PolicyForward presents Technology, Medicine and the Future of Healthcare in Canada

Max Bell Foundation presents Laura Kilcrease and Alan Bernstein in

Technology, Medicine and the Future of Healthcare in Canada

October 23 – 5:30-7:30

National Music Centre – 850 4 Street SE, Calgary

Click here to purchase tickets

Universal health care is highly valued by Canadians. For many, it’s woven into our national identity, signalling our core values and distinguishing us from our American neighbours. Our politicians know that even talking about change to healthcare is a risky proposition.

But we’re on the cusp of potentially enormous change. Advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, genomics, and additive manufacturing are disrupting medical science, and are shifting the ways healthcare is delivered. Imagine getting a diagnosis from a computer, receiving pharmaceuticals tailored to your genetic make up, and having a robot surgically implant into you a 3-D printed kidney.

Can our current healthcare system adapt to such fundamental change? Will Canada’s medical research community be able to compete with others – both in fundamental science and bringing innovations to market? How will we afford universal access to the kind of medical care that emerges from these technological advances? And how will we regulate it all?

We invite you to join us on the evening of October 23 in Calgary to hear from and engage with two leading experts in healthcare and innovation. Max Bell Foundation’s 2018 PolicyForward event will feature Laura Kilcrease, CEO of Alberta Innovates, and Alan Bernstein, President and CEO of CIFAR.

4:30-5:30 Registration
5:30 Presentation
6:45 Hosted reception
7:30 Event ends

Laura J. Kilcrease, Chief Executive Officer, Alberta Innovates

Laura Kilcrease leads Alberta Innovates as its Chief Executive Officer. Recruited from Austin, Texas, she is recognized as a significant motivator in shaping Austin’s economic revitalization. Laura influenced the creation of the Austin Technology Council and co-founded the Austin Technology Incubator, where companies have raised over $3 billion to date.

With over 25 years’ experience in commercializing technology, Ms. Kilcrease is sharing her enthusiasm and entrepreneurial expertise to create innovation coalitions that leverage the talent and spirit of Alberta. Prior to becoming Alberta Innovates’ CEO, Laura was a seven-year member of the Alberta Research and Innovation Advisory Committee.

Born in London, Laura received her Chartered Management Accountant certification in the U.K. and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Texas.

Alan Bernstein, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

Alan became CIFAR’s President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2012. He was previously executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise in New York, an international alliance of researchers and funders charged with accelerating the search for an HIV vaccine. From 2000 to 2007, he served as the inaugural president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada’s federal agency for the support of health research. In that capacity, he led the transformation of health research in Canada.

Author of over 225 scientific publications, Alan has made extensive contributions to the study of stem cells, blood cell formation (hematopoiesis) and cancer. He chairs or is a member of advisory and review boards in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Italy and Australia. Alan also served as co-chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee for Stand Up 2 Cancer Canada with Phillip A. Sharp.

A much sought after science advisor in countries around the world, his contributions to science have been recognized with numerous awards and honorary degrees, including Officer of the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, and the 2017 Henry Friesen International Prize in Health Research.