Three MUHC projects selected for the Digital Health Innovation Fund
Three teams associated with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) will contribute to pan-Canadian projects aimed at harnessing artificial intelligence and health data to advance research and care.
The MUHC is among the Canadian institutions whose teams were selected for the first Digital Health Innovation Fund (DHIF), a national initiative led by the Digital Health & Discovery Platform (DHDP) of the Terry Fox Research Institute. The projects involve Dr. Alan Forster, Director of Innovation, Performance and Quality at the MUHC, Dr. Ahmed Aoude, Director of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at the MUHC and a researcher at the Research Institute of the MUHC (The Institute), and Dr. David Buckeridge, Chief of Digital Health at the MUHC. Their respective projects focus on synthetic data, bone cancer detection and medication safety.
In total, 14 pan-Canadian teams were selected through a competitive process. The projects bring together academic institutions, healthcare organizations and companies from across the country to support the secure sharing of data and accelerate the use of artificial intelligence in precision medicine.
Synthetic Data to Accelerate Health Research
Dr. Alan Forster is participating in the Building a Synthetic Data Network in Canada project. The project aims to use privacy preserving synthetic data to connect hospitals across Canada and accelerate the generation of knowledge to improve patient care.
In addition to the MUHC, the project brings together the University of Waterloo, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Ontario, the University of New Brunswick, the Canadian Personalized Healthcare Innovation Network (CPHIN), ZS Associates Canada Consulting ULC and MDClone.
Dr. Alan Forster, Director of Innovation, Performance and Quality at the MUHC
Artificial Intelligence to Support Bone Cancer Detection
Dr. Ahmed Aoude is participating in The QudraPen: AI-Driven Multimodal Spectroscopy Platform for Real-Time Bone Cancer Detection project.
The project aims to develop an imaging platform using artificial intelligence and multimodal spectroscopy to support real-time bone cancer detection and ultimately improve patient outcomes. including through real-time detection. The project brings together the Research Institute of the MUHC, Qalam Health Solutions, Applicare.AI and Ontario Tech University.
Dr. Ahmed Aoude, Director of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at the MUHC and a researcher at the Research Institute of the MUHC (The Institute)
Improving Medication Safety Through Data
Dr. David Buckeridge is participating in the Scaling Medication Safety and Enriching Data Interoperability Across McGill University Health Centre project.
The initiative aims to standardize medication data to help prevent dosing errors and make data more readily usable for AI-based health research. The project is being carried out in collaboration with NURA Medical Inc. and DT Consulting Group.
Dr. David Buckeridge, Chief of Digital Health at the MUHC
Advancing digital health innovation
These projects illustrate how the IMPACT Centre is helping the MUHC accelerate the translation of research and innovation into tangible benefits for patients and the health system. They also demonstrate the MUHC’s leadership in the responsible use of artificial intelligence, an essential component of successfully integrating these technologies into the health system.
The projects will leverage the Digital Health & Discovery Platform (DHDP), a federated learning platform that enables researchers to analyze health data from different institutions without moving the data itself, helping to protect privacy while fostering collaboration and discovery.
They are also supported by the MUHC Foundations’ sustained commitment to innovation and healthcare transformation. The MUHC thanks its Foundations, their donors and the broader community for supporting initiatives that advance research and improve care.
Funding
The projects receive funding through the Digital Health Innovation Fund, which has a $49-million allocation through the Government of Canada's Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Strategic Response Fund.