Under the hype, what's really happening with AI adoption in Canadian health care? The AI in Action: Transforming Clinical Care Across Canada Working Group recently completed a first-of-its-kind environmental scan of AI-driven clinical initiatives in Canadian health care delivery. Two leaders share what they found, why it matters, and what it means for you – today and tomorrow.

Guests:

• Dr. Tania Tajirian, Chief Health Information Officer and Chief of Hospital Medicine, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Dr. Angel Arnaout, Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Provincial Health Services Authority

Learn More:

• AI in Action: Transforming Clinical Care Across Canada Environmental Scan
• Setting the Winning Conditions for AI-Powered Health Care Report
• Digital Health in Canada Episode 15: Setting the Winning Conditions for AI-Powered Healthcare

Summary:

00:00 Introduction to Digital Health Canada Podcast

00:58 Introducing Dr. Tania Tajirian and Dr. Angel Arnaout

07:27 AI in Action Working Group

10:24 Challenges and Opportunities in AI Implementation

12:30 Insights from the AI Environmental Scan

18:40 Global Perspectives on AI in Healthcare

26:55 Advice for Emerging Professionals

31:24 Future Directions

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Scroll LinkedIn, watch a webinar, or attend a conference – and you'll hear many ideas for how we can improve Canada's health data landscape. But how do we move from conversation to change? Two health leaders share a collaborative model to bridge idea, strategy, and action.

Guests:

• Dr. Ewan Affleck, Chair, Networked Health - AB
• Claire Snyman, Chair, Networked Health – BC

Learn More:

• Networked Health
• Pan-Canadian Health Data Charter
• The Unforgotten (film)
• Two Steps Forward

Summary:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

01:13 Claire Snyman's Journey

03:17 Ewan Affleck's Journey

06:12 The Creation of Networked Health

07:49 The Collective Impact Model

09:31 Patient Stories and Data Access

16:00 The Role of Storytelling in Healthcare

23:03 What Does Success Look Like?

28:49 Reflections on the Conversation

34:05 Closing Remarks and Next Steps

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Digital health journalism plays a crucial role in shaping how the public understands and engages with health innovation. In this episode, we sit down with two journalists to explore the stories behind the stories – and untangle the complex relationship between health, media, and the public.

Guests:

Chris Hannay, Health Business Reporter, Globe and Mail

Nick Tsergas, Editor, Canada Healthwatch

Learn More:

"Your data is unwell," Chris Hannay, The Globe and Mail, April 4, 2025

"Doctors turn to social media to help patients where they're at," Samantha Edwards, The Globe and Mail, April 4, 2025

Canada Healthwatch

Canadian Medical Association: Healthcare For Real

Summary:

00:00 Introduction to Digital Health Canada Podcast

01:00 Meet the Journalists: Chris Hannay's Journey

03:27 Nick Tsergas: From Nursing to Health Journalism

08:44 The Intersection of Health and Business

14:23 Challenges in Health System Literacy

19:06 Trust and Misinformation in Health Media

24:53 Under-Reported Stories and Their Impact

33:14 Public Awareness and Media Influence

36:11 Reflections and Future of Digital Health

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Digital Health Canada's Setting the Winning Conditions for AI-powered Healthcare report summarizes actionable insights from interviews with eight leading healthcare organizations implementing AI. In this episode, we dive into those conditions and their implications—learning what sets winning AI implementations apart.

Guests:

• Muhammad Mamdani, Vice President of Data Science and Advanced Analytics, Unity
  Health Toronto
• Ted Scott, Vice President Innovation and Partnerships, Hamilton Health Sciences

Learn More:

Setting the Winning Conditions for AI-Powered Healthcare (report)

Unity Health Toronto

Hamilton Health Sciences

Episode Summary

01:16 Meet the Experts: Career Journeys

03:00 Challenges in Health Care: From Theory to Practice

08:55 Data Challenges and Privacy Concerns

13:08 Building Trust and Equity in Healthcare

20:11 Defining Value in Healthcare

24:37 Evaluating and Scaling AI Solutions

27:42 Future of AI in Canadian Health Care

29:40 Advice for AI Adoption in Healthcare

35:14 Final Thoughts and Reflections

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

It's a special edition of Digital Health in Canada! Join us for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the 25th e-Health Conference and Tradeshow. Get all the conference buzz, insights, and highlights, and find out why this is the place to be if you're a digital health professional.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this episode's interviews!

Learn More: e-Health Conference and Tradeshow

Episode Summary:

00:44 Behind the Scenes at eHealth 2025

01:10 On the Spot Interviews: First Impressions

05:27 Memories and Milestones: Past Presidents Speak

12:51 Patient Partners and Their Impact

13:29 Conversations at the Ask a Patient Partner Booth

17:11 Innovators Share Their Insights

27:59 Looking Forward to eHealth 2026 in Halifax

29:35 50th Anniversary Wishes and Closing Remarks

Music: RetroFuture Clean, Breakdown, How it Begins, Dreamer, and Equatorial Complex, all by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Digital Health Canada turns 50 this year! This season on the podcast, we are exploring how far we've come and re-imagining where we can go next – as an association and a sector. To kick off the party, we welcome two Digital Health Canada presidents, from the association's early and current days.

Guests:

• Denis Protti, Professor Emeritus, Health Information Science, University of Victoria
• Chris Carvalho, CEO, Carveira Group Consulting Inc.

Learn More:

Health Information Science at the University of Victoria

Digital Health Canada's 50th Anniversary celebrations

Episode Summary:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:22 Celebrating 50 Years of Digital Health Canada

00:47 Meet the Presidents: Denis Protti and Chris Carvalho

07:44 Founding the Health Information Science Program

15:47 The Early Days of Digital Health Canada (COACH)

22:59 The Evolution of Digital Health Canada

28:03 Reflections on Leadership and Progress

36:29 Digital Health Canada's 50th Anniversary Celebrations

38:14 Closing Remarks and Call to Action

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Interoperable? Try international. Join this continent-crossing conversation as we explore international digital health strategies and what learning about other countries' health systems can teach us about our own.

Guests:

• Derek Ritz, Principal Consultant, ecGroup Inc.
• Liz Keen, Head of Clinical Governance - Transformation and Innovation, Infosys Consulting

Learn More:

• Digital Health Canada: The Core Competencies of Health Informatics
• Changing the conversation on evaluating digital transformation in healthcare: Insights from an institutional analysis
• Fair Society, Healthy Lives (the Marmot Review)

Episode Summary:

00:00 Introduction to Digital Health in Canada

00:44 Guest Introductions: Derek Ritz and Liz Keen

01:45 Career Journeys in Digital Health

06:43 Global Perspectives on Healthcare Systems

11:09 Challenges and Innovations in Digital Health

18:10 Lessons from International Healthcare Systems

22:33 The Future of Digital Health

34:37 Advice for Aspiring Digital Health Professionals

38:59 Co-Host Reflections

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Canada's health policy landscape is dynamic, nuanced, and continuously evolving. What do health care leaders need to know about this space, and what key topics are lighting up dashboards – or slipping under the radar?

Guests:

• Helen Angus, Chief Executive Officer, AMS Healthcare
• Rosalie Wyonch, Associate Director of Research, C.D. Howe Institute

Learn More:

• AMS Healthcare
• C.D. Howe Institute
• Data Disarray: The root of health data dysfunction in Canada (Alberta Virtual Care Coordinating Body)

Music: RetroFuture Clean and Breakdown, by Kevin MacLeod. Used under Creative Commons.

Episode Summary:

00:00 Welcome to Digital Health in Canada

00:50 Introducing Our Guests: Helen and Rosalie

01:19 Rosalie's Journey: From Economist to Health Policy Leader

03:37 Helen's Path: From Urban Planning to Healthcare Leadership

05:07 The Role of Policy in Digital Health

06:53 Lessons from the Pandemic: Rapid Digital Health Transformation

08:40 Challenges and Opportunities in Policy Implementation

22:55 Leadership in Healthcare: Skills and Inspiration

26:16 Accountability and Incentives in Healthcare

29:33 Breaking Down Silos: A System-Wide Approach

38:20 Final Thoughts and Advice for Healthcare Leaders