The roundtable provided a forum for participants to discuss technological advancements, research partnerships and community collaborations for the benefit of improving health care delivery for citizens.

From left, Altaf Stationwala, president & CEO of York Central Hospital, Ken Ono, vice-president analytics of NexJ Systems Inc., Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, Harvey Skinner, dean, Faculty of Health, Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation at York University

“The York Leadership Roundtable provided an opportunity to facilitate and create mutually productive relationships with businesses, industry, social service organizations and the municipal and regional leadership of York Region,” said Robert Haché, York vice-president research & innovation. “During the session, our keynote speakers provided a great snapshot of new innovations in the health services sector and the exciting opportunities to foster collaborative research partnerships for continued growth and development.”

Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua welcomed all participants to the event and highlighted the importance of forming collaborative networks to improve health care delivery in the region.

“The �첥��Ƶ Roundtable was a great initiative to better comprehend and seek solutions to the challenges we face in health care. The thoughtful analysis of the changing dynamics of our system provided much value added to the understanding of what is required to bring about much needed reform," said Bevilacqua.

"Through effective dialogue and collaboration we can find the path that will bring us closer to the answers needed to build an effective, efficient and caring user-friendly health care system. The discussion about the use of technology as an enabler for positive change was a reminder of the incredible opportunities we must seize to move forward and innovate towards the creation of a modern and avant-garde system,” said Bevilacqua.

Speakers at the event included Harvey Skinner, dean of �첥��Ƶ's Faculty of Health; Ken Ono, vice-president of NexJ Systems Inc.; and Altaf Stationwala, president & CEO of York Central Hospital.

Skinner discussed how a new approach to the management of health care is setting the stage for industry partnerships, creating efficiencies within the delivery of health care and driving new models for teaching and educating the health care professionals of tomorrow.  He presented a new integrated eHealth solution and software development project aimed at enabling patients to monitor their health and wellness, diet and exercise program on a daily basis with the support of a health coach.

The program will help to promote a health active lifestyle, explained Skinner, and will enable health care providers and patients to work collaboratively to improve a patient’s health, minimize dependency on an already heavily-taxed health care system. He  and can lead to job creation for a new Health Coach profession – an individual who will monitor the health and wellness of patients and help them change behaviourthrough the technology.

Ono offered an industry perspective on innovating in the health care sector. He addressed some of the opportunities and surmountable challenges of working with universities to spearhead commercialization vehicles.

Sharing his experiences working collaboratively with York researchers,  Stationwala presented his perspective on the research agenda that will help to deliver a sustainable health system at York Central Hospital and the Region of York.

During a lively question and answer period, the group of more than 40 senior executives and community leaders discussed the continuing importance of investing in research and development, strategies for addressing the innovation needs of businesses and the health care sector, and the role of universities in fostering economic strength in their surrounding cities.

Republished courtesy of YFile– �첥��Ƶ’s daily e-bulletin.

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The will be held Thursday, April 26 to Friday, April 27 in the Executive Learning Centre, Seymour Schulich Building, Keele campus. Co-hosted by the and �첥��Ƶ, the conference will also be available remotely via interactive webcast.

As it becomes increasingly possible to use advanced technologies to capture and share medical images, for example, there is increased potential to improve productivity in our health-care system. Conference speakers, however, will address not only the technical possibilities, but the practical realities of tapping into their potential.

 (left), Canadian astronaut, physician and president and CEO of Southlake Regional Health Centre and assistant professor of surgery at the University of Toronto, will look at “Transforming the Future of Health Care with Informatics”, Thursday at 8:30am.

Five keynote presentations by international experts in integrated diagnostics and integrated care delivery will follow Williams' talk.

 (right), professor emeritus at the University of Michigan Medical School and president of the Pathology Education Consortium, who is credited with naming the field of pathology informatics, will speak about digital pathology and the future with integrated diagnostics on Thursday at 9:15am.

(left), associate professor and director of clinical informatics, University of Michigan Health System, will discuss digital pathology technology and the rush to develop algorithms that allow for direct interrogation of digital imagery for diagnostic information. Balis will look closely at the technical and operational aspects of emerging technologies that enable image-based decision support solutions on Thursday at 1pm.

 (right), medical director, Toronto Medical Laboratories, and pathologist-in-chief, University Health Network, will talk about the use of digital pathology to provide on-site intra-operative consultations on Friday at 9am. Applying this technology in a public health-care system is a way to rationalize diagnostic medicine but provide the highest level of care, whatever the patient’s location.

 (left), executive consultant, IBM Global Healthcare Centre of Competence, and  (right), senior managing consultant, IBM Global Business Services, will look at how large health-care databases and the tools of Business Intelligence can assist in the analysis and management of health care on Friday at 1pm.

In addition, the workshop , will explore the potential of eHealth to significantly increase the productivity of the health system at a time when funding has become highly restrained.

Other speakers include: Dr. R. Brian Haynes of McMaster University, on the evidence about what is working in health care; William Falk of the University of Toronto, discussing what is happening in eHealth in Canada; and William J. Pascal, of the Canadian Medical Association, on the policy shifts that must occur to enable the potential of eHealth systems during a time of government spending restraint.

For more information, visit the website. For program information, .

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Through the use of interactive, computer-assisted health-assessments, Professor Farah Ahmad hopes to foster equity in health care, especially at the intersections of gender, ethnicity and migration. Ahmad will present her research and discuss how embracing eHealth innovations can boost community empowerment as part of the York eHealth Alliance Lecture Series.

The lecture, “eHealth Innovations to Address Health Inequities: A Case of Computer-Assisted Health-Assessment in Primary Care,” will take place Thursday, Feb. 16, from 3 to 4pm, at 402 Health, Nursing & Environmental Studies Building.

Farah Ahmad

“Equity in health-care access is a key social determinant of population health,” says Ahmad, who is based in the Faculty of Health’s School of Health Policy & Management. “Fostering equity mechanisms is more salient today than ever before due to the challenges of economic recession and changing demographics.”

One way to embrace eHealth is by using interactive computer-assisted health-assessments in primary care for prevention and health promotion. Her recent research demonstrates that these kinds of assessments can enable patients to disclose socially stigmatized issues, such as partner violence and compromised mental health, as well as assist providers to offer needed care and referrals.

Ahmad’s action research on eHealth for psychosocial healthcare re-orientation takes place at the critical intersections of gender, ethnicity and migration. It is grounded in principles of social science includes quantitative and qualitative studies with inner city women, refugees and health-care providers. She will highlight the potential to develop integrated care models as an important pathway for simultaneous actions on the multiple health determinants that improve life conditions.

Ahmad is affiliated with the Centre for Research on Inner City Health, St. Michael’s Hospital as an associate scientist and with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Strategic Training Initiatives on Health Research on Health, Care, Place & Technology as a mentor. She held several prestigious fellowships, including awards from the CIHR during her doctorate and post-doctorate.

For more information, visit the Faculty of Health website.

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