client journey for our health innovators.

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Implement Digital Health Solutions (ImplementAB.digH)

ImplementAB.digH supports Alberta-based healthcare delivery organizations in carrying out health technology assessments and feasibility studies of novel, commercially available digital health innovations.

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LevMax - Health

The LevMax – Health Program leverages the strengths of partners and maximizes the benefits for Alberta.

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Real-World Evaluation of Cannabis-Based Medicines (mCannabis.RealWorld)

The mCannabis.RealWorld Program is a novel enabling mechanism to address urgent clinical or policy knowledge gaps related to the efficacy and safety of cannabis in a real-world setting.  The current approach supports post-market (i.e., after regulatory approval) studies using real-world data and builds on the success of the Exploring Cannabis-Based Medicines and Tools (mCannabis) Program.

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Partnership for Research & Innovation in the Health System (PRIHS)

PRIHS strengthens health research capacity in Alberta by encouraging collaboration and partnerships between Alberta’s academic institutions, health and clinician researchers, patients, and AHS operations to impact in the health system.

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eXtended Reality Health Economic Acceleration and Development (xR HEAD) Program

The eXtended Reality Health Economic Acceleration and Development (xR HEAD) program is a first-of-its-kind opportunity for stakeholders in Alberta’s virtual, mixed, and augmented-reality (collectively ‘xR’) health innovation ecosystem.

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Training and Early Career Development Opportunities

This program is designed to support the growth, acquisition, and retention of highly skilled individuals that will strengthen Alberta’s health research and innovation ecosystem.

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News

Learn how mmHg innovates

Minimizing costs and maximizing efficiency while improving patient outcomes is critical for healthcare facilities around the world. This is especially true for healthcare organizations that support marginalized populations. mmHg Inc. is a physician-led digital health start-up and one of the first companies to offer platform-as-a-service in the global cardio care market segment to help improve healthcare.

Bringing the Future to Life, Today

Digital health is a gamechanger, bringing the future to life, today. Alberta Innovates is leading the evolution of healthcare as...

Photo of Tammy Mah-Fraser

Early advice ‘to be true to yourself’ guides health innovator in successful career

Building upon her prior roles, she was rapidly gaining experience in health care operations. At the same time, she was learning how to succeed in a largely male-dominated work environment. From a local church pastor, she received some important coaching. “She said that, as a woman professional, you have to learn to know how to speak thoughtfully and when it counts. That’s advice that has always stuck with me,” Mah-Fraser says.