@Alies-Maybee
Hi Alies,
Was this the link : Resources > Engagement Capable Environments (ECE)
?

@Chris-Johnston I actually don't know but I hope so.

@Chris-Johnston my pleasure, i'm looking to register but I was also looking to have someone join me are you interested?

@Alies-Maybee Thank you. I have added more comments for approval on the cafe message board and have registered.

For anyone interested in where AI-related biomedical research has currently reached - a recent article in Nature (see link below) highlights the use of AI to create multiple versions of entire virus genome - 3 of which were capable of infecting and destroying E. Coli bacteria.

With the declining efficacy of antibiotics, the capability to create tailored viruses is a huge step forward. However, it also opens the door to both the accidental and deliberate creation of potentially lethal viruses against which we gave no defences - which is terrifying.

It’s also, as the article points out, the first step towards AI-generated life - which has a vast range of mind-boggling implications.

Article in Nature in September: AI-Designed viruses are a step towards AI-generated life

Based on the pre-print research paper: Generative design of novel bacteriophages with genome language models

And an equally chilling piece of AI-powered biotech research appeared in MIT Technology Review in October:
Microsoft says AI can create “zero day” threats in biology by designing toxins that evade security controls.

@Chris-Johnston

Me too! 😀 See you there.

@Chris-Johnston

Hi Chris,

This is good (!)... it gives you a perspective into the American mind. Outdated websites are very common. What business has time to remember to update their public-facing webpage content. The answer is none.

A few things to note:

HIPPA has no jurisdiction in Canada, and

they are focusing on PIPEDA - the national privacy law (that applies to business; with exceptions to healthcare). (Light reading for insomniacs...)

It is important to note that - as a result of healthcare being in the jurisdiction of the PROVINCES - the feds must accept what 14 jurisdictions decide regarding healthcare. Personal Health Information (PHI) is a provincial matter governed by provincial privacy law. Transferring PHI between provinces is a nightmare. This, in turn, results in the national interoperability horror story that we currently find ourselves in.

Bottom line: it is up to each province to do its due diligence when it comes to PHI protection... and to which - the Americans are oblivious. Also, each healthcare service provider (hospitals, community care, clinics) must show conformance to privacy; in conformance to multiple professional standards. Heck, the provinces can't get their acts together - imagine the Americans trying to sell software in such an environment.

Just because things are being marketed for the American environment, does not mean Canadian entities need to agree. Take a look at your healthcare delivery organizations; look up their privacy statements. There is a catch phrase out there: "Patient PHI is stored on servers that reside in Canada." My local hospital went so far as to state that the PHI resides in Ontario (I'm based here in Ottawa.) I would love to do a deep dive into all the provinces and their privacy standards... but honestly - who has the time.

I'm going to stop here, 'cause I could prattle on forever. However, feel free to ask questions here and I'll do my best to answer.

@Lori-Herod This is an excellent resource, many thanks for sharing Lori.

@Alies-Maybee Excellent - thanks for sharing Alies!

@Virginia-McIntyre No worries! I am curious though how it went?

I see they've taken down the conference website pretty promptly.

When I queried (repeatedly) about virtual options, I was told on several occasions that they intended to stream the key notes, but the option wouldn't be added to the site until closer to the date - I suppose that was to ensure they didn't lose any potential sales. I checked back regularly and never found any evidence of it. Did anyone get to stream the key notes?

If anyone from PAN attended, would be very interested to hear:

How it went overall? What you learned? What impressed or disappointed?

And also:

Were there many patient/family/caregiver partners in attendance? Were there any PFCs presenting? Any specific topics or insights worth sharing? Did they draw any conclusions on the main question of 'Where is the Patients Voice?'

Inquiring minds would love to know 🙂

@Alies-Maybee @Debra-Turnbull @Kim-Giroux @Kim-Giroux If it's of interest, have just received notice of the next Obliquity workshop:

Join us on December 1, 2025 (5:30 PM MST) for the HYBRID workshop An Artistic Exploration of Ancient Healing Fountains and Contemporary Health Apps with Mariléne Oliver. You may attend virtually OR attend in person (Katz Group Centre For Pharmacy And Health Research Building; Room 1080)

Marilène Oliver is an Associate Professor in Art & Design whose artistic research is at a crossroads between new digital technologies, traditional print and sculpture, her finished objects bridging the virtual and the real worlds. She works with the body translated into data form in order to understand how it has become 'unfleshed', in the hope of understanding who or what it has become. Oliver uses various scanning technologies such as MRI, CT, and PET to reclaim the interior of the body and create works that allow us to materially contemplate our increasingly digitized selves. In 2018 Oliver was selected to present her research at TEDMED. Oliver leads LASERAlberta, a series of arts and science public talks affiliated with Leonardo/ ISAST. Oliver currently leads the research projects Dyscorpia: Future Intersections of the Body and Technology, Know Thyself as a Virtual Reality and is the lead of the Art & Working group for the Smartwear Revolution project.

