Bold Ideas, Breakthrough Impact: Why Radical Innovation is Needed to Transform Health and Life Sciences
As Alberta and Canada continue to strengthen their position as global leaders in health innovation, there is growing recognition that solving the most pressing challenges facing healthcare will require more than incremental improvements. From aging populations and chronic disease to health system sustainability, workforce pressures, and inequitable access to care, many of today's challenges demand bold thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a willingness to pursue solutions that may initially seem out of reach.
This featured panel will bring together leaders from the worlds of challenge-based innovation, digital health, healthy aging research, and entrepreneurship to explore how transformative ideas become real-world impact. The discussion will examine why breakthrough innovation often requires embracing risk, setting ambitious goals, and creating environments where innovators are empowered to tackle seemingly impossible problems.
Through the lens of XPRIZE, a global leader in incentivizing radical breakthroughs, and the experiences of innovators working across health and life sciences, attendees will gain insight into what it takes to develop, scale, and implement solutions capable of transforming health outcomes at a population level. Attendees will hear firsthand from leaders who have participated in and supported global innovation initiatives, including XPRIZE competitions, and learn how challenge-based models can help catalyze breakthrough thinking and attract talent, investment, and partnerships around shared societal goals.
Panelists
Annika Anderson
Senior Team Relations Manager, XPRIZE Health
Anika Anderson works directly with teams participating in XPRIZE competitions around the world. She supports innovators as they navigate the challenges of developing breakthrough technologies and advancing ambitious solutions to some of humanity's biggest challenges. Through her work with XPRIZE, she has developed a unique perspective on what differentiates successful innovators and teams operating at the frontier of science and technology.
Jordan Masys
Co-Founder and Coo, Labfront
Jordan Masys is Co-founder and COO of Labfront, a digital biomarker and signal processing platform built by former members of Harvard's Centre for Dynamical Biomarkers. Designed to help researchers collect and analyze real-world physiological data, Labfront is currently used by over 300 research institutions worldwide, including Harvard, the NIH, NASA, and U Calgary. Prior to founding Labfront, Jordan co-founded Ethiopia’s Nordic Medical Centre and launched the country's first full-circle Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system. For his work in advancing global health tools and infrastructure, he was also named one of the Globe and Mail's Top 50 Canadian Leaders creating change.
Anthony Kaul
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cloud DX
Anthony Kaul is the Founder and CEO of Cloud DX, a Canadian digital health company focused on remote patient monitoring and virtual care technologies. Under his leadership, Cloud DX has become a leading innovator in connected healthcare, helping healthcare providers improve patient outcomes through data-driven, technology-enabled care models. He brings firsthand experience navigating the journey from startup innovation to commercial impact in healthcare.