L to R: NMIN Executive Director Dr. Diana Royce; HQP Logan Zettle; NMIN Associate Scientific Director Dr. Afsaneh Lavasanifar; President of NMIN’s NHN Executive Committee, Jennyfer Zapata-Farfan; and NHN Executive member Amélie Baron at the DeepTech event in Edmonton, AB.
NMIN participation was significant in the event “From Innovation to Impact: Deep Tech Transforming the Future of Healthcare,” which took place October 16-17, 2023, at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Co-hosted by NMIN and partner organization Deep Tech Canada, the event featured discussions with renowned speakers on the current state of deep tech in health.
NMIN researchers, staff, committee members and HQP spoke on and/or moderated panel discussions and participated in the event’s poster competition.The cross-sectoral event was attended by over 100 individuals.
Top, left to right: trainees Nasim Sarrami, Samantha McWhirter, and XuXin (Kevin) Sun. Bottom, left to right: Nashmia Zia & Ahmed Abdelfattah Mohamed Ahmed with NMIN’s Diana Royce & Divya Rao.
Diana Royce moderates a future-facing panel with Marc Leduc (Alberta Health), Tim Murphy (Alberta Innovates), Badeia Jawhari (Deloitte) & Megan Lee (University of Calgary).
Dr. Afsaneh Lavasanifar hosts a panel with André dos Santos (Amii), Darren Fast (University of Alberta), Alya Jinah (University of Calgary), Adetola Adesida & Jack Tuszynski (both UAlberta).
Deep Tech Canada President Marie D’Iorio moderates a panel on student prospects with NMIN’s Gilbert Walker, Michael Valic, Jennyfer Zapata-Farfan & Nicolas Bertrand, plus Christopher Micetich (second from left; Brass Dome Ventures and Fedora Pharmaceuticals).
NHN Executive Committee Members who attended and supported event delivery included:
- Jennyfer Zapata-Farfan Chair, President (Polytechnique Montréal);
- Amélie Baron, Regional Director – Québec-Atlantic (Polytechnique Montréal)
- Tavonga Mandava, Regional Director – West-Central (University of Saskatchewan);
- Liza Silverman, Regional Director – Pacific (University of Victoria);
- Michael Valic, Vice-President (University of Toronto); and
- Nashmia Zia, Regional Director – Ontario (University of Toronto).
A Poster Viewing Session was held on Monday 16 October 2023, between 5:00 – 6:30 pm. NMIN proudly supported 12 NMIN Trainees whose abstracts were accepted for presentation at this event:
- Liza Silverman (U Victoria)
- Reinali Calisin (UBC)
- Sarthak Garg (UBC)
- >XuXin Sun (BC Cancer Research Institute)
- Nasim Sarrami (U Alberta)
- Aderonke Ayanniyi (U Saskatchewan)
- Hadeel Mohammad (U Toronto)
- Logan Zettle (U Toronto)
- Nashmia Zia (U Toronto)
- Samantha McWhirter (U Toronto)
- Amélie Baron (Polytechnique Montréal)
- Jennyfer Zapata-Farfan (Polytechnique Montréal)
Eight of the nine participants selected to participate in the Student Lightning Round Research Presentations session on Monday 16 October 2023 were NMIN HQP and/or NHN members.
NMIN NHN Executive Committee President Jennyfer Zapata-Farfan and Vice-President Michael Valic, as well as NMIN’s Scientific Director, Dr. Gilbert Walker and NMIN’s HQP Program Advisory Committee (HPAC) Chair, Dr. Nicolas Bertrand, participated on a conference panel titled Students, Academia & Industry. This panel brought together a diverse group of participants, including students, academics, and industry professionals, to explore the ever-changing landscape of the job market and share valuable insights on how to best prepare students for their transition into the workforce. The panel discussed current trends, emerging skills, and essential strategies for students to enhance their employability.
Dr. Diana Royce, Executive Director, NMIN, moderated two panel discussions titled Promoting Health: Bridging the training divide for Industry; and Driving Change: A Canadian Call to Action – one on each day of the event.
Dr. Afsaneh Lavasanifar, NMIN Associate Scientific Director, moderated a panel discussion titled Academic Response to Industry Presentations on Monday 16 October 2023.
NMIN banners were prominently displayed at the event. NMIN was sincerely thanked by Deep Tech Canada President & CEO, Dr. Marie D’Iorio, for its support of the planning and delivery of this event.