OUR TEAM

I recently completed an MSc in Neuroscience at the University of Calgary, looking at pediatric traumatic brain injury in Dr. Michael Esser’s lab at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. I have been part of the organizing team for Innovation 4 Health and Neuro Nexus competitions since 2018. I have continued to be involved because I love the ever-growing community that I4H and Neuro Nexus have started. The vibrant energy that comes from excited, creative minds eager to tackle relevant health-related issues is inspiring. This year, we're excited to bring innovation and promote healthy aging in our community.

A long time member of the Innovation 4 Health community, as a participant, volunteer, and Senior Director of Engagement. Currently working as a Computer Application Specialist at Tom Baker Cancer Center and a Data Scientist at Trufla. A physics student at the University of Calgary, with research focusing on external beam radiation therapies. Graduate of the Medventions YYC internship program; implementing the Stanford BioDesign process to find commercialization opportunities in healthcare.

I recently completed an MSc in Neuroscience at the University of Calgary in Dr. Keith Sharkey's lab where I studied the enteric nervous system. I first became involved with Innovation 4 Health in the Fall of 2019 andw as instantly captivated by the program's ability to bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds to work towards a common final goal. Innovation 4 Health is a unique and exciting opportunity to make real-world impact and I look forward to engaging with students, researchers, clinicians and community members to help bring this program to life.

I am the senior director of programming for the 2022 innovation 4 health - health hack competition (HHC). I am a co-founder of the original 2017 i4h HHC and have remained involved since. My previous roles include the director of impact, director translation, director of awards and judging, and director of operations.
I completed my BSc. in Mechanical Engineering in 2014 and my MSc. in Biomedical Engineering in 2017. I co-founded a failed wearable technology company for stroke rehabilitation during my masters. I currently work as a software engineer at Garmin Canada.
"Haters gunna hate, innovators gunna innovate."🎙️⬇️

Presently, I am enrolled in the Master of Biomedical Technology program at the University of Calgary and have completed a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology in 2021. In 2019 and 2020, I participated in the Innovation4Health and Neuronexus health hack competitions respectively. Both years, my teams and I were presented with the $10,000 award for novel health solutions. I joined the director team at I4H because I experienced firsthand how the collaborative and iterative nature of the competition brings forth valuable innovations which have significant impact on the quality of care and the development of effective, inclusive and accessible health systems.

I am a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at the University of Calagry in Jeff Biernaskie's lab focusing on early events in Alzheimer's disease. I participated in Innovation 4 Health in 2018 as an innovator and now looking to create impact in translating ideas, I joined the organizing committee as a director of challenge recruitment. I have always been passionate about working with seniors, as such, I am really excited to participate in this years event where we plan to tack healthy aging and well-being of our elderly community.

I am a third-year neuroscience student at the University of Calgary in Dr. Sabine Gilch’s lab researching therapeutic targets for prion diseases. As a co-founder of the not-for-profit BackUp YYC which provides low-income youth with technology, I am passionate about making technology accessible for all ages. This is my first time with I4H as a programming committee member, so I am very excited to see how innovators tackle the challenges this year!

I am a second-year MSc student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Calgary studying metabolites associated with poor mental health outcomes in pregnancy. This is my first year as the director of awards and judging for Innovation 4 Health. As I have been volunteering with the senior population since high school, I am excited about this years’ Seniors & Healthy Aging Challenge. I am looking forward to seeing what kinds of ideas and prototypes arise from this event!

A previous I4H competitor, but newcomer to the organizer team as the Director of Education. I'm 'geri' excited to be coordinating this year's insightful workshops to will help participants bring their knowledge and prototypes to the next level. Recently graduated with a BSc. in Electrical Engineering with a Biomedical Specialization, I've had varied research and work experience in stroke centre analysis, MRI guided Focused Ultrasound (super cool, you should check it out), wireless product design, and instrumentation and controls.Interests include hockey (Go Flames Go), bouldering, and of course bringing brilliant minds together to help shape the future of healthcare. So if you want to have a chat about those things or anything else, feel free to contact me.

