Agfa HealthCare Awards McMaster University's Michael Mak for Innovation in eHealth
Keewaytinook Okimakanak's KNET student placement, Michael Mak, became the winner of the 2010 Agfa HealthCare Innovation Challenge on Saturday, November 20.
Michael Mak, second from left, received the Agfa HealthCare Institute eHealth Innovation Challenge award on Saturday. The award was presented Jeff Nesbitt of Agfa HealthCare in Canada, Lysa Taylor-Kinch of Sun Life Financial, and Chris Labrador of Research In Motion.
Michael is a McMaster University student in the third year of the Global Health Specialization of their Bachelor of Health Sciences program. He is doing his four month placement in Sioux Lookout working with Keewaytinook Okimakanak's KNET team to develop IT resources with First Nation partners.
Michael's Diabetexts Initiative (http://diabetexts.knet.ca) was selected as one of the five finalists to compete in the HealthCare Innovation Challenge in Waterloo this weekend.
Micahel prepared his proposal to the competition in response to the question:
What is a potential solution to a current challenge associated with universal access, privacy, and ease of use pertaining to disease diagnosis, medical treatment, and overall healthcare management?
From the AGFA HealthCare Innovation Challenge web site at http://www.agfachallenge.ca/, as the first place winner, Michael earned his choice of an "AGFA Scholarship ($3000) & Flights to Belgium OR a Summer Job with AGFA".
Along with the Diabetexts initiative, some of the other projects that Michael is completing while working with KO-KNET and their partner First Nations and organizations include:
- the ELDER Project - http://elderproject.knet.ca
- the One Laptop Per Child initiative - http://littlegreenmachines.knet.ca
- the Here For You project - http://hereforyou.knet.ca
- a Health Careers site and a Videoconference site are also being developed by Michael as part of his learning experience with Keewaytinook Okimakanak.
The following press release details the competition that university students from across Ontario are invited to submit their proposals ...
Agfa HealthCare Institute Competition Challenges Bright Young Minds -Agfa HealthCare Inspires Ontario Students to Submit Ideas to Make Canada a Leader in Healthcare Innovation
WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 13, 2010) - Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic imaging solutions, today announced the opening of the 2010 Agfa HealthCare Innovation Challenge. Now in its third year, the Agfa HealthCare Innovation Challenge calls on students across the province to pitch their new and innovative ideas on how to improve eHealth in Canada.
The annual event is an exciting month long competition designed to engage the most talented minds from various disciplines in information technology, health sciences, and engineering faculties, among others, across Ontario post-secondary institutions. Throughout the competition, Agfa is asking students to submit proposals that help make Canada a healthier place to live. Students can register at http://www.agfachallenge.ca/, where the official question was posted on Oct. 5th at 12 a.m. ET.
The Agfa HealthCare Innovation Challenge was created to provide Canadian students with the opportunity to contribute to improving the quality of patient care, support the continuation and growth of Canada's health informatics industry, and drive the advancement of healthcare IT solutions. The top five participants will have the opportunity to pitch their proposals to a panel of executive judges. The winner will receive a $3,000 CAD scholarship or summer employment opportunity at Agfa HealthCare, and all finalists will receive a guaranteed job interview.
"When it comes to ideas for improving patient care in Canada, the number of fresh and innovative presentations we've received from talented Canadian students in previous competitions have been exceptionally brilliant," said Jeff Nesbitt, Vice President of Government Relations and Strategic Programs, Agfa HealthCare in Canada. "This year, we're challenging all Ontario students to bring their brightest and most creative ideas to make this year's Innovation Challenge the best yet."
The top five finalists will receive an all expenses paid trip to Waterloo, Ontario, where they will present their ideas and engage in personal coaching sessions on their proposal submission with key industry influencers and lead sponsoring organizations including Research in Motion (RIM), Christie, Jet Airways, Ontario Centres of Excellence and The Health Technology Exchange, as well as senior software architects from Agfa HealthCare in Canada. The call for proposals closes on November 5th, 2010, and presentations will take place in Waterloo on November 19th – 21st.
For more information, or to enter the annual Agfa HealthCare Innovation Challenge, visit http://www.agfachallenge.ca.
About Agfa
The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world's leading imaging and information technology companies. Agfa develops, manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), the healthcare sector (Agfa HealthCare) and film related products and specific industrial applications (Agfa Materials). Agfa's headquarters are in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40 countries and has agents in another 100 countries throughout the world. The Agfa-Gevaert Group achieved a turnover of 3,401 million Euro in 2006.
About Agfa HealthCare
Agfa HealthCare, a member of the Agfa-Gevaert Group, is a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and image management solutions, and state-of-the-art systems for capturing, processing and printing images in hospitals and healthcare facilities. The company has over a century of experience in diagnostic imaging and has been a pioneer on the healthcare IT market since the early 1990's. Agfa HealthCare today employs 5,700 staff members, with sales offices and representatives in over 100 markets worldwide. Sales for Agfa HealthCare in 2006 were 1,452 million Euro, accounting for 43% of total group sales. For more information on Agfa HealthCare, please visit www.agfa.com/healthcare.
For more information, please contact
Agfa Press Office
Septestraat 27
B - 2640 Mortsel
Belgium
or
Agfa HealthCare
Jeff Nesbitt
Vice President, Government Relations and External Programs
+1 519 746 6210
jeff.nesbitt@agfa.com
or
Agfa HealthCare
Geertrui De Smet
Global Communications Manager
+32 (0)3 444 73 06
geertrui.desmet@agfa.com
or
Agfa-Gevaert NV
Johan Jacobs
Corporate Press Relations Manager
+32 (0)3 444 80 15
johan.jacobs@agfa.com
+++++++++
November 21, 2010 -
WATERLOO — In today’s technology-driven society, broadband internet access and 3G and 4G cellular networks are often taken for granted.
But there are plenty of places in Canada where even reliable internet service is considered a perk.
That’s why Michael Mak’s winning submission to this year’s Agfa HealthCare Innovation Challenge is refreshing in its relative simplicity: using SMS text messages sent by cell phone for patient education and communication in remote locations. Award presentations took place this weekend in Waterloo, home to Agfa HealthCare’s primary North American research and development site.
Mak, a 20-year-old McMaster University student, is already putting his idea to the test in northwestern Ontario during a learning placement.
The third-year health sciences student is working with a First Nations telecommunications provider in communities like Fort Severn to equip diabetes workers with cell phones and a computer software program so they can create text messages and send them to multiple patients. The system could allow patients to do such things as book appointments while receiving educational information and daily reminders from health care workers.
Simple cell phone and text-messaging use is fairly widespread in aboriginal communities, especially among the youth, Mak said.
“Working with the First Nations … they are a culture that teaches to use and maximize what they have,” he said. His proposal “is just built on existing systems,” he said.
Mak’s submission was among more than 60 received from across Ontario for the third-annual challenge. The top five received a trip to the finals.
“All of them really touched on access to information,” said Jeff Nesbitt, vice-president of government relations and strategic programs for Agfa HealthCare in Canada. “How to make data more accessible, how to bring health care a little closer to the patients.”
Mak’s concept “is a unique application of a technology in a rural area,” Nesbitt said.
The competition calls on post-secondary students to come up with new ideas on how to address electronic health care and health IT issues in Canada. Students aren’t constrained by traditional boundaries, Nesbitt said. “It allows us to step outside the box.”
And winning ideas could very well have real-world applications. Agfa patented the first winner’s concept for an anti-coagulant management system, and Nesbitt predicted that Mak has a bright future as well.
“I see a huge opportunity here for Michael,” he said. “I think if we don’t pick him up, somebody else will.”
Mak receives a $3,000 scholarship and summer employment at Agfa, along with a BlackBerry Torch from sponsor RIM and other perks.
Mak said he hopes the experience will help guide him to a career “building a healthier Canada for those who might not always be on the radar.”