Health futures

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HEALTH FUTURES

Waterloo is poised to take a unique leadership position in this space by focusing on our strengths at the intersections of health, society, technology and entrepreneurship and engaging partners to co-create solutions that advance population health and support the development of more sustainable community-based health systems.

CT Murphy, the founder of Cellect, is seen working in their laboratory.

CELLECT. transforms cervical cancer diagnosis with nanotechnology

CT Murphy, founder of CELLECT., is on a mission to transform health screenings by using nanotechnology in menstrual products to detect HPV and cervical cancer. The innovation could potentially eliminate the need for invasive Pap smears, offering a less stressful, non-invasive alternative.

“Women’s health is so far behind where it should be, not only in terms of treatment and diagnosis, but in terms of access and comfortability. We deserve technology that allows us the same access to care as men.”

CT Murphy, founder of CELLECT

Learn more about CELLECT. and how menstrual products can be used as a diagnostic tool →

FluidAI technology attached to a patient in the hospital.

Leading the way in AI-driven post-operative care

FluidAI, a Waterloo Region-based company, is at the forefront of developing AI-powered monitoring systems that enhance surgical recovery worldwide. In Canada, FluidAI is completing its first commercial deployment at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

“Surgeons have long sought a solution to the uncertainties of post-operative complications. Our answer was to develop a hardware platform that uses AI to provide immediate insights right at the bedside. By delivering real-time data directly to the clinical setting, our platform helps facilitate early intervention and better patient care.”

Youssef Helwa, CEO and co-founder of FluidAI

Learn more about the technology poised to support 100,000 surgical operations, and the inspiration that led to the development of FluidAI →

A bowl of cooked oatmeal and cut up fruit.

Measuring nutrition risk in older adults can lead to better health outcomes

A third of Canadians aged 55 or older are nutritionally at risk, which could lead to increased hospital stays, more emergency visits and physician consultations for possible infections, a new study has found. Using the SCREEN-8 tool (Seniors in the Community Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition) to measure an individual’s nutrition risk, researchers found that those with higher SCREEN-8 scores at the initial screening — indicating better nutrition — had significantly lower odds of reporting an overnight hospital stay, visiting a hospital emergency room or seeing a doctor for an infection when followed up three years later.

“These results highlight how a straightforward and inexpensive tool can be used to potentially make a vast difference in improving health-care outcomes and costs.”

Dr. Heather Keller, professor of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and Schlegel Research Chair in Nutrition and Aging 

Discover how using the Screen-8 tool can help healthcare practitioners support the health of older adults →

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