Photo Credit: Bryan Zhang
The global COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital solutions for health and wellbeing. It is now crucial that developments continue to improve access to health care for both physical and mental health, especially in remote Arctic Communities.
The Norwegian Chairship of the Arctic Council has prioritized human health advances and innovative digital health solutions are being developed in Canada and Norway.
Arctic Frontiers and The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ottawa warmly welcome you to join us for this event. It is free of charge but registration is required for venue capacity and for access to the live recording.
Where: The Collaboration Center, 8th Floor, 150 Elgin St
When: 09:00 – 13:00 (Doors open 08:30)
All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
Program Overview
09:00 Welcoming and Opening Remarks
Confirmed Speakers:
- Anu Fredrikson, Executive Director, Arctic Frontiers
- Trygve Bendiksby, Chargé d’Affaires, Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ottawa
- The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs (pre-recorded video)
09:15 Advances and Remaining Challenges in Health Provisions for the North
Challenging environments, remote communities and limited access to healthcare can be factors in the reduction of wellbeing, physical and mental health across the Arctic. Integrating factors such as food security, lived experiences and the environment into health care services is an important step for improving provisions. However, the socio-economic characteristics differ vastly across the Arctic and current healthcare services are perhaps not tailored enough to the nuances of life in the Arctic. Can digital solutions help?
Confirmed Speakers:
- Richard Budgell, Assistant Professor, McGill University
- Sarah Cox, Director, Circumpolar, Intergovernmental and International Relations Directorate, Policy and Strategic Direction, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
& Head of Delegation, Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG), Arctic Council - Jordyn Stafford, Food Security Manager, Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services
- Ketil Lenert Hansen, Professor, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway
Moderator: Anu Fredrikson
10:30 Scaling-Up: From Research to Innovation in Digital Health Solutions
Research and innovation go hand-in-hand in the digital health field, but the challenge for bold ideas and new companies is in the scale-up phase. Healthcare services are heavily regulated and moving from private to public sector is challenging and expensive. Trust with new companies, modern technology, and innovative tools needs to be built. Additional barriers, such as unreliable connectivity in remote communities, can hamper the benefits of digital solutions, but the recent global pandemic highlighted the need for virtual and digital healthcare solutions.
Confirmed Speakers:
- Hedda Crogh, Ideas Hunter, Norinnova
- Dr Tine Nordgreen, Professor at University of Bergen & Director ForHelse
- Dr Martin Ferguson-Pell, Professor at University of Alberta & Director of the Board Click&Push Accessibility Inc. (Digital)
- Dr Ole Hope, Chief Executive Officer, Finnmark Hospitals Trust
- Dr Allison Crawford, Chief Medical Officer of 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline & Medical Director, Psychiatry Outreach and Virtual Care, CAMH (Digital)
Moderator: Dr Zachary Kaminsky
11:30 Emerging Technologies for Health and Mental Health
Digital tools such as remotely controlled robotics and apps must be designed and developed for the needs of the local communities they serve. Services run and led by Indigenous Peoples and Arctic residents are now providing reliable and safe healthcare to various remote communities across the Arctic.
Confirmed Speakers:
- Chief Darcy Bear, Whitecap Dakota First Nation
- Cindy Roache, Regional Director, Primary Health Care and Population Health, Saskatchewan Region, Indigenous Services Canada
- Dr Ivar Mendez, Professor at University of Saskatchewan & Director, Virtual Health Hub
- Kelly Gregoire, Chief Operating Officer, TryCycle Data Systems
- Allan MacKenzie, Director, Atlantic First Nation Tech Services (Digital)
- Nelli Rachel Kongshaug, Leader of Kors på Halsen project, Norwegian Red Cross (Digital)
Moderator: Dr Zachary Kaminsky
This program aims to address critical issues in health and wellbeing across the Arctic, emphasizing the importance of integrating Indigenous knowledge, advancing digital health solutions, and overcoming the challenges of scaling up innovations.
Meet our Speakers
Richard Budgell was appointed Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine in 2020. He is a Labrador Inuk and lectures, writes and does research on Inuit health. In 2022 he began teaching a graduate course on Inuit health which he developed and that is the first of its kind in a Canadian university. Prior to joining Family Medicine, he was a federal government public servant in First Nations and Inuit health, and other Indigenous fields, for more than thirty years.
Sarah Cox been in the Public Service of Canada for 25 years, the last fifteen of which have been at the executive level. She has spent the bulk of her career at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC).
She is currently the Director of Circumpolar, International and Intergovernmental Affairs at CIRNAC and the Canadian Head of Delegation for the Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) in the Arctic Council.
Sarah has managed several complex projects, which include negotiating and implementing the delivery of the Common Experience Payment for the Residential Schools settlement.
At Norinnova, she is the project manager for the young entrepreneurship initiative, which includes Student IX and Arctic Ignite. She is keen to make Northern Norway an attractive place for young people through opportunities to invest in their own ideas and companies. Hedda has a master’s degree in management, innovation and marketing from UiT. She has previously worked with marketing, social media, and project coordination of conferences and festivals.
Kelly Gregoire is driven by a personal mission to make behavioural health support accessible and effective. With over 25 years in tech leadership, Kelly is committed to breaking barriers and advancing community well-being; championing improved mental health and substance use services. As COO, she has been pivotal in building Ottawa-based tech company TryCycle to 250 employees across North America since it was founded in 2017. Under her leadership, TryCycle was named Ottawa’s 3rd Fastest Growing Business in 2024. She supports initiatives like 100 Women Who Care and is a sought-after speaker on topics related to digital innovation in behavioural health.
Tine Nordgreen is a psychology specialist and associate professor. Since 2007, she has researched the development, treatment effect and implementation of digital health services for mental disorders. In 2012, she established the eMeistring clinic at Haukeland University Hospital, where we now offer guided internet treatment for depression, panic disorder and social anxiety. Nordgreen has won two innovation awards for her innovative work.
Chief Darcy Bear has dedicated himself to the betterment of his community and Canada as a whole since being elected to Council in 1991 at the age of 23. In 1993, Darcy was elected as Chief of Whitecap and is currently serving his 27th year as Chief of WDFN. As Whitecap’s leader, Chief Bear has always maintained a focus on community development, and has worked to bring greater fiscal accountability, transparency and good governance. He has led the Virtual Health Hub development along with Dr Mendez.
Dr. Mendez received his MD and PhD in Anatomy from the University of Western Ontario, where he also completed his post-graduate training in Neurosurgery. From 2000 to 2012, he was the Chair and Founding Member of the Halifax Brain Repair Centre. Dr. Mendez was the Head of the Division of Neurosurgery at Dalhousie University and the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax for more than a decade. In 2013 Dr. Mendez became the Fred H. Wigmore Professor and Provincial Head of Surgery at the University of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Health Authority until December of 2022.
Ketil Lenert Hansen is an indigenous (Sámi) epidemiologist and public health professor at UiT The Arctic University of Norway (100%), with over 20 years of mixed methods research experience within the Norwegian indigenous Sámi people. Lenert Hansen has received several awards for his circumpolar research, eg.: Jens Peder Hart Hansen Award (2012) and Dissemination prize from the Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT (2018). He has previous been a Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar (2021-23). Today, he serves as a member of the Lancet Commission on Arctic Health: Accelerating Indigenous Health and Well-Being.
Allan MacKenzie is the Director of Atlantic First Nation Tech Services (AFNTS), the IT Department of Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey (MK). Prior to entering this role, Allan spent four years as Technology Integration Lead with MK. Allan also has 5 years experience as Atlantic Regional Manager of In.Business: A Mentorship Program for Indigenous Youth, and 5 years teaching at the middle and high school levels.
He holds undergraduate degrees in Business and Arts from Cape Breton University, an Education Degree from Mount Saint Vincent University, a Certificate in Mathematical Sciences for Education from St. Mary’s University, and a Master of Education Degree – Leadership & Administration, from Saint Francis Xavier University.
Ole Hope PhD, is the CEO at Finnmark Hospital Trust. Hope has an extensive range of experience as an executive from a broad range of industries such as health care, education, finance, industry, arts, public service, and Royal Norwegian Navy. He holds a PhD in strategy and an MBA in Strategic Leadership in addition to his basic academic training from The Royal Norwegian Naval Academy.
Before his arrival in Ottawa, Trygve Bendiksby was Director for Energy, Climate and Environment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has also served as sherpa for the prime minister on renewable energy and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and as Deputy Director for Latin-America and the Caribbean. He has been posted to Tanzania, Venezuela, South Sudan, the Inter-American Development Bank and to Norway’s delegation to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris.
Dr. Allison Crawford, MD, PhD is a psychiatrist at CAMH and the Chief Medical Officer of 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline, Canada’s new 3-digit suicide prevention service (www.9-8-8.ca). She is also Medical Director of Psychiatry Outreach and Virtual Care at CAMH, and Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry, and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, at the University of Toronto.
Allison is a scientific advisor to the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council. Her research focuses on ensuring access to mental health, suicide prevention, and equity and cultural safety in digital health. Allison also researches the role of the arts in community health and well-being through her HeART lab for health equity through art, research and technology.
Nelli has a masters in Social Anthropology, have taken further education in coaching, management and data protection regulation. Love learning something new and developing myself. Since 2008 I have been in Kors på halsen, Red Cross helpline for children and youth. During these years we have developed chat, new websites, including the target group in testing, development and quality assurance of the service. I am concerned about children’s rights, data protection and information security. And brings this into management and development of the service.
Meet our Moderators
Anu Fredrikson
Dr Zachary Kaminsky
Ms Fredrikson is the Executive Director of Arctic Frontiers, overseeing all team operations and representing the organization in Norway and internationally. She brings a wealth of experience in Arctic issues from her previous roles, including Director of the Arctic Economic Council and Advisor for Political Affairs and Arctic Policy at the Embassy of Finland to Norway.
Dr. Kaminsky, DIFD-Mach-Gaensslen Chair in Suicide Prevention Research, earned his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2008, where he trained in one of the first psychiatry epigenetics labs. As part of Suicide Prevention Ottawa, he implements suicide prevention initiatives for at-risk youth. His research uses AI-driven natural language processing on social media data to predict suicidal thoughts/behaviors and develop digital interventions.
