The Health Innovation Roundup, sponsored by Health Cities, is written and published weekly by Taproot Edmonton to bring you the latest news and events in research, technology, companies and people changing health for the better in Edmonton. Sign up to get the full edition delivered directly to your inbox. Use the code HEALTHCITY & you’ll get 10% off the first year. Here are some highlights from this week’s Health Innovation Roundup: Headlines As of Jan. 1, the provincial government has made adjustments to how physicians can bill the province in an effort to make virtual health care more readily available. Since virtual care was introduced in 2020, approximately 42% of visits, consultations, and mental health services have been provided virtually, the province said. Health Cities posted about its successes in 2021, including attracting $2.9 million in funding for health innovation, 103 companies attracted to engage with Alberta’s health innovation community, and 61 internships or mentorships spearheaded. The University of Alberta Health Hub & Accelerator, which will be rebranded soon as the Health Innovation Hub, grew by more 48% in the last year and is constantly fielding new inquiries from health-tech entrepreneurs who want to join. RWI Synthetics has won the Goodwill Project, a competition to secure rent-free office space hosted by CommAlert Group. “I can’t wait to share it with my team,” CEO Myrna Bittner said in a victory speech. “They will be so happy to have a place to call home in Edmonton.” Ashif Mawji spoke to The Globe and Mail about the Community Safety and Wellness Accelerator which starts this month. The hope is for participating companies to tackle social and security problems with solutions that can be exported globally. “We’ve got to try something different, but give it all the ingredients for success,” Mawji said. The TELUS World of Science will host a new exhibition called Health Zone, which will open in February and uses experiments and experiences to teach youth about their own health. The Health Sciences Association of Alberta donated $250,000 towards the exhibit. The University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine posted a year-end video of its top stories this year. The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry also shared its 10 essential stories of 2021. Applications for the Roche Alberta Collaboration in Health, which aims to “support health innovation research projects that can provide further insights into challenges faced by patients and caregivers in Alzheimer’s Disease,” are due by 4pm on Jan. 7. Events Jan. 5, 6:30pm: Data Science Meetup Jan. 11, 6pm: Women in Machine Learning & Data Science Meetup Jan. 12, 12pm: Responsible AI for Business, presented by PowerEd Jan. 19-21: Rural Surgical Skills Update Jan. 26, 6:30pm: Transform Your Stress: The Resilience Advantage – Strategies for Managing Stress in Challenging Times March 17: Startup TNT Life Sciences Investment Summit May 24-27: AI Week Have a suggestion for a future edition? Send it to hello@taprootedmonton.ca for consideration. Become a “Roundup Cultivator” and sponsor Taproot Edmonton to help them chronicle health innovation in Edmonton. Learn more