I am a recent graduate from the University of Calgary, with an MSc in Computer Science and focus in Human-Computer Interactions, a field of computing that leverages qualitative studies of human behaviour to develop human-centered technology solutions. My research in particular focused on making music theory education more accessible to self-teaching musicians by rethinking the design of music-education tools. As a newcomer to I4H, I'm excited to observe and help facilitate human-centered development in action, in a healthcare context. I look forward to seeing the results of everyone's creativity directed towards this increasingly relevant theme -- how can technology address the myriad of challenges that aging populations across the world face?

I am currently a third-year undergrad pursuing a combined degree in CMMB and Econ with a minor in Chem. I plan on pursuing research in the field of cancer biology, particularly the applications of immunotherapy in the treatment of glioblastoma, and health economics where I want to investigate disparities in the quality of and access to healthcare in developing countries. I am excited to get involved with Innovation4Health as a volunteer and as part of the Recruitment team, hoping to make an impact through my ideas by playing an active role in all the initiatives carried out by I4H as we look forward to facilitate healthcare innovation!

I'm currently a PhD student in the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, seeking to build on my interests in innovation and entrepreneurship. I have a split background, seeking this business PhD in addition to my past work and studies in health sciences and a Master in Biomedical Technology. As a participant and later organizing team member of past Innovation 4 Health competitions, I'm looking forward to facilitating healthcare innovation in this year's competition.

I am in my second year of Engineering in Sculich at the University of Calgary. I am majoring in mechanical engineering and my minor is in biomedical engineering. I have always been interested in biology, specifically the human body and how we can create tools and technologies to help/assist people in need of medical treatment or undergoing other health challenges. All of which has led me to join the Innovation 4 Health team this year. It is my first year being a part of Innovation 4 Health and I am very excited to be a part of the organizing team as a co-director of innovator reqruitment for such a big competition!

I am a second year Software student with a minor in Biomedical Engineering, studying at the Schulich School of Engineering, in the University of Calgary. I have always had in interest in the medical field and believe that technology and new innovations are the key to resolving many of the health challenges we face in the world today. This is my first year being part of the Innovation 4 Health hackathon and I think the work the done here is the next step to creating positive change. I am very excited to be a part of the team and to see what new innovations emerge from this years competition.

I am currently a second-year undergraduate from the Schulich School of Engineering taking up Biomedical Engineering. I decided to major in Biomedical Engineering as I want to help individuals and find solutions to health challenges. Innovation 4 health follows my passion, as they aim to create an impact on solutions to many different health care problems. I decided to join the recruitment team as it will allow me to further my skills as a communicator, help search for individuals that can bring their skills and creativity to the problem, and be part of the I4H community of innovators.

I am a new PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Calgary and am extremely passionate about finding new ways to improve the wellbeing for those with spinal cord injuries. I recently finished my masters, which focused on neuroprosthetics – the intersection of engineering, neuroscience, and machine learning.
I am really excited to join the I4H team and bringing together industry and academia to develop new solutions in the healthcare field!

A previous I4H innovator, Jay-Anne is a newcomer to the organizing team. She is passionate about Alberta’s innovation ecosystem and I4H’s role in building multi-disciplinary teams to bring solutions to real health challenges. She is an experienced finance and operations leader and serves as Fractional CFO for several startups. Her background spans across a variety of industries and has an exceptional record of achievements in startup environments including, business modeling, financial planning and forecasting, capital raises, private equity due diligences, venture building, and M&A transactions. She holds a B.Sc. in Accounting from Ramapo College of NJ, an MBA from the University of Calgary, and CPA licenses in Alberta and U.S.A. (NJ).

I am currently in my third year of Electrical Engineering with a Digital Minor at the University of Calgary. I have always been interested in healthcare and technology; my summer research experience working in the Biometric Technologies Lab further grew my interest in learning more about the healthcare industry. I am volunteering this year to be an organizer because I4H’s mission of catalyzing healthcare innovation by forming multidisciplinary teams resonates with me and I believe innovation is crucial for improvement. I am excited to learn about the different ways teams tackle the challenge of seniors and healthy aging, see all the creativity that the teams bring, and be inspired by the innovations.