Please click HERE to register to attend.

Note: Previous Obliquity workshop recordings are available to watch on the Obliquity website, and older sessions from their Youtube account.

OBLIQUITY Speaker Template (Instagram Post (45)) (1).png

@Nadine-Frisk Many thanks for sharing Nadine!

I also noted with interest the recordings of past talks and will definitely be dipping in to catch up 🙂

@Chris-Johnston Adding another event on the topic of de-identification - this time for medical imaging so it's a little more technical 🙂

25 Nov at 9 am PT, Microsoft is hosting a webinar on Practical Approaches to De-Identification of Medical Imaging Data: From Metadata to Pixel-Level Protection

From the website:
This session provides a practical overview of how identifiable information can appear in medical imaging data and how it can be effectively removed to protect patient privacy. Participants will learn the core concepts of metadata and pixel-level de-identification, including common sources of protected health information (PHI) within DICOM files and image content.

The workshop will highlight real-world examples and introduce tools and workflows used to ensure compliance with privacy regulations. Topics will include metadata anonymization, handling of burned-in text in ultrasound and other modalities, and defacing techniques for 3D imaging data. The session is designed to be accessible to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Click to register

@MIchael-Liddell it is in Toronto. If you live there, you could still try to see if you can attend in person.

@MIchael-Liddell Sounds interesting Michael, I'd certainly be interested if they expand to BC at any point.

@Jaime-Winkler Done! Thanks for sharing 🙂

@Alies-Maybee

Thanks for posting this!

Being a transplant from Montréal, I recall the frustration of constantly losing my primary care physicians. This shines a light on the factors for why that was the case.

If I may be so bold in suggesting - there are some important lessons for Ontario to learn in this Québec experiment.

@Kim-Locke I recall you had difficulties when trying to enrol in the MUN course Kim, I’m so glad you got in. Would love to know how it got resolved if you’re willing to share?

Thanks for alerting us to this bill!
I have added my name to the supporters!

@Kim-Locke sorry for the delay, I don't know of anything in NS. Try reaching out to some of the PAN members in NS to see if they know.

@Kim-Locke

Hi Kim,

Epic(1) is a charting software (EMR - electronic medical record application) used in hospitals to gather patient data; for the purpose of patient care. [A director recently informed me that it is also used by one of their public Community Clinics.]

PocketHealth(2) (two brothers from Toronto) is a third-party platform, and application, that stores images in its repository (really big database). It stores images from hospitals/clinics (hospital/clinic must obtain patient consent) for a fee. It then makes the specific image (and sometimes, a summarized report) available for a fee - to the specific patient. Images are stored forever - until the patient makes a request for deletion directly to PocketHealth.

HALO is one part of the Connected Care(3) project proposed by CIHI and Canada Health Infoway(4). I had posted this because I had caught the presentation and was very excited to see a national standard for healthcare interoperability. Remember, health care is delivered at the provincial level. This is the first time that I see the feds getting involved in health data exchange. Later, CIHI held their own presentation; showing how the two pieces would work together.

How will this work for PocketHealth? I have no idea. They, like Epic, are software vendors. It will be up to the hospitals, clinics, and other care delivery organizations, to do their due diligence and vet whether the software they use conforms to the new standards. Understand, though, most software vendors have already been asking for this standardization from the government - so, they should already know this.

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REFERENCES

https://www.epic.com/ https://www.pockethealth.com/patients/ https://www.cihi.ca/en/connected-care https://www.infoway-inforoute.ca/en/

@Kim-Locke Exactly!

Ethics and safeguards need to be built into whatever AI-framework is being considered. It's all about the guardrails.

Environmental consequences from AI datacenters - perhaps this is a consideration worth adding to the framework. Now, how do we measure that?

I have yet to see WHO is working on the framework and WHAT it looks like.

@Alies-Maybee Consent is a tricky thing in healthcare. ex. I sign a form every time I get an MRI or CT Scan to do the process at the hospital I go to in the William Osler system. I don't give them consent through, to move my body parts around, when they feel like it, without asking me first. I have to make this very clear. I'm autistic, so it might be ok for some people to not have to do this at all.

I also don't give them consent to put a cannula in my arm or hand for the dye injection, they have to ask. I feel these things are very important as a patient, because I don't want to lose autonomy over my body during health procedures.

How do we ask for consent with health records? It will have to be very detailed and per process.

ex. Do I give consent for my GP and cardiologist to see the Echo of my heart? Of course!
Do I give consent for my GP and Cardiologist to see the CT Scan of my liver? Just my GP, not the cardiologist.
We will have to build in consent models of sorts like this, so I can give one doctor consent and tell the other he has to ask ME, not the system.