The Health Innovation Roundup, sponsored by Health City, 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 A new U of A study found that Alberta is now the North American hotspot for a rare parasitic disease, potentially causing deadly health complications. Researchers found that 17 instances of human alveolar echinococcosis (AE) diagnosed in the province between 2013 and 2020. Health City announced the names of seven companies participating in the second cohort of the Digital Health Integration Readiness Platform (Pre-HaTCH). Edmonton-based neurotechnology development firm Lenica Research Group announced a new partnership with Health Gauge to launch Lenica’s Peak Cognition platform, which helps users improve their cognitive performance. The commercial launch of the program is scheduled for July 1. CEO of True Angle Medical Jana Rieger is a nominee for the 2021 AWE Awards that recognizes women entrepreneurs in Alberta. The finalists will be announced in September. An intensive group therapy program in the University of Alberta Hospital‘s outpatient psychiatry department has come to an end after more than a decade. According to AHS, this was due to “ongoing, longstanding issues of high staff turnover and low retention,” reported CBC News. A mobile mammography service will visit the Alexander First Nation on July 8-9. An appointment is required for the service. According to a new report by the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate Alberta, 95 people under the age of 25 died due to accidental opioid poisoning in 2020. A new Opioid Response Surveillance Report showed that First Nations people died seven times more frequently than non-First Nations people during the first half of 2020 in Alberta. Edmonton-based businesses are participating in the Each + Every harm reduction initiative, which aims to address the opioid crisis in Alberta and Canada, reported the Edmonton Journal. U of A clinical professor Robyn Harrison was appointed vice-chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). Events June 22, 12pm: Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) Webinar June 22-23: MaRS Impact Health June 22-24: Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology/Gairdner Virtual Virology Symposium Jun 24, 4pm: Unlocking the Mystery of ALS July 7, 9am: Synthetic Data Summit Sept. 22-24: Inventures 2021 Startup Pitch Event Nov. 3 & 4: i4 2021 Virtual Conference Dec. 2-6: University Hospital Foundation’s Festival of Trees 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