Speakers Bios: AI Strategy in Healthcare

Helia Mohammadi, Chief Data Scientist and Healthcare Lead for Quebec and Western Canada, Microsoft Canada

Dr. Helia Mohammadi is the National Healthcare Chief Data Scientist and Healthcare Lead for Microsoft Canada and a thought leader in the research and healthcare industry. With over 14 years’ experience in research and applied AI, her work has leveraged and extended Machine Learning and Cloud solutions to deeply influence key domains including predictive analytics, genomics research, and precision medicine. 

Helia completed a Doctorate in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto. She received her MSc degree in Computer Science after simultaneously completing a BSc degree in Computer Engineering and a BBA in Business Administration. Her work resulted in peer-reviewed publications and patents. 

As the National AI Ambassador for the Microsoft Canada AI Country plan, Helia has been pivotal in spearheading Canadian Healthcare digital transformation and AI adoption strategy.

She has received numerous distinguishing awards and scholarships, including the “Best Graduate Thesis Award in Recognition of Excellence in Research and Nomination for Governor General’s Gold Medal” and made the list of the “Top 30 Influential Women Advancing AI in Canada”.

She strives to empower the healthcare and research community to positively affect quality of life for patients and medical professionals.

Mario Voltolina, Chief Technology Officer, Canada Health Infoway

Mario Voltolina joined Infoway in 2010 and was appointed CTO and Executive Vice President in 2019. He leads a team that is identifying, assessing, and measuring the impact of innovative technologies; reviewing global best practices and trends; and ensuring that Infoway and stakeholders are well-positioned to adopt the most promising digital health technology. 

Mario has more than 30 years of experience in the information technology industry, mainly in health care and financial services. He developed his experience with large technology companies such as Sun Microsystems and Oracle, as well as start-ups and medium sized technology firms in the fields of performance measurement and management, process control, life insurance, trading platforms and exchange systems. 

Mario holds a BA in International Relations from the University of Toronto.

Twitter: @mvoltolina

Robert Greer, Program Manager, The Hospital for Sick Children

Sheela Agarwal, CMIO, Diagnostic Imaging and AI, Nuance Communications

Dr. Agarwal is an experienced leader with a 10+ year history of working in academics and industry. She is skilled in Radiology, Clinical Trials, MRI, and Data Science including machine learning and AI. 

Sheela has proven her ability to combine scientific and business skills as demonstrated by work with biotech, clinical trials, and the pharmaceuticals industry. She is a strong healthcare services professional who graduated from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Naveen Valluri, Principal Group Manager, Health AI, Microsoft

Mr. Valluri is an experienced multi-disciplinary leader for product and engineering. He has demonstrated success working in Cloud, Business Applications. Strong Product, customer obsession, skilled in Scalability, Agile Methodologies, Distributed Systems, Software Design, and Cloud Computing.

Mehdi Somji, Director, Innovation and Partnerships, Trillium Health Partners

Twitter: @mehdisomji