Canada’s progress toward a fully connected health system is measured not just in policies and plans but in how systems actually work together. Projectathons are where that vision is put to the test – structured, non-competitive events that bring together vendors, jurisdictions, and clinical leaders to validate whether digital health solutions can exchange information securely and consistently across the country.

A prime example of a Projectathon tested standard is the Pan-Canadian Patient Summary (PS-CA) specification, which defines a common way to capture and share essential health information, medications, allergies, immunizations, and more, so it can travel with patients throughout their care journey. By testing against PS-CA, vendors and jurisdictions prove their systems can create and consume a standardized summary directly within clinical workflows, ensuring that vital health information is available whenever and wherever it is needed.

This session will explore how Projectathons accelerate standards adoption, identify issues early, and give governments, vendors, and providers confidence that solutions are ready for care settings. We’ll reflect on lessons learned from Canadian and international events and preview what’s next, including the upcoming Canadian Projectathon.

It’s a fitting finale: a look back at progress and a look forward to how innovation is tested, refined, and accelerated in the real world.

What You’ll Learn

• What Projectathons are and why they matter for interoperability and connected care
• How testing against PS-CA validates that systems can securely exchange essential patient information
• Lessons from Canadian and international Projectathons and how they accelerate adoption and problem-solving
• How collaboration in structured testing environments builds trust and strengthens system-wide alignment
• What’s coming in Canada’s next Projectathon and how to get involved

Despite Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system, significant disparities persist in access and quality of care—especially for women, Indigenous peoples, newcomers, and underserved communities. The Novartis Health Equity Initiative is a bold response to these challenges, championing fair access to care through community-led, people-first solutions. This event will spotlight the 2025 Novartis Health Equity Initiative and grassroots changemakers advancing equity in these key areas:

Health literacy and education: When accurate health information is clear and accessible, better health outcomes are made possible for all.

Support for newcomers to Canada: Reducing language and cultural barriers helps ensure newcomers to Canada receive the same quality of care as everyone else

Social and cultural inclusivity: To make care truly fair, we must close the gaps affecting millions of Canadians, especially women, Indigenous peoples and underserved communities across the country.

Attendees will explore how the 2025 Novartis Health Equity Initiative Award winners are working to dismantle systemic barriers and co-create lasting solutions rooted in local expertise. Join us to learn how innovative partnerships and inclusive strategies are reshaping healthcare access—and how you can be part of the movement toward a healthier, more equitable Canada.

Join Rosa D’Acunti, Country Communications and Patient Advocacy Head at Novartis Canada, as she moderates a compelling discussion on health equity. 

A connected health system cannot be built within technological silos or fragmented partnerships. It requires sustained collaboration across government, industry, clinical leaders, patients and communities, and many more, who share a vision for more modern, efficient, and collaborative care.

This session will explore how strategic public-private partnerships are accelerating Canada’s digital health transformation, while also helping to address long-standing challenges such as data fragmentation, clinician burden, and scaling digital pilots into sustainable system-wide solutions. At the heart of the discussion is Canada Health Infoway’s Vendor Innovation Program (VIP), a national initiative that supports vendors in developing solutions that are standards-based, clinically grounded, and ready to scale.

Innovation can’t scale without strong, connected foundations. As Canada’s health system becomes more digitally enabled, it needs infrastructure that supports secure, seamless, and real-time information sharing. That is where interoperability comes in. But achieving it means more than just linking systems. It requires thoughtful design that reflects how care is actually delivered.

This session explores how Canada is redefining interoperability as a strategic enabler of better care. It supports clinicians in their workflows, improves the patient experience, and drives system-wide performance.

At the centre is HALO (Health Application Lightweight Protocol), a foundational approach to building modular, vendor-neutral systems that integrate directly into clinical practice. HALO is more than a technical tool; it represents a new way of designing digital infrastructure around the realities of care.

We will share early insights from HALO pilots in British Columbia and Ontario, where this approach is being tested to reduce administrative burden, improve timely access to information, and enable more connected, coordinated care.

Bringing together clinical, technical, and implementation perspectives, this session will show how interoperability, when built with usability and trust in mind, can accelerate progress toward modern, team-based, patient-centered care.

What You’ll Learn

• How interoperability can improve clinical workflows, reduce administrative burden, and support more coordinated care
• What HALO is, and how it offers a new, modular approach to building vendor-neutral digital health systems
• Early lessons from HALO pilot projects in British Columbia and Ontario, and what they reveal about real-world implementation
• How thoughtful infrastructure design can improve patient experience and system performance
• What it takes to shift from fragmented systems to connected care across Canada

Innovation in healthcare often begins as an initial project—testing the waters and full of promise, on the way to broader adoption. The journey from initial project to standard practice presents both challenges and opportunities. In recognition of Arthritis Awareness Month, this Longwoods Leadership Discussion will dive into strategies to successfully expand localized pilot programs into system-wide solutions. Moderated by André Picard, health columnist with The Globe and Mail, the session will showcase impactful case studies and actionable best practices for turning innovation into improved health outcomes.

Proudly supported by UCB Canada and the Arthritis Society Canada.

Digital health innovation often emerges from research labs and policy tables, but some of the most impactful solutions begin at the community level, in response to real-world needs. Across Canada, clinicians, Indigenous leaders, health organizations, and local changemakers are designing and deploying digital tools that are improving care in rural, remote, and underserved settings. These efforts reflect a growing global movement toward more equitable, locally driven models of care. This session explores how community-driven innovation is advancing Connected Care and why equity, cultural relevance, and local leadership are essential for long-term success. We’ll spotlight real-world stories from across the country, including initiatives supported by Canada Health Infoway’s Connected Care Innovation Grant, delivered through the Centre for Clinical Innovation in Digital Health (CIDH). From EMS systems to Indigenous health centres, these projects demonstrate what’s possible when innovation is co-designed with communities, not just for them.

What You’ll Learn

• How community-led digital health innovation is improving care in underserved settings
• Why equity, cultural relevance, and local leadership are critical to digital health success
• Insights from CIDH-supported Connected Care Innovation Grant projects
• How grassroots innovation can shape broader system strategies  

More information and learning